Yes, it has been too long since my last post. This has not been due to lack of things to say. Many times, I was close to writing an extensive rant about how terrible my new students are and how literally and metaphorically foreign the working conditions are. Not being one to give in to wanton, knee-jerk reactions, I thought the wisdom and experience of time would provide with a more humane assessment. This is my attempt at that.
I won't bore you with details of my pedagogy, but I think some details about my work situation (kinda the reason I came here in the first place) are rather overdue. I'd give you information about my school, but that is rather frowned upon. I can give you a little bit though. I have three sections of 10th grade boys. Even though they have technically had English classes for the past 10 years, I am still working on teaching many of them to write their names. Some students are great. Some students are terrible. That is the truth in any country though. Regardless, they do all like to talk...a freaking lot. This is one of the biggest challenges, aside from yelling, wandering away, fighting, spitting, sleeping, and other assorted awesome behaviors. Everyday, my classroom management includes several techniques that would get me fired instantly in many U.S. schools. Unlike many of the Arabic teachers (great guys from countries such as Egypt and Jordan), I refuse to punch my students. However, I have no problem with pushing, pulling, lifting, grabbing, or otherwise physically intimidating them. For example, today a student refused to listen to what I was saying after I requested he stopped talking several times. I then made the decision (important because it's kind of bad form to do things out of anger) to walk over to his desk, look him in the eye, and then pick his desk up and throw it into an empty area half-way across the class. This had the desired effect. Anyone who has seen me teach will realize that this is not my normal behavior, but sometimes you just need to change to fit the situation. I also have used extra class time to have my students line up to arm wrestle me. This has the dual benefit of demonstrating that I am stronger than all of them thus, increasing my intimidation factor and also making me feel good about myself for having bested a dozen or so spindly Middle-Eastern children.
As you can imagine, the intense work demands result in equally intense play demands. Wasting very little time, I have taken up my usual hobby of finding the seediest places in a given city to visit. I don't know why, but I find it surprisingly life-affirming to visit life-negating locales. In the span of one weekend, I visited two uniquely different establishments filled with miserable, soulless creatures. The first was a "night club" that has a grand reputation for being a house of ill-repute. Well, here in a Muslim country at least partially governed by Sharia law, this was something I just had to see. Without going into detail, it did not disappoint, or maybe it disappointed a lot. I'm not quite sure about this one. Long story short, the world's oldest profession is absolutely miserable and pathetic when it is genuinely staring you in the face. This is intentionally vague, and I'm sure there will be more details in my second book, "Yet to Be Titled," which I will start on right after I am done with the first one. For the time being, this is a relatively PG blog.
The following day, I went on a tour of the local pet souk (a souk is essentially a market, for lack of a better domestic term, it's like a bazaar). As I wandered through shop after shop, inhaling a stench that was vaguely reminiscent of feces, newspaper, and death, I thought, "those Sarah McLachlan commercials ain't got nothin' on this place." I was a bit disappointed by the lack of exotic animals. Sure, there were your standard puppies, kittens, birds, and fish, but only rarely was there a pair of peacocks. And never was there a cage of squirrels, as I was promised. "Anthropomorphize" is generally a curse word for me, surpassing many 4-letters words in offensiveness, but these animals all looked at me and seemed to communicate. Unanimously, they said the same thing: "Put me out of my misery." This was the second time in as many days that I had seen this look. The first time, it was not from anything as harmless and cuddly as a small animal though.
I'm not so sure how I feel about my foray into the darker corners of a country better known for its innovative architecture and palm tree-shaped islands. It does shed light on reasons why a nation would retreat into its ancient culture and values while it expands its modern, global presence. Even with a strong emphasis on traditional moral values, the exploitation of humans finds a way to seep in. I guess wherever there is a buck to be made, someone will try to be making it. And where there are millions to be made, many people will be trying to make it. I guess in the end, that is what really brought us all to this crazy desert metropolis, the animal peddlers, the ladies of the night, and lets certainly not forget, the teachers.
I won't bore you with details of my pedagogy, but I think some details about my work situation (kinda the reason I came here in the first place) are rather overdue. I'd give you information about my school, but that is rather frowned upon. I can give you a little bit though. I have three sections of 10th grade boys. Even though they have technically had English classes for the past 10 years, I am still working on teaching many of them to write their names. Some students are great. Some students are terrible. That is the truth in any country though. Regardless, they do all like to talk...a freaking lot. This is one of the biggest challenges, aside from yelling, wandering away, fighting, spitting, sleeping, and other assorted awesome behaviors. Everyday, my classroom management includes several techniques that would get me fired instantly in many U.S. schools. Unlike many of the Arabic teachers (great guys from countries such as Egypt and Jordan), I refuse to punch my students. However, I have no problem with pushing, pulling, lifting, grabbing, or otherwise physically intimidating them. For example, today a student refused to listen to what I was saying after I requested he stopped talking several times. I then made the decision (important because it's kind of bad form to do things out of anger) to walk over to his desk, look him in the eye, and then pick his desk up and throw it into an empty area half-way across the class. This had the desired effect. Anyone who has seen me teach will realize that this is not my normal behavior, but sometimes you just need to change to fit the situation. I also have used extra class time to have my students line up to arm wrestle me. This has the dual benefit of demonstrating that I am stronger than all of them thus, increasing my intimidation factor and also making me feel good about myself for having bested a dozen or so spindly Middle-Eastern children.
As you can imagine, the intense work demands result in equally intense play demands. Wasting very little time, I have taken up my usual hobby of finding the seediest places in a given city to visit. I don't know why, but I find it surprisingly life-affirming to visit life-negating locales. In the span of one weekend, I visited two uniquely different establishments filled with miserable, soulless creatures. The first was a "night club" that has a grand reputation for being a house of ill-repute. Well, here in a Muslim country at least partially governed by Sharia law, this was something I just had to see. Without going into detail, it did not disappoint, or maybe it disappointed a lot. I'm not quite sure about this one. Long story short, the world's oldest profession is absolutely miserable and pathetic when it is genuinely staring you in the face. This is intentionally vague, and I'm sure there will be more details in my second book, "Yet to Be Titled," which I will start on right after I am done with the first one. For the time being, this is a relatively PG blog.
The following day, I went on a tour of the local pet souk (a souk is essentially a market, for lack of a better domestic term, it's like a bazaar). As I wandered through shop after shop, inhaling a stench that was vaguely reminiscent of feces, newspaper, and death, I thought, "those Sarah McLachlan commercials ain't got nothin' on this place." I was a bit disappointed by the lack of exotic animals. Sure, there were your standard puppies, kittens, birds, and fish, but only rarely was there a pair of peacocks. And never was there a cage of squirrels, as I was promised. "Anthropomorphize" is generally a curse word for me, surpassing many 4-letters words in offensiveness, but these animals all looked at me and seemed to communicate. Unanimously, they said the same thing: "Put me out of my misery." This was the second time in as many days that I had seen this look. The first time, it was not from anything as harmless and cuddly as a small animal though.
I'm not so sure how I feel about my foray into the darker corners of a country better known for its innovative architecture and palm tree-shaped islands. It does shed light on reasons why a nation would retreat into its ancient culture and values while it expands its modern, global presence. Even with a strong emphasis on traditional moral values, the exploitation of humans finds a way to seep in. I guess wherever there is a buck to be made, someone will try to be making it. And where there are millions to be made, many people will be trying to make it. I guess in the end, that is what really brought us all to this crazy desert metropolis, the animal peddlers, the ladies of the night, and lets certainly not forget, the teachers.
Damn it Rich, post more! It is so funny to read about what you think living there, so don't leave us hanging for another month or so like last time.
ReplyDeletek thanks.
Way to put the smack down. Children of the United States are so spoiled. Children, "When your parents told you you were special, they were lying."
ReplyDeleteSo next time just keep a chair or a desk ready to throw around to assert your authority. I can give you more tricks which used to work in Indian schools.
ReplyDelete1. Asking to students to stand on the chair for rest of the class
2. Asking student to stand at the end of the class-room facing wall.
3. Stare them down intensely.
I know they all are not very healthy for their mindset but you need to use them. I have more if you want. :)