Only In China

I applied today for a quick tutoring gig, the ad said the school wanted someone to tutor some high-schoolers in a prep class for the AP English test. The interviewer told me about some problem students, and asked me how I would handle each situation. I always hate interview questions, but I thought these were pretty good indicators of my teaching philosophy. How would you draw out a quiet student? A good student starts doing poorly, what do you do? A low-performing student aces a test, do you congratulate him or check for cheating? How would you handle a discipline problem? When I finished answering six or seven of these questions, he told me he really liked my attitude.

Let me repeat that.

He told me he really liked my attitude.

Now, I have noticed that the Chinese like to give compliments that are only loosely based in fact, but no one in the entire history of time has told me they liked my attitude. Usually, it’s just the opposite. Your cash drawer is dead on, but you should consider an attitude adjustment where the customers are concerned. Your students are doing well, but try not mouthing off about the DoE at meetings, ok?

Anyway, after telling me that my attitude didn’t need work, the interveiwer offered me a full-time job teaching literature to the AP class that I was meant to be tutoring. It’s teaching fiction in an ESL setting, with a fair amount of freedom as far as curriculum is concerned, decent money (increase over my last salary, but not a spectacular one), regular hours, and students who are hoping to pass their exams and study abroad, not forced into English classes by their parents. I’ve already accepted another job, but they’re dragging their feet on actually producing a contract, which could mean…

I never had these problems in America.