"Your teaching in the preschool" said the person leading the discussion as if it was something I should already know. There is a high chance that it was someone's job to tell me this before Friday, but as no one here knows who is in charge of what, or how to communicate (not how to speak English but how to communicate) I wasn't told until the ninth hour.
"What!" I said through the chuckling of the other teachers around me, "great. Thanks a lot."
Monday morning I arrived wearing normal shoes, but in the pre-school outdoor shoes are not allowed. Many of the students have what are called in-door shoes, but mostly they just look like house shoes. So that is what I brought and have consequently been teaching in all week. And I just have to say that I LOVE IT! I love being in my house shoes all day. Now if only I could wear my pajama pants and teach while vegging out on the couch eating pizza and chocolate, my life would be perfect. First step: house shoes, and we will work on the next steps later on.
As for where I will be next week in the preschool or teaching juniors, or if I will have the opportunity to teach in my house shoes once again, only God knows .... actually.. I take that back. I think God is probably even confused by this place. He is probably chuckling to himself right now, "Oh you silly pastors who can't run a school and believe that lying to your employees is the right thing to do, I find you amusing. Its better than watching a sitcom."
Seriously I don't think anyone knows, as it is common practice not to know anything. Maybe it how they decide to pay their employees. Whoever knows the least and, the person who doesn't believe in communication gets paid the most.
Just yesterday I was told I am supposed to work Saturday evening from 7-9 pm. "I'm sorry, I have plans. You have to tell me beforehand." was my response to the scheduler who was surprised I didn't know.
"But I posted it on the website." she replied
Let's go through where it was posted. On the website that no one checks, under announcements are many dates. If you click on a date, it takes you to another page with a link, if you click on the link, it shows you a cryptic schedule that might require a professional codebreaker to understand.
"Where on here does it show me working overtime?" I ask when she shows me where it was posted.
She points to a place next to my name where there is a number one.
We spent quite a long time arguing why we couldn't get a verbal announcement. I arguing for someone verbally telling me and she arguing that it was too difficult.
One of our co-workers gave this analogy when trying to explain why we need to have several forms of communication.
"Kyle told Vanessa three years ago that he loves her. But he still has to tell her every week so that she will remember. If you want to post the schedule, at least tell us that overtime has been posted on the website." he said, wise beyond his years.
The solution: I am not working Saturday night. As for next week we shall just have to see Monday when I am told ten minutes beforehand. Working for an English Village is never boring, at least I can say that honestly. Let's just hope it doesn't send me to the crazy house where I will be allowed to teach the voices in my head while adorning my house shoes all day!
4 comments:
ah wow. kind of a mess there huh? and thats awesome about the slippers!
What is the name of your place? I know someone else who is working at an English village near Seoul but I can never get the two places at once, so I don't know if it's the same or not.
It's the English Village in Yangpyeong.
Teaching in our slippers is THE BEST!!
And people have been wondering about the monkey: It's supposed to be a crazy looking monkey. Or maybe it's not actually a monkey but what I look like now! :)
Don't knock the voices in your head...
At least they are communicating with you...
Verbally.
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