...And In with the New Job

My new job is in two locations, Caddebostan and Erenkoy, each a branch of the same school. The commute is a bit longer, but it doesn't bother me much as I no longer have any sort of lesson planning or grading to do and so the journey to work no longer stresses me out. I am much happier at my new school. There are fewer teachers and fewer people in general, and all of the people speak English who work there, at least to some extent, which is actually really nice (many of the employees at the other school I could not communicate with). Everything is of the highest quality because their greatest concern, in fact their business model in general, is based upon repeat customers and referrals, and so the students have to be satisfied with their experience, and I believe that they generally are. The maximum class size is 4, and while you don't see the same students every day, you see a lot of the same ones pretty regularly, and the time you do spend with them is of a higher and more communicative quality, and so I don't find any lack of getting to know students.

The system is really nice for teachers because it is dependent upon student motivation for individual study and preparation. It is mostly computer-based in that the students work in the computer lab go through a tutorial including a CD-ROM video to cover grammar, functions, and vocabulary in somewhat real-life scenarios. This is an interactive system that helps them work on both listening and speaking, as they are required to fill in blanks in dialogues and to repeat things into the computer and then listen to themselves and their own pronunciation. Then there is a practice workbook and a grammar guide that the students must complete before coming to a class, which they schedule individually. So, by the time they get to the class, the theory is that they have already learned the material (with whatever help they may have gotten from the Turkish teachers or whoever is around the center while they are studying - there is a lot of informal teaching that goes on, which I like). Therefore our job in the class (what the school calls an "encounter) is to clarify points, solidify understanding, provide opportunity for practice in a small group, and to evaluate whether the student is ready to move on or not.

Some teachers who don't work there have said that this seems like an impersonal system and that the students are left out to dry and the teachers are useless. I completely disagree. The teachers are there to provide encouragement, tips and to allow for the practice of English. Perhaps we are not imparting the knowledge directly, as some teachers really seem to prefer in order to feel satisfied - being the fount of English wisdom or something - but the students learn better because they learn it of their own efforts and own volition. The fact that a level 2 student at my new school is more fluent than most level 4s at the old one says something. These people are actually learning to speak English and not just being pushed through a system, and that, I think, is a huge difference.