Since last year I’ve been doing group interviews with my middle school students. The interviews happen after school and I am not getting paid for them. The payment doesn’t bother me as I am still coming in under my weekly hours. I am very happy to give the students a chance to speak English in a quieter environment with nothing more than their wits to guide them, mostly.
There are only two weeks left for them to come for the interviews, so their teacher asked me to make more time available to give everyone an opportunity. I did that, but the students didn’t come when there was time available or just didn’t turn up for appointments, yet now they suddenly all want to come. I don’t believe that.
I made a new booking sheet, adding the new available days and gave it to the teacher. I asked him to show it to his students and tell them about the new slots. He put on his glasses, looked at the sheet and promptly gave it back to me. My first thought was “So, how are you planning on showing them the new form if you don’t take the thing?” Considering I am doing this on his request, shouldn’t he take a bit more interest in it?
The truth is that I don’t care as much as I can. The students who are eager to come are also the students who, despite their language, try to speak to me in any case. If students don’t want to speak to me, then I am not going to force them to do so outside of the classroom.
I came back from my last official class today and there were no new bookings. I doubt the students even know I freed up time for them. I would normally have had an extra class right about now, but that was cancelled for these non existent interviews, so for now back to reading news and blogs on my normally packed Monday?
2 comments:
Heh, yeah, that's how it is for me too. I've done after school conversation clubs both semesters. First semester there were 35 students on the roster but only two showed up (it was down to 1 for the last half). This time there's 14 but only 6 come. Some come late, some leave early, so it's quite tough to do any real lessons beyond some basic speaking activities and information gap stuff.
LOL @ my supervisor always pressing to see my lesson plans and my syllabus. I had to make a syllabus for the entire semester before I even knew who my students were or how many I would have. First semester the supervisor came to me on the last day of the school year---after sitting on my backside for 3 weeks doing nothing b/c of tests---and told me I had to submit a semester's worth of lesson plans by the end of the day. For a class with two students. *Slaps forehead* Did not compute. At least this semester I understand it's an exercise in paperwork.
My official class is the same. A few showed up at the beginning fo the semester and I am now I am lucky if I get one. I am expected to keep attendance, but apart from that I don't have paper work.
These interviews here are not an official thing at all. It started because last year I didn't give class to the third years. Their teacher asked if I would do interviews to give them a chance to speak to me and with practice. She was quite tought on checking them, so it was a good idea with her involved. Now it is basically worthless.
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