Occupation: Professional Clown

"They're Christians, they have to be nice."

Ha...nice one! That's the line I got from one of my supervisers today. I thought it was rather funny. She said this in reference to the teachers at the school I was just "fired" from. Yes I still have my job at Language Tree (language centre that sends me out), don't worry. There's so much for me to rant about, I don't know where to start.

First I'll admit, there have been a few bumps along the road seeings how I had never taught English before coming to Hong Kong. Language Tree has been very accepting of this, after all they hired me full knowing I had never taught. What I'm slightly upset at is that a few of the schools I have been sent to work at, did/do not know this is my first year teaching. Maybe it would make sense to them a little more that I could possibly use a little help rather than just complaining to my boss without saying anything to me first. Silly me, I forgot that in Hong Kong, you get no training whatsoever from your employer.

So here's the story. I went to the 'office' after my final class today to pick up some new material and books for my following week/end. Usually this consists of about 5 minutes, and all is well. Not today though. Today I had a meeting with my supervisor (not the one who hired me) about my classes and where I am teaching etc. It seems that a few schools have been complaining about some things related to how I teach or how I don't teach in their minds. This despite not one single teacher has ever said a thing to me about being unhappy with how I do things. They have suggested a few very minor tips, but nothing that would suggest they want me out. So as my supervisor explained some of the problems I began to laugh more and more. What a joke. The Hong Kong education system is so unbalanced it's not even funny. Most of my schools love me, they have no problems with me at all, I'm like a celebrity. I have been invited to the teacher only end of term party at some fancy hotel for one school; they love me! The ones I was being told about today however, don't like me (at least behind my back). One complaint was that,

"I was being too nice to the students and being really energetic with them, but I didn't pay much attention to the other teachers and had a lack of communication."

Huh? Maybe because I'm being paid to teach the kids, not the English-illiterate teachers who sponge off me rather than getting their own lessons. I have not been nd will not be removed from this school, but I think the teachers are slightly jealous of my popularity among the children. After all, it's my job to be a clown. Now for the comments about the schools I have been removed from.

Actually all that has happened is me and one other teacher are switching places. I will actually make more money this way, and I now have Friday afternoon off, so I don't mind. Usually I teach Saturdays, and the principal at my regular Saturday school has decided I did "not know what I was doing the first half of the term." Hmmmm, you think? Maybe because yours was the first ever class I had taught. And I was teaching Drama classes to 3 year olds at 9am on a Saturday!!! If they even opened their eyes I was happy. Still, she did not witness the 2nd half of this past term, where both I and the students showed great improvement. What makes me laugh is that half of the class missed the last session this month, and so they were not able to partake in the video taping of the Drama for their parents. The principal had told me this was the most important date the whole term, haha, good job lady. So now they will never know what they were doing. And it's my fault they don't see results, mmhmm.

As I mentioned above I now have Friday afternoon off. This is because the Christian kindergarten alledgedly does not like me. You'd never know from all their fake smiles every time they greeted me, and said how good a job I was doing. Liars! That's all I'll say about that.

I can't say I'm really upset about either re-location, I had been led to believe I was done at the Saturday school anyway, so it came as a surprise that I was actually supposed to have been there the 2nd term as well. Oh well, they were annoying rich kids anyway. The new school I am at on Saturday is closer, it starts later, and the classes are smaller. Win win for me. One class is ages 1.5-3 years old, and there's only 2 kids. Wow, I better practice my baby talk. Like I said, I'm a professional clown.