My job is easy.
The teaching assistants are constantly getting calls from parents.
This morning my TA got a call from a students mother. I didn’t ask her daughter a question. I should always as her daughter questions.
Some of the parents are making unrealistic demands and have unrealistic expectations.
It is has been interesting seeing inside the lives of the students. The troubling kids have the most painful parents.
The good students have supportive parents.
My 2¢…
You should be calling the students at random, making sure every student is included, and including fun activities that make them eager to participate. I know it can be done, my wife, a teacher, is doing it every day. The kids are glued to her like magnets. When using a PC to teach, there is so much supplemental material available to make classes fun. It’s not easy and very stressful, but it can be done with some ingenuity. And you need to grow a pair and tell your TA when their expectations are unrealistic. Doing their Google Classroom stuff in their own time is enough. You teach your class in a manner that you find appropriate.
Have you worked in Taiwan?
Is your wife teaching in Taiwan?
Of course.
Now it just seems like you want to make excuses. I’m done.
You are curious.
Since you live in Taiwan you would be aware Im paid about 4 times what my teaching assistant is paid. She is there an hour before me and leaves two hours after me. She has to deal with the parents and discipline of the students. I’m not about to tell her how to do her job. I will try and accommodate everything I can to make her job easier. I make sure she has breaks and time out. This is more difficult online.
So I don’t get your statement that I should tell the teaching assistant what is reasonable and what isn’t reasonable as nothing about our working relationship is reasonable.
Give her some of your money if you feel so bad.
What you and she are paid doesn’t come into it. If she is asking something unreasonable you have to tell her. Or do it and then keep saying your job is impossible here.
You can give her some of your money.
I never said my job was impossible. Where did you get that idea.
My kids teachers started teaching live this morning .
Hallelujah.
Just a few sessions but progress !
Had to teach into my lunch because parents suck and I know damn well I won’t get over time 
Teaching online is pretty horrible. Students turn off their videos and and mics and just bugger off. Had students so stupid. They “signed in” and left. I gave them an assignment. Later, joyfully gave them big fat zeros for handing in nothing. Run across very few people in Taiwan society after uni who are inquisitive types, who are just learning stuff, to learn. Everything is money oriented and many just exist in a zombie worker-drone state…Taiwan, where passiveness rules.
I set up a participation record. If I ask a question to a particular student at random and it goes unanswered by one of the black boxes, I give them a strike against their participation which will be reflected in their final grade. It’s not perfect, but it pushes them to be engaged more.
Is anyone else’s school being dumb about the closure? Public schools won’t even open again till Aug but because we aren’t a “real” school we might open on July 2nd if it’s not extended. I’m sure that will totally be safe /s
Private schools do what they want. They don’t care if there’s a deadly virus, these closures put their profits on the line!
Welcome to the expectation of teachers in Taiwan!
You’re supposed to educate every child perfectly and also be a therapist to every child’s parent. Standard practice.
I recommend setting up office hours. “I teach children lessons, also known as ‘my job’, from x time to y time and will be available at z. Do not call me before 8 am or after 9 pm because basic human decency dictates that you respect my rest/sleeping hours”
Edit: also, put your phone on “do not disturb” to start from the exact minute you said your “do not call me” time was, that way you don’t even need to see the calls coming in and parents who call twenty times are not bothering you. Same for email/messages. Do not open them or reply during your designated rest time. If parents complain to the admin, tell them to eff off and find a new job
I have to actually do calls at my school itself. I’ve been trying to put my foot down. My coteachers are just as bad as the managers. I don’t see why I should waste my personal time recalling when they didn’t answer their phone when they knew what time period I would call. Especially when I call them multiple times or they pick up and end the call.
First day of the next semester is Sep. 1
Finally getting to the point I just tell my coteachers and managers “okay 
” whenever they talk and ignoring whatever BS they have to spew. I’m jealous of everyone that has their own class and can work at home haha.
I’m curious is anyone else dipping into savings?
My savings are almost depleted. Family of 4 here. 
It’s miserable