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nohaniiI am so ready to quit my job. I would have quit after my first day if I had another source of income lined up.
I got a job tutoring Chinese kids English. Mom and her friend Nancy were at an In-N-Out chatting, talking about how Amanda (Nancy's daughter) and I had graduated college but were unable to find jobs. A lady, Jamie, wandered up, apologized from overhearing, and explained that she worked for a company that tutored mainly kindergarten through 6th grade Chinese kids and mentioned that they were in need of some tutors. Amanda and I both applied, interviewed, and got the jobs. I tutor Monday through Thursday, 4 to 6 pm. Easy enough, right?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Since the day I started this job, I've had issues with it. First, I started without filling out paperwork or even submitting an application for the job. My interview? It was more like I was interviewing them. When I walked in the door the first day, it was chaotic. They didn't even have the packets I was to work out of ready for me and the kids. Every day I've had to remind them: "I need lesson 13 for the 6th graders," or "I don't have lesson 4 for the 2nd graders yet." It's ridiculous. It them a week just to sort out who was supposed to be where and when.
That's not even mentioning the kids. I was told during my "interview" that the kids here were great -- they test you a bit, but they're good kids. On my first day, I met a 1st grader who kept saying he wanted to stab himself -- and mimed doing it. Apparently this is an improvement, because he used to mention how he wanted to kill everyone. He's a sweet kid, but it's disturbing. The1st and 2nd graders collectively get on my nerves. They make me repeat myself several times and only listen to me after I threaten to send them to Jamie. The 3rd and 4th graders constantly test me to see how much they can get away with. I keep catching them reading books, drawing, or working on so instead of doing what I ask. They flat-out say no when I say it's time for English, or tell them it's time to read something.
The 5th and 6th graders are by far the worst of the lot. They refuse to do their work (apparently their Chinese tutoring is more important than their English, seriously). One got inordinately upset when I asked him to leave the room after he didn't stop bothering his neighbors. I ended up swiping his binder and leaving it in the front office/homework center area in an attempt to get him out of my classroom. It didn't work. In fact, it backfired. He became belligerent and accused me of stealing his things, called me a robber, refused to get out of his seat, screamed at me for targeting him, and then screamed some more when I tried to rationally say that this would all work out fine if he would just vacate the room -- and then he screamed at me for using a "big word" like "vacate." I finally fetched Jamie to see what she would do in this situation. She insisted that he apologize for calling me a thief, and when he refused, she had the rest of us leave the classroom and move to the homework center (which is not a classroom). She staunchly believed that letting him throw a fit and win was the right thing to do. I was so frustrated by her ineffectualness that I point-blank told her that she made the wrong decision, and that this would only reinforce his poor behavior. (If you know me at all, you know I never, ever say things like that to people; I always go the diplomatic route if I say anything at all. Not this time. This time was a point-blank You are wrong.)
Oh yeah, she told me after the fact that he has anger management issues. Thanks for the heads up.
All in all, they are the most difficult, oppositional, and down-right belligerent children I have ever had the displeasure to come across, and the administrators are disorganized, clueless, and absolutely useless. It's the same pointless battles every day.
My two best kids? A kindergartener who is already reading at a 2nd grade level, easily, and an Autistic 6th grader who is quiet, does his work, and wants to be helpful.
I have decided that I will demand a raise -- if I'm not earning at least $20 an hour by the end of the day, I am walking out and not looking back. I do not care that I don't have another job yet. I am so done with this one.
I got a job tutoring Chinese kids English. Mom and her friend Nancy were at an In-N-Out chatting, talking about how Amanda (Nancy's daughter) and I had graduated college but were unable to find jobs. A lady, Jamie, wandered up, apologized from overhearing, and explained that she worked for a company that tutored mainly kindergarten through 6th grade Chinese kids and mentioned that they were in need of some tutors. Amanda and I both applied, interviewed, and got the jobs. I tutor Monday through Thursday, 4 to 6 pm. Easy enough, right?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Since the day I started this job, I've had issues with it. First, I started without filling out paperwork or even submitting an application for the job. My interview? It was more like I was interviewing them. When I walked in the door the first day, it was chaotic. They didn't even have the packets I was to work out of ready for me and the kids. Every day I've had to remind them: "I need lesson 13 for the 6th graders," or "I don't have lesson 4 for the 2nd graders yet." It's ridiculous. It them a week just to sort out who was supposed to be where and when.
That's not even mentioning the kids. I was told during my "interview" that the kids here were great -- they test you a bit, but they're good kids. On my first day, I met a 1st grader who kept saying he wanted to stab himself -- and mimed doing it. Apparently this is an improvement, because he used to mention how he wanted to kill everyone. He's a sweet kid, but it's disturbing. The1st and 2nd graders collectively get on my nerves. They make me repeat myself several times and only listen to me after I threaten to send them to Jamie. The 3rd and 4th graders constantly test me to see how much they can get away with. I keep catching them reading books, drawing, or working on so instead of doing what I ask. They flat-out say no when I say it's time for English, or tell them it's time to read something.
The 5th and 6th graders are by far the worst of the lot. They refuse to do their work (apparently their Chinese tutoring is more important than their English, seriously). One got inordinately upset when I asked him to leave the room after he didn't stop bothering his neighbors. I ended up swiping his binder and leaving it in the front office/homework center area in an attempt to get him out of my classroom. It didn't work. In fact, it backfired. He became belligerent and accused me of stealing his things, called me a robber, refused to get out of his seat, screamed at me for targeting him, and then screamed some more when I tried to rationally say that this would all work out fine if he would just vacate the room -- and then he screamed at me for using a "big word" like "vacate." I finally fetched Jamie to see what she would do in this situation. She insisted that he apologize for calling me a thief, and when he refused, she had the rest of us leave the classroom and move to the homework center (which is not a classroom). She staunchly believed that letting him throw a fit and win was the right thing to do. I was so frustrated by her ineffectualness that I point-blank told her that she made the wrong decision, and that this would only reinforce his poor behavior. (If you know me at all, you know I never, ever say things like that to people; I always go the diplomatic route if I say anything at all. Not this time. This time was a point-blank You are wrong.)
Oh yeah, she told me after the fact that he has anger management issues. Thanks for the heads up.
All in all, they are the most difficult, oppositional, and down-right belligerent children I have ever had the displeasure to come across, and the administrators are disorganized, clueless, and absolutely useless. It's the same pointless battles every day.
My two best kids? A kindergartener who is already reading at a 2nd grade level, easily, and an Autistic 6th grader who is quiet, does his work, and wants to be helpful.
I have decided that I will demand a raise -- if I'm not earning at least $20 an hour by the end of the day, I am walking out and not looking back. I do not care that I don't have another job yet. I am so done with this one.
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-01 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-01 07:49 pm (UTC)On the plus side, I guess this means I've ruled out elementary education as a career choice. That makes one less thing for me to consider.