I missed the subtext somewhere...
When did I sign up to be a revolutionary?
I mean, I know I've ended up enacting change in my previous jobs/homes/moves. But, at what point did I go from being the girl too afraid to offend anyone that she almost never spoke to becoming the mouth for yet another institution that needs it's eyes opened?
If I could go back to that moment, I think I might rip up the contract that my subconscious signed to get me this trickstery "job"...this year abroad was supposed to be a vacation. Yes, I'd be working, but it's teaching and that's my love. I'm supposed to be finally following TNW's call by going off to see the world.
Let me explain, and start by saying this -- I am not totally miserable here. I am traveling, I am teaching, and the teaching end of things is infinitely easier than HS or college teaching in the US.
The problem comes from the fact that I have 3 bosses -- the UCCS college dept that runs the US side of things, the Korean staff here (employed by Yeungjin Junior College), and the Lead Teacher (hired by UCCS and Yeungjin together, as a liasion).
The month long intensive program just ended on Friday. All teachers, not just those of us who taught the intensives, worked WAY above and beyond the call of duty during this time. We all worked weekends and longer hours and field trips and evening programs. On Friday of last week, we were told that, due to a random illness, 16 expected student groups would not be here. We were also told that the most anyone would work this week would be 3 class hours.
Today, upon return from going to the post office, bank and grocery for the first time in 5 weeks -- I find out that we are technically, actually supposed to be in our offices/classrooms working all week this week...AND, that if they find out we're leaving the campus overnight, they'll dock us vacation days.
Okay, I get that they don't want to pay us for vacation time, but then they shouldn't have told us last week that this is our exchange for all the overtime during Intensives. They didn't want to have to keep track of and/or check the hours we'd have to submit to get paid for the overtime.
Sometimes this particular living situation feels a wee bit too prision like for my tastes. The free shuttle schedule from the Village to town (and back) is all FUBAR'd for this week due to not having teacher assistants coming in to help wtih the kids...so we can get TO town at 10am and 2pm, but getting back home is sort of iffy, depending on the day.
That being said, several of us teachers were discussing our issues with this and drafted an email together that we are going to send to the UCCS/US staff side of our administrators. I don't know what good it'll do, but maybe if we spam his inbox, at least we'll irritate him into some reaction.
I would post the email here, but I doubt anyone is interested. (Comment if that is not the case).
My plans to go to Gyeongju on Thursday-Sunday are still happening, and if they dock me vacation days for it, I'll fight back then. All I know is that I've worked 28 of the past 31 days and am exhausted. I live at my job and NEED some time away. We're going to go hiking, visiting a functional temple, and stay at a hostel-for-adults (Sae Rang Chae Guesthouse -- look it up).
At least, if I have to be a pot-stirrer here to affect change, can't it be with chocolate (like Vianne) instead of my mouth/words?
I mean, I know I've ended up enacting change in my previous jobs/homes/moves. But, at what point did I go from being the girl too afraid to offend anyone that she almost never spoke to becoming the mouth for yet another institution that needs it's eyes opened?
If I could go back to that moment, I think I might rip up the contract that my subconscious signed to get me this trickstery "job"...this year abroad was supposed to be a vacation. Yes, I'd be working, but it's teaching and that's my love. I'm supposed to be finally following TNW's call by going off to see the world.
Let me explain, and start by saying this -- I am not totally miserable here. I am traveling, I am teaching, and the teaching end of things is infinitely easier than HS or college teaching in the US.
The problem comes from the fact that I have 3 bosses -- the UCCS college dept that runs the US side of things, the Korean staff here (employed by Yeungjin Junior College), and the Lead Teacher (hired by UCCS and Yeungjin together, as a liasion).
The month long intensive program just ended on Friday. All teachers, not just those of us who taught the intensives, worked WAY above and beyond the call of duty during this time. We all worked weekends and longer hours and field trips and evening programs. On Friday of last week, we were told that, due to a random illness, 16 expected student groups would not be here. We were also told that the most anyone would work this week would be 3 class hours.
Today, upon return from going to the post office, bank and grocery for the first time in 5 weeks -- I find out that we are technically, actually supposed to be in our offices/classrooms working all week this week...AND, that if they find out we're leaving the campus overnight, they'll dock us vacation days.
Okay, I get that they don't want to pay us for vacation time, but then they shouldn't have told us last week that this is our exchange for all the overtime during Intensives. They didn't want to have to keep track of and/or check the hours we'd have to submit to get paid for the overtime.
Sometimes this particular living situation feels a wee bit too prision like for my tastes. The free shuttle schedule from the Village to town (and back) is all FUBAR'd for this week due to not having teacher assistants coming in to help wtih the kids...so we can get TO town at 10am and 2pm, but getting back home is sort of iffy, depending on the day.
That being said, several of us teachers were discussing our issues with this and drafted an email together that we are going to send to the UCCS/US staff side of our administrators. I don't know what good it'll do, but maybe if we spam his inbox, at least we'll irritate him into some reaction.
I would post the email here, but I doubt anyone is interested. (Comment if that is not the case).
My plans to go to Gyeongju on Thursday-Sunday are still happening, and if they dock me vacation days for it, I'll fight back then. All I know is that I've worked 28 of the past 31 days and am exhausted. I live at my job and NEED some time away. We're going to go hiking, visiting a functional temple, and stay at a hostel-for-adults (Sae Rang Chae Guesthouse -- look it up).
At least, if I have to be a pot-stirrer here to affect change, can't it be with chocolate (like Vianne) instead of my mouth/words?