Hello everybody,
I will be teaching in one of Kunming's university.
I have met a few students so far (some of them are my baby-sitters to help me buy a phone, food, find my way on the campus...) and I have been surprised by the relationship they have with their chinese teacher.
If I understand well, a good teacher here has to be close to his students which include your students have your cellphone, you can reach them or they can reach you at any time, you see them outside of the campus for dinner and so.
The staff encourages me to be nice and friendly to my students. The previous foreign teacher was cold and didn't want to mix up professional and private life, which seems to disappoint the students and probably be the reason of the end of his contract...
My question is : how do you behave toward your students ? Where is the limit ?
I guess the relationship is different if you work in a language school. I am talking here about university but I am interested in all comments !
I only have tutored some Chinese students back in the states, and most of them are very shy at class. I guess the most important to interact with them is to encourage them, because I found most Chinese students do not have much encouragement from school or family, so I think this is the best way to make friends. However, you need be careful that you are still a teacher during school time, so you have to make sure that students respect you and follow you as well, because sometimes they may go too far if you are too easygoing. Anyway, good luck!
Thank you Jonna.
I was tutor for Chinese students in Canada as well, but I found out they behave differently here. Maybe our past students were too westernised !
Katrina, you are not public property. Neither should you fall for the old cliche about being 'a guest' and therefore you should fall over yourself to comply with each individuals whimsical idea as to how you should conduct yourself. A university has hired you to do a job and if they wanted you to act exactly as a native teacher then why hire you?
Being friendly toward students and being their friends are two entirely different things. I've had teachers throw this one at me: generally they were under 25, female and taught about 6 hours a week. They subsequently showed little evidence of being responsible, in a professional way, toward the academic needs of genuine students.
My own long-term students, particularly the class leader I nominate, do get my telephone number and it's mutually beneficial. As for the rest, I suggest politely but firmly they can contact me in my classroom.
Set your own standards based on your own experience as a teacher or student in your own country. Ring-fence your private time and life from your professional life and do your job well as a professional.
When you've settled down you will find you will probably want to do more and give more of yourself. You'll likely end up giving too much. It's not unfair to say the more you give the more is expected. You'll survive by setting your own individual terms. Don't feel pressured by anyone, either foreign or Chinese. It's worthwhile repeating - you are not public property.
To be honest, my suggestion is that being close to your students has always been a good educational way to get your students English skills imporved, because few of them has a chance to speak English as much as they want outside and inside the classroom. I didnot meant to mention you need to be their babysitter. Still, they would love to be close with you. BTW, Teach English in the way you ever did.
From experience, don't make assumptions about why the last guy left, or why he/she was distant.
Student will want to suck up, this is normal here. It is hard to give a low grade to someone who is your BFF.
Don't get too close to quick, it will be harder to back away later.
Chinese teachers do get closer to students than back home. However, be aware that Chinese students can suffocate, there is little concept of personal space here. Try and keep a little professional distance, until you have got to know the whole class and the whole class dynamic.
One more thing.
You need to be aware that friendships here serve a much more utilitarian purpose than back home. Not such a bad thing, but you need to be aware of it. Friendships may come with strings.
Some teachers make good friends with students, for life. My wife was good friends with her old economics prof (now deceased) from the 1980s, and even a friend of his family.
karina hi remember me from the previous post about part time teaching job i have a high paying french position can you email me at vachinese@gmail.com thanks
I doubt that the reason the last teacher quit or was not rehired was that he did not hang out and party with the kids 24/7. Chinese teachers and in particular the students master teachers must be on call and even leave phones on at all time. They are teachers and babysitters really and it is not a choice. Most teachers that get real involved with students do seem to be younger females, or female teachers who can speak no Chinese and need students to do errands for them, or help them shop. Be warned that there can be even more issues and problems with this type of relationship with students here than being aloof with them outside the classroom. Since most language students are girls schools frown on foreign guys hanging out with them too much, other than lunch and such. Schools (or the ones I have been at) tend to not like Chinese girls going to the single white guy's apartment on their own, and that is a good thing.
I am 55 and really have no idea what I would want to do with a bunch of 18 or 20 year old Chinese kids who do not know who Led Zeppelin is outside the classroom. A little chit chat or maybe a bowl of noodles (be careful with buying larger dinners or having them bought for you) is okay and I enjoy it now and then, but I also find it frustrating to have kids who don't mutter a word in class or have their noses in a cell phone suddenly want all of my attention outside the classroom. But once I am home I do not want students knocking on my door.
