Stupid students, I mean the dumb as a bag of rocks kind

Thanks MK

On top of what everyone has said, that was also embarassing. This guy, as Kitano said just doesn't get how things work in China. Whether he doesn't know or he doesn't care, he won't go far. Even if the kids are tree stumps, there's always a way.

I was once at a similar type of place where my class was 'optional'. I quickly learned that teaching real English would go nowhere. I found out that soon there was going to be a singing contest pitting classes against each other. So, I helped prepare an opening statement for my guys, where and how to stand and a few other pointers. My class asked me to come the night of the event. The g/f and I were sat up front and treated well. I was then asked to give a speach to the crowd of about 1,000 students, faculty and family. And to my surprise, my class won! WOW, they should have been 3rd tops. I knew they were going to win even had they fucked up Old McDonald Had A Farm

I was praised because I played THEIR   game well. I'm not trying to brag, actually, there'e little to boast about. Our English topic classes were almost non existant. But everyone was happy. We've kept in contact with some students and a few teachers even after we left town.

OMG, that was painful. What an arrogant, delusional, incompetent, rude, ignorant tool. Wait, I haven't finished; unprofessional. Ok. now I'm done.

Yes, I feel sorry for him. He knows nothing about teaching, but he doesn't realise that he's the problem, but seriously... I would guess that people have tried to help him, but what would be the point with someone with that attitude?

On a positive note, it does make me grateful that there's nobody like that at my Uni.

Kitano, I don't understand your comments at all. The guy's an embarrassment. Yes there are a lot of cultural or small and understandable things he's doing wrong, but they're overshadowed by a few huge character flaws.

Part 2 - "Do you really think this is my first time teaching?". He taught somewhere else?

I can't watch it all.

The last 2 minutes of part three was when he had to find out what the ruckus was at the back of the plane he was on.

This is the kind of guy who can't drive, never owned a car but if you park a little sideways, feels like he has the God given right to tell you that you're a bad driver then preceed to explain how to do it correctly

OMG, that was painful. What an arrogant, delusional, incompetent, rude, ignorant tool. Wait, I haven't finished; unprofessional. Ok. now I'm done.

Yes, I feel sorry for him. He knows nothing about teaching, but he doesn't realise that he's the problem, but seriously... I would guess that people have tried to help him, but what would be the point with someone with that attitude?

On a positive note, it does make me grateful that there's nobody like that at my Uni.

Kitano, I don't understand your comments at all. The guy's an embarrassment. Yes there are a lot of cultural or small and understandable things he's doing wrong, but they're overshadowed by a few huge character flaws.

Part 2 - "Do you really think this is my first time teaching?". He taught somewhere else?

I can't watch it all.

Watching the first part and the stony silence that greeted his questions I felt his pain, it took me a lot of lessons like that being stared at like an alien for asking students questions in front of other students. After watching the whole thing he persisted with that and started being arsey with the students and I changed my mind

The best bit for me was when the other teacher was telling them off for not doing any work in that guys class and they are listening and then he takes over and starts talking confusing rubbish and Raj just wanders off and calls a friend

Thanks. I relented and part three watching the students walk out of his class en masse was great.

This was 5 years ago, so at least this guy isn't still here.

Yes, Chinese students aren't used to talking in class, so if you don't know what you're doing, you can have situations like this, but it's fairly easily resolved or improved, as people have already pointed out.

I get the "Backpacker" stereotype vibe from him. I probably should have put this in a different thread, because it's not really about stupid students. He did have a valid point, or perhaps discovery, that there exists schools where you pay, you get in, you get a diploma - and he was at one. If you do this long enough, at some point you will find a class or some students in a class who are like that, either humor them or ignore them if they are antagonistic, and try to find something relevant to occupy the time with those you are able to reach. In my experience with classes (I've only had individuals not entire classes of this type) if you are doing something even slight.y engaging, you can get "those other guys" to chip in now and then too.

I felt sort of bad for him. He isn't a very good teacher (in fact he's pretty horrible), but the cards were pretty clearly stacked against him. Motivating kids at a school like that is really really difficult and getting them to learn takes energy and good planning. His administrator was a total bitch, and they were really just talking at each other and neither was hearing what the other was saying.

He had clearly antagonized that class to the point that they weren't going to cooperate with him about anything. Probably mostly his fault, but students at those sorts of schools, again, are pretty difficult to work with in the first place.

As an aside, the setup of the classroom is awful. If you put a bunch of kids in front of computers, even if they don't have internet access they're going to be pulling up solitaire or some shit, screens are just that distracting, particularly to that age group. I can't even keep the monitor on after I've finished presenting a PPT, because the kids attention will be drawn to the screen. If his class had to be in a language lab someone should have shown him how to use the technology effectively. I've used listening labs before and they can be good tools but dude was Doing It Wrong.

Ah, distractions. At home, I have a large aquarium. When we do some classes, especially the younger ones, I must put a cloth over it so the kids don't stare at the fish.

I was once at such a school in Changchun, CVIT (Changchun Vocational School of Technology) I was told outright at one collage, (I worked at 4 of their 9 collages) NOBODY fails. Even if a kid hands in a blank piece of paper without his/her name on it  

It was glorified babysitting as this guy said. So, stop teaching and have fun with them. You'll have a higher percentage of miscreants, but that's life, welcome to China. I felt bad for him too, he was set up to fail. But he didn't handle it well

Thanks for the youku links, MK. Sort of, I think. I could only watch the first 3 minutes of the first segment.

I suppose, when I want my ulcers to act up, I'll watch it through and list the teaching errors. Until then, I'll be satsified that youve done the dirty work for me

A lot has been said about this guys lack of teaching skill(z)...don't forget that it takes two to tango...one person to have no idea about teaching and another (institution) that will willingly hire them to...be a teacher!

A lot has been said about this guys lack of teaching skill(z)...don't forget that it takes two to tango...one person to have no idea about teaching and another (institution) that will willingly hire them to...be a teacher!

I mentioned that the guy was right about being a glorified babysitter and that the school set him up to fail

 

you hurt me wittle feelings

You did, as did several others now that I re-read posts.

I had to deal with a similar crisis almost ten years ago,  although I hope I handled it better.  It seems many of us did at some point...I'm just imagining how many times this has played out and not been recorded on Youku et al...and it's obviously still happening.

Kind of frustrating, no matter how you look at it, isn't it?

To me what's funny is that he thinks it's some kind of anomaly.

That's the best outfitted school I've ever seen here.

im 29 seconds in and already think he is a tw@. more to follow...
part 1, i am amazed, and thankful that i would never teach like that, please note that i havent taught a class yet, and i already feel like i could of engaged them easily, by turnng off the computers! i feel the teacher comes off as quite.... unhelpful, even tho he is correctly following the material, the way he is doing it just feels awkward and bad. lookng forward to the other parts now!
part 2, well he is trying, but so defensive on his ability as a teacher, if the school want singing and babysitting, doesnt that make it easier for a teacher? he is driven by results but is unaware of the schools politics. what happened to adaptive teaching?
part 3, maybe he should of got them singing afterall! great pointers for me, everything in china teaches you something.

im 29 seconds in and already think he is a tw@. more to follow...
part 1, i am amazed, and thankful that i would never teach like that, please note that i havent taught a class yet, and i already feel like i could of engaged them easily, by turnng off the computers!

I remember when I was this naive.....good times!

Turning off the computers would likely result in either:
1) Students turning them back on. I hear it's not very difficult.
2) Students playing with their phones/napping and hoping you pretend not to see them.
3) No students attending class again.