English speaking room

elenayork писал(а):

And now there is a system of taking money from parents to thank teachers

it is some sort of bribery

elenayork писал(а):

You know in Russia it is a usual thing - a small gift to your doctor (sometimes it is not small, but on the contrary

I think, usually it's not a gift but money

Динка и Ко
take my congratulations and my best wishes for you and your little girl

[quote="JennyAtl"]it is some sort of bribery[/quote
It depends...I worked at school for 17 years and never got anything expensive nothing to say of money as a gift. Just a cake made by my students. We ate it together or some toys. But when my children studied at school it was different. Can you imagine teachers making a list of gifts they would like to get? They were fridges, furniture, jewellery, etc. At the beginning of the last academic year we were told that our children's examination marks would depend on the presents for the teachers and tables we would lay for them. It was so offensive that I insisted on leaving the school for another one. I can't say that we, parents, didn't care about presents there, but it was our initiative not the teachers' dictatorship.

JennyAtl писал(а):

it is some sort of bribery

Fully agree.

NatalyS писал(а):

Can you imagine teachers making a list of gifts they would like to get? They were fridges, furniture, jewellery, etc.

I can! I heard about it fortunately not from pupils of a secondary school but from the students of the university. And it was said directly that the results of their exam would depend upon it. I was lucky as all my teachers at the University belong to Russian интеллигенция (sorry for using the word in Russian but I don’t think that “intellectuals” shows all the meanings we include into this Russian word).

NatalyS писал(а):

Just a cake made by my students. We ate it together or some toys.

It’s great! Apparently you and your students had a lot of fun when eating this cake together, and I believe they still remember you, your lessons and this cake!

Цитата:

I know the teachers (public schools) here, they have to buy some classroom supplies(like pencils, notebooks, books and cetera) on their own money, and their salaries are , indeed, so low.

Olya, I can hardly believe in it!! In the USA …???!!! May be it’s an exception you told us about? As for gratefulness – I think the same: it would come from the heart and it is acceptable only as sign of love and gratefulness - purely symbolical: flowers or toys etc.

elenayork писал(а):

can hardly believe in it

Believe in what? Low salaries? If compared to other opportunities - yes, but please do not forget an outstanding social pack for them: paid loooooooooonge vacations, insurance and some sort of stability (although nowadays hard to believe anyway)
and they do have to buy supplies: sometimes they get some reimbursement, sometimes they give a list to students, and they also have rewards program from major stores.
elenayork писал(а):
it would come from the heart and it is acceptable only as sign of love and gratefulness

hmmm the sign of appreciation is a card made by students not a cooler, jewelry or cosmetics.
I wonder why department of education is keeping silence? Or are the on board too

NatalyS писал(а):

They were fridges, furniture, jewellery, etc. At the beginning of the last academic year we were told that our children's examination marks would depend on the presents for the teachers and tables we would lay for them.

That's awful !
JennyAtl - Had you ever worked as a teacher in the local schools??? Or you just have some bad experience with the teachers??? Why so much negativity??? Or it just seems so for me??

JennyAtl писал(а):

And they do have to buy supplies: sometimes they get some reimbersement, sometimes they give a list to students, and they also have rewards program from major stores.

or sometimes because school doesn't have enough money and teacher wants to give as much as he/she can to the students. Am I being naive here?

JennyAtl писал(а):

some sort of stability (althogh nowadays hard to belive anyway)

not right now, not right now.

elenayork писал(а):

Olya, I can hardly believe in it!! In the USA …???!!!

believe it or not. I did not believe either.

Моментик писал(а):

Had you ever worked as a teacher in the local schools???

I am school related . And I am not sure where you found the negative aspect in my reply . Indeed I think local public schools are more open, fair and they do have a good level of education. I am not saying all - schools are the same different as in RF, there good ones there are not so good ones.
What I really like is the lack of "money" aspect: no high value presents or "security deposit" or maintenance payment - you name it! Yes, they collect "the boxes" or sell cookies - but it is more for the process rather than the outcome.
The second thing I definitely like here - kids with special needs program. This is something RF is missing completely or has in the obsolete form like "ZPR class"

Моментик писал(а):

Am I being naive here?

not naive for sure: basic supplies are cheap and teachers can get in bulk fromcostco or walmart. Small present but still it is something for the kid, something they won or got a prize.

Моментик писал(а):

not right now, not right now.

that's why I put "hard-to-believe-thing". But where can we find gurantees now - funeral only (sorry for my black humour )

JennyAtl писал(а):

But where can we find gurantees now - funeral only

that's funny! and true and sad.

JennyAtl писал(а):

I am school related

well, then you probably know what you are talking about more then I am I just have a huge respect for teacher work.

Моментик писал(а):

I just have a huge respect for teacher work.

that's for sure. But still there are one who are just dragging their day, but some still do care for whatthey do. I wish my child will have a true teacher.
one of my former co-workers is a future teacher - oh, God, she just should not work with children or grown-ups closer that 10 miles - worse than horrible. ;-(
Olga, and how do you know about school experience?

JennyAtl писал(а):

Olga, and how do you know about school experience?

I have pedagogical education, all women in my family - grandma, mother and aunt were teachers in different universities. Also here, I have a good friend who is THE teacher from God.
Not much ... .

Моментик писал(а):

THE teacher from God.

Sorry, Olga. It might be better to say "heaven - born teacher" if you don't mind.

Моментик писал(а):

I have pedagogical education

Did you give a try to evaluate your diploma here for k-12 teacher?
That is interesting that nobody here knows what "pedagogic" is. Instead they prefer to use a wide variety of words: teaching degree, k-12 degree, language acquisition degree (if ESL teacher), early childhood development degree and etc -tons of it!

JennyAtl писал(а):

That is interesting that nobody here knows what "pedagogic" i

And what about "teachers training"? For instance, Teachers Training College Thank you.

NatalyS писал(а):

Teachers Training College

I have never met it it in the meaning of degree "Training" does not imply any level of education, probably just closer to the Russian "povyshenie kvalifikacii"

Моментик писал(а):

believe it or not. I did not believe either.

I have always had an impression that an average salary for teachers in the USA is not low, that teachers belong to the middle class considering their salary as well, and I believe no one in Russia or the UK for instance could expect teachers to supply their pupils with the stuff required. At least I have never heard of it here. As for the salary and my amazement - in comparison: in the UK a newly qualified teacher earns a minimum of £21,000 a year but the scale starts high up based on experience and skills. An average salary for teachers is £30,000-40,000 a year. It’s not so bad! As an example to show what it means: once we were invited for dinner by my husband’s friend. The friend and his wife are a young couple under 30. Danny has a small garage (a workshop for repairing cars) and Clare is a teacher. I was surprised and fascinated when saw their house: fully new, nicely furnished, a tiled terrace with a marble balustrade leads to a beautiful garden (not very large), a nice living room and comfortable dining room …. So they could afford it, and I supposed that the same situation is in the USA.

elenayork писал(а):

£30,000-40,000 a year

a customer service rep gets annually 35,000$ + benefits - just with high school diploma. what is the reason to study for years to get the salary lower?
That is a kind of low if compared to other careers

elenayork писал(а):

So they could afford it

are you 100% sure they own it, or just bought it for credit?
The credit system is really great here... as long as you pay it back, if don't - nothing fun: credit bureaus, collection agencies, court settlemet, forclosures, bankrupcies, fines, and even prison.
And ocasionally a couple gets a house from a deceased grandma - very decent start up for a young couple. Even more: if a person studies hard, gets scholarship, graduates - then he has no debt. Others take student loans and start grown-up life with a debt...

Elena, you are saying that teachers in Russia are not getting high salaries, BUT there was a chance to get a condo with no mortgage. Both my parents, sisters, aunts,uncles - they have never had mortgage, they owns condos and second resident houses "dacha" - pretty cool.
it always seems that the grass is greener on other river bank...

NatalyS писал(а):

heaven - born teacher

just appreciate it - not mind at all.

JennyAtl писал(а):

Did you give a try to evaluate your diploma here for k-12 teacher

You got to be kidding me. No, I don't want to. Not here.

JennyAtl писал(а):

That is interesting that nobody here knows what "pedagogic" is.

yep. I was quite surprised.

elenayork писал(а):

An average salary for teachers is £30,000-40,000 a year

about the same here only in $$$. I would say it's not enough but possible to get pretty much everything. JennyAtl just explained how.

Моментик писал(а):

Not here

why not? CA schools are nice, aren't they? (my CA knowledge is based on movies and vacation time only )

JennyAtl писал(а):

CA schools are nice, aren't they?

"very nice" - with students shooting in schools. Here were a couple of cases like this. Thanks God, we don't live in the areas where it happened but still... . Plus, I absolutely can't stand it when you can't use any discipline method at all no matter how bad a trouble maker is. Pardon my language - на тебя сразу настучат и еще у тебя же будут неприятности. No, thanks you. It's just my personal opinion.
However, here are a lot of good schools. One, actually, is just around the corner.

Моментик писал(а):

настучат и еще у тебя же будут неприятности.

Sorry for intefering In English it might be like this:
You'll be blown a whistle on and it's you who'll be in trouble (in a predicament, you'll be in an almighly fix; you'll come to harm; this entails trouble for you; you are sure to be in a faithful mess)

Моментик писал(а):

with students shooting in schools

Don’t take high schools. Teenagers are just tough to handle anywhere.
I would rather choose elementary school: ESL + special education might be a great option with benefits.
Olga, and your co-workers do not "blow a whistle on", they REPORT that somebody used inappropriate methods. Feel the difference

In my experience one of my co-workers had a child spitting in her face. Yep... She did the right thing: report to the head teacher and take the kid out of classroom. And she reported first. If the kid reports it first - the kid would be right. In Russian there is a nice saying, literal meaning: who wakes up first, gets the slippers first. In English the best match I know would be “shot gun".

And this spitting child is not a bad child, I think in most cases it is a kid with sensory integration problem.

NatalyS JennyAtl I love our conversation and English lessons.
I wrote in Russian because I don't know exact translation the world "настучат" with the right feeling - meaning not fair. I probably did not explain exactly what I meant. The co-workers - blow the whistle on, the child - reports. All these words give you expression about some fair action. But how to say, if you know that those ( "report" / blow the whistle on) actions are totally unfair/ unnecessary and wrong?
Russian is really rich language, don't you think so? For me, настучали have negative character. On the other hand, "blow the whistle on" and "report" - might have the positive meaning. No?

JennyAtl писал(а):

I would rather choose elementary school:

maybe - who knows. If it is gonna be the school it is gonna be elementary.
How about you? Where exactly do you work and what do you do?

Моментик писал(а):

For me, настучали have negative character.

exactly, but keep in mind that co-workers SAW you doing something and they REPORT it - so it is true information. There are rules and laws and we have to obey them, doesn't matter what.
I am not sure if you heard about this: in GA a high school boy was suspended from scool for 1 year + sued (in court) for using a spitting stick during aschool break in the cafeteria. I bet you know what that is: a plastic pen tubing and little paper pieces. HE WAS SUED for brining a weapon!!!

Моментик писал(а):

How about you? Where exactly do you work and what do you do?

early childhood development + esl, kids with special needs.

Моментик писал(а):

JennyAtl I love our conversation

me too

Моментик писал(а):

ussian is really rich language, don't you think so? For me, настучали have negative character. On the other hand, "blow the whistle on" and "report" - might have the positive meaning.

It does have negative connotation. At least I feel it like this. Report means to provide information about or give an account of (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). As for to blow the whistle on somebody it means to inform against, betray. The police caught one of the bank robbers and he blew the whistle on two more. (The information was taken from A Dictionary of American Idioms. I brought it from the USA)

a co-worker REPORTS: says true information about a real event that has taken place, so they do not TELL on you, but just do the right thing for students