Greetings, everybody
This weekend has been a very stressful one for me. After struggling with an online course, I decided to call it quits. Like art, education cannot be rushed. Quantity should not be demanded over quality.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I had finally accepted to teach a 3-day a week, 2-hour a day advanced English class to 4 teenagers. It was a rushed decision by the emergency of the academy that asked me to take over the course. The course followed a textbook and the corresponding audio material; the evaluations were already pre-determined to be done on a fixed schedule.
The course was supposed to start on a Monday. It was offered to me 2 days later. That very Wednesday I was supposed to start after a quick and sketchy walk through the online tools that were expected to be used. Given my limited internet service (no wifi) I was forced to just use the phone and teach via Whatsapp (video calls ruled out).
According to the course plan and the number of pages of every Unit, I would have had to cover at least 3 pages in that first class session. I got to cover only 1. Connection problems, blackouts, late arrivals, late responses due possibly to students' distraction I was unable to control, along with the very content of the lesson made it impossible to move faster.
An advance ELF class (English as a Foreign Language) that follows a textbook is constrained by long readings, long dialogues, elaborate grammar sections, various discussion activities, listening and comprehension sections and all kinds of writing assignment that are supposed to guarantee students' proficiency in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Doing this 10 years ago face-to-face in a Venezuelan classroom was already demanding. Doing it online in today's Venezuela is nerve-racking.
After the first two sessions (3 pages total) I made an assessment and expressed my preoccupation by the tight schedule and the slow progress. The response was that that's how the course was designed and that's how it must be carried out. It could not be extended and all the content must be covered. It was clear to me that I needed to add extra hours (no extra pay stipulated for that and was going to get only 0.75$/h) if I wanted to cover tests content; also I'd have to restructure the class towards areas that should be emphasized to save time. Only problem: I did not have access to the tests. I had no way to determine what aspects from the lessons would be included in the tests or how, and therefore needed more attention in class sessions.
I tried the extra hours on Thursday and Saturday to no avail. Some students had problems with their phones, others with blackouts, and yesterday some minutes before the class was over I got a message from the head of the academy calling my attention because that was an advanced, full-immersion course and I had to speak English to students and Students were supposed to speak English only.
I was shocked, I might have used two sentences in Spanish to clarify some grammatical explanation, students had not used Spanish once and we had already had a total of 12 hours of classes. Of all the issues we were having and all the difficulties the course was facing to meet institutional requirements, she called me on my using a bit of Spanish to clarify grammar. Form over substance; veneer over foundation!
English teaching methodology has always been a controversial topic, but most veteran teachers will agree that the application of a single method depends on different variables and conditions and may not always work. Language teachers usually use as many methods or approaches as they see fit in order for students to reach their goals (assuming their goal is excellent communicative competence). But when the goal is to make it on time for a test and lessons must be rushed to meet a deadline, no one can expect knowledge and high levels of proficiency at the same time.
I feel very bad about this, especially beause of the students, but I had to quit. It is beyond me why an institution would not recognize the changes that are happening, the limitations that have been imposed on us and make the necessary adjustments to still provide quality education without having to sacrifice integrity. Not all students were created equal; not two courses are equal. Standards are important, but under given circumstances some adjustments can and should be made. Education has a vital component and that is the human factor. Motivation and harmony must be present for humans to work their best. The greatest problem I see with some institutions or companies is that they treat their humans as if they could function like machines.
Thanks for reading this long rant
I think you have several valid points about the curriculum and the methodology of the class subject. You are right. Not all students are created equal. Trying to reach a standardized goal with different personalities and offline issues is asking for disaster. Allowance for interruptions and other issues must be taken into account in structuring any class.
I know exactly what you are talking about. My granddaughter is attending school this semester online at my home during the week. It's nerve-wracking trying to help her when each teacher is handling the curriculum requirements and submission of class work differently. We spent an hour trying to figure out how to submit a homework assignment. There were no clear directions. Each class had different instructions.
By the time Friday evening came, I was completely worn out with having a student in my home after 20 years. Education in the 21st century has definitely changed.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this issue.
It has, and how!
I guess this contingency will speed up the development of technology and methods that will eventually aim at eliminating the role of the human teacher, but we are a bit far from there yet.
I think this experiment has proven how important face-to-ace interaction is. In our experience here at the Elementary School level, most of the work is being done by parents, the hours of school work have been multiplied rather than reduced.
It's all learning at the end, though. Some academic independence and discipline may be developed by those who are able to cancel out the distractions and make the best out of the technology available.
Thanks you very much for sharing your particular experience.
Have a great week.
It sounds like a debacle from start to finish to be honest, not on your part, on the part of those who designed the course without taking into consideration the challenges of connection, blackouts and the timing required for students to absorb the material. Frustrating indeed.
It is. I had seen it as a chance to contribute to keeping things going at a time where paralysis seems to be the only option, but with all these complications there is no much I can do.
Today, teachers across the country will be protesting their condition. I'll see what comes out of that. Most of them do not realize that the problem is not low salary per se (which is what most are asking for); it is about educational policies and under this regime there is no way this country is going to change for the better in that or any other department.
The fact that a teacher (or any other professional for that matter) cannot afford a phone, computer, books, a subscription to any academic periodical or journal to keep updated, not to mention a bike even, to move around and attend work on time makes it really difficult to work in the public or private sector.
It has been all the result of a policy intentionally designed to ruin education, make it as mediocre as possible and have a whole generation of ignorant people submisively depending on the State.
Private institutions are supposed to be the last line of resistance, but when they prioritize quantity over quality and asume that all the overwhelming conditioning factors can be overcome by sheer will, they open the door to disaster.
Thanks for stopping by, @galenkp. You guys have a great week.
No disrespect intended, but it seems to be a horrible place to live due to the government, corruption and the chaos that brings. Every time I read something like this I feel more grateful to have been born in Australia; It's not perfect here, but compared to your scenario...It's worlds apart and infinitely better. The words, I hope things improve seem quite hollow I guess, but I hope they do.
One thing I see as positive is the way you guys often have an upbeat attitude. You just get stuff done, despite the adversity. I admire and respect that you know, greatly. :)
None taken. I am very realistic about our position in the world. In fact, I've always criticized the simplistic nationalism, still pervading, which insists on highlighting our "blessed" geography and natural resources as if that alone made us better somehow.
Venezuela is a horrible place to live now and it will probably continue being for a while, even after a change of government. Some of the issues and vices will take some time to overcome.
We envy most of the world and feel sad when better societies than ours flirt with the ideology that destroyed us only because in theory in sounds so "fair".
It must be frustrating for you and tour compatriots. So sad.
I was only discussing it tonight over dinner with a friend and my wife. I was explaining your online course delivery debacle and some of the other issues you guys face. She works in a bank and sees the best and worst of situations in our Australian society but knowing your plight makes our problems seem trivial.
That is great that you have been having this kind of conversation. We tend to take some things for granted and sometimes fret about things without proper perspective. Even inside our tragedy, I still think about much worse scenarios and feel thankful for not having gotten there yet, but I also know we may.
You told a venezuelan 25 years ago that we would get to this point after electing a military guy who had failed twice at getting to power through coups and they would have laughed in disbelief. More than 80% of us did.
No country in the world is excempt from this nightmare, if they are not careful enough with their institutions and the demands to their politicians.
The mentality in Venezuela has been: "it does not matter if they [politicians] steal, as long as they do something, solve some problem." That set up the stage.
It's a good lesson for others to learn, but unfortunately people, you* have to pay the price huh?
People are usually happy to live blindly or with no real thought to the future...It's happening around us now with this covid thing; People fail to see the implications and so change nothing...But the reckoning will come, just as it did for Venezuela.
I think your students will understand and maybe stopping now will give new insights and opportunities in the new months to come. Great that you did a rant because keeping it inside is not great for you. Have a great week
Thanks, @brittandjosie
I hope so. Students have a lot of expectations and anxieties. Distance learning poses many challenges and presupposes a certain level of maturity and self-discipline most of our students do not have. If on top of that you add pressure...
It does not help that the average teenager is addicted to some social media or tech distraction. Hopefully, this new modality will encourage them to redirect their interests and talents.
Thanks for stopping by and you, too, have a great week.
Quitting now might cause a reconsideration by the institute to adjust to the challenges on ground, unless they don't consider the success of their students. Their goal should be to impact knowledge to the students not to just prepare them for a test, what is the point of reading to pass without being impacted with knowledge.