A Monkey in a Suit
Swaton is starting a new class in a couple weeks. I'm teaching it, and as such, I was asked to speak at an orientation for potential students' parents. Unfortunately, I was informed of this less than 24 hours before hand AND knowing nothing about this class. I didn't even know the book I was going to be using.
I asked questions around. I finally found out the book, and I prepared. I dressed up. But when I got to the orientation, I realized no one there would probably speak English. What was the point, I wondered? Why should I bother speaking to a group that wouldn't understand what I was saying? Then it hit me: they had me there to show me off. "Look at the crazy foreigner. He knows English. He'll teach your kids."
Nice. Now I knew what a trophy wife must feel like.
It wasn't until after the orientation something else occured to me. We aren't give a lot of the information that the Korean teachers are given. We aren't in contact with the parents. Recently, we weren't even give the schedules for our new classes. It was almost like we aren't even really teachers at all, but just there for show.
We're the monkeys in suits. You can dress us up, make us look nice, but deep down, we're still monkeys. No matter how accomplished we are, no matter how good we are as teachers, we're still kept around mostly for show.
My resolve to move out of the Hagwon business and back into university teaching has increased.
posted by RPShep @ 8:28 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Sadly most of teaching is like this. Had a school once where they would spraypaint the moldy ceiling tiles white before imp folks came by to visit. Welcome to the club.
That must be getting a bit frustrating, being treated like a curiosity, being looked at but not listened to, etc. Great lesson in empathy,if nothing else. Eh,we're all just a bunch of highly evolved primates wearing our various monkey suits while riding the symbolic unicycle of employment. Just think about how much you love those kids, and then go have a beer.--Bendress
In your heart you know what you are doing and that you are doing your best for the cute little children. And like someone else said to you, out in the work world we all have to dress up and dance. Family is the only place we are really appreciated, yet we all seemed to forget that until it is almost to late. Keep a still upper lip it will be done and you can be back with family before you know it. And this is a place where you are appreciated. GR
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