Friday, November 07, 2008

Is it Funny or What?


Today was my first day at work, after a very long vacation!
I was so excited about "re-shaping the way I teach" to the extent that I spent nearly a week to prepare the syllabus and add to it.I started the day with wings to fly!
I am not sure if the story or the incident I am going to write about EL teachers recruitment in our university is pitiful,horrible, disgraceful, disastrous, or just funny.
A part time teacher was in daily contact with me during the previous week to help him completing a file to submit for a full time job in our university. He is a very good teacher who worked for two semesters, with Masters in ELT and long 5 teaching experience in schools. The only problem he had was that his BA degree was "good", while they want "very good" and higher.( Very Good =3.5).Nothing is funny here too!
We set a time today to meet at the Dean's office.
The Dean called me two days ago, asking me to come and meet a new teacher, with no experience, who is supposed to be an English teacher after the next one-two semesters.
I knew that the first teacher, with experience and Masters, will not get the job.Fine.It's the Ministry of Higher Education policy. No problem.Still, nothing funny!
The Dean's teacher called even before I get dressed today.When I got there, I saw his, a face I didn't know where I have seen before.As I was late to the lecture, I asked him to attend with me,to have a first look at how things work in the English classroom.I always tend to make my first lecture as a diagnostic lecture for the level of students, especially freshen. I also tend to make it as an orientation to the syllabus, the class environment, class regulations, the university system, and even to myself a teacher. I gave students 20 minutes to write short paragraph entitled"About Myself". Nothing funny, I know.
The story began during these 20 minutes when I was having a chat with the new teacher, who told me he is an employee in our university. His BA is in law.His masters in translation and he has never taught English. His job? The Chief of Security since 19997.Funny?
I came home without wings!
I better start thinking about leaving.

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