"While working in korea and japan, people would complain about the testing protocols. They should come to saudi arabia. This week is testing week, and nothing has gone right. Students took a writing test with test items they had never seen before, and thus were ill-prepared for. For example, with the item "describe something you own", one student listed body parts as his answer, with a few words lifted from the test rubric itself for good measure. We were originally given the instruction about test length being one hour, which was changed to forty in an email the night before, then back to forty five the morning. Teachers ended up giving students as much time as they needed. The marking was supposed to have a rubric with reliability, but we were told to mark "generously", which meant not to follow the rubric. The test was supposed to have two raters, but the scores were not blind, so to save time and effort, the raters simply copied the first score. We were supposed to mark the tests that we gave in our assigned classrooms; many teachers (inc. mine), simply left after the test - leaving those who were left to mark their work. There seems to be no consequence for this kind of shirking of responsibility."
I wrote this on my black berry about 2 weeks after I arrived. Since the beginning of the new semester, teachers have been asked to participate in various voluntary capacities (dean's task force, observation, CAL State mentoring program) to address the issues that had become all too apparent. The dean's speech given at that time (discussed in an earlier blog) was hopeful, but given the pace of change, and the continuing lack of leverage agents seem to have here, positive outcomes are still beyond the curent horizon.
"At the ielts office, in a building that from the outside is built like a bunker. Inside, there is an integrated work environment, a little to my surprise; this being thw diplomatic quarter, perhaps not. Have to sign the same documents for working - no worries. Will start on feb 18 for testing, may get to do a few sessions before march break, so nice to build up some spending reserves before going on vacatoon, if i actually do, we have to see if that is possible with my visa situation.
Have been quite sick for about 2 days prior, but the antibiotics have finally kicked in, just in time, but still wasted a weekend in bed. At school, there was a situation with a teacjer who had made complaints about several teachers inc me, fatuous and time wasting. Enough though to warrant about 40 people hours to investigate. It made it all the way to the pres of the company to come, and now it is over. For the one who made the complaint though, i suspect not. I had this sitn with a studnet at fanshawe college, who seemed to be not satisfied until he had gotten his pound of flesh for a percieved slight. My reward for listing to his venting and modifying his score to an A+ was a nonrenewal of my contract after the next term. I had thought FC was the worst institutoon i had wokred in, until i got here. Although come to think of it, this place is trying, and may comes to grips with many of the most egregious issues in a few yeras. FC? I doubt that would happen in ten."
The outcome was that the complainant was moved to a new office and team. But it is situations like this, where the complaint was given energy greatly disproportionate to its value, yet issues concerning vacations, working conditions (lockers/keys for teachers, etc) and other areas are political soccer balls that keep getting kicked down the road to be solved later. That is why the first experience with admin issues here (with testing) still rings familiarly with my observations today. The difference now is my level of expectation, and my degree of preparedness, as I come to expect that problems will occur and I need plan b and c in my back pocket ready to go.
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