Teaching Fail
The computers were fixed yesterday and today, so I did the charitable teaching I was supposed to do. Yesterday's session went well, as I only had four people to deal with. Today's session didn't go so well. I felt a little overwhelmed as I had eight people, all of which had widely different levels of experience and all of whom needed time. One of them was the Parkinson's person who can't read.
The elderly people have problems getting the motor control for using the mouse, and I managed to fix that a lot by cleaning the mice which used tracker balls so they worked much better. I tried the trackerball on the Parkinson's person and she preferred the mouse, but the oldest lady there liked it. I had continuing problems with monitors, as the most elderly person ended up on a monitor with a high resolution and small text, which destroyed her motivation. I wish I could switch on bigger font sizes, or adjust the resolution, but the computers are locked down so tight that I'm not allowed to. I also had problems with the printers, as the PCL 5e driver didn't work, and that was the default. However, it was a HP LaserJet, and the drivers normally come in threes, with a PCL 5e, PS and PCL 6 driver, and once I recognised that pattern, I tried the PS driver, which worked beautifully (and normally works when the others don't).
The whole process left me feeling overwhelmed, although I felt that I could cope, given time and more familiarity with the classroom and the course. Unfortunately, I'll not get that, as I went downstairs and tried to talk to the manager of the centre about the crazy way they did things for elderly people in a bid to get some small changes that might help reverse the tide. She didn't let me get past the first point, but went straight on the offensive, and once she did that, I lost the will to fight or say anything much as I retreated in numb shock. I tried salvaging the situation, but after she'd started on how I was clearly not experienced enough (with the implication that I'd somehow lied in my application and that I'd wasted her time from the twenty or so other capable candidates she had had) as the latest part in the theme of how it was All My Fault, I both had had enough and had decided that the situation was untenable so that I could lose my temper freely and quit. I'm sure, somehow, I handled that badly and could have handled it better before it had gotten to that stage, as I may have come in a little strongly in my frustration. On the other hand, I was fed up of being dropped in it all the time, and nothing I'd seen indicated that it wasn't normal practise, or the management gave a shit in any way, even before I was there. The manager had also made it very clear to me that the integrity of the learning centre was above the needs of the students in her tirade on all the things I'd done wrong, so I guess its true for the students too.
I regret most of all, though, all the unfulfilled promises I made to the students and the "see you next week" that's not going to happen. That's the worst part. Still, I learned that teaching is not for me. I don't really have the patience, although it seems I could learn it in time.
The elderly people have problems getting the motor control for using the mouse, and I managed to fix that a lot by cleaning the mice which used tracker balls so they worked much better. I tried the trackerball on the Parkinson's person and she preferred the mouse, but the oldest lady there liked it. I had continuing problems with monitors, as the most elderly person ended up on a monitor with a high resolution and small text, which destroyed her motivation. I wish I could switch on bigger font sizes, or adjust the resolution, but the computers are locked down so tight that I'm not allowed to. I also had problems with the printers, as the PCL 5e driver didn't work, and that was the default. However, it was a HP LaserJet, and the drivers normally come in threes, with a PCL 5e, PS and PCL 6 driver, and once I recognised that pattern, I tried the PS driver, which worked beautifully (and normally works when the others don't).
The whole process left me feeling overwhelmed, although I felt that I could cope, given time and more familiarity with the classroom and the course. Unfortunately, I'll not get that, as I went downstairs and tried to talk to the manager of the centre about the crazy way they did things for elderly people in a bid to get some small changes that might help reverse the tide. She didn't let me get past the first point, but went straight on the offensive, and once she did that, I lost the will to fight or say anything much as I retreated in numb shock. I tried salvaging the situation, but after she'd started on how I was clearly not experienced enough (with the implication that I'd somehow lied in my application and that I'd wasted her time from the twenty or so other capable candidates she had had) as the latest part in the theme of how it was All My Fault, I both had had enough and had decided that the situation was untenable so that I could lose my temper freely and quit. I'm sure, somehow, I handled that badly and could have handled it better before it had gotten to that stage, as I may have come in a little strongly in my frustration. On the other hand, I was fed up of being dropped in it all the time, and nothing I'd seen indicated that it wasn't normal practise, or the management gave a shit in any way, even before I was there. The manager had also made it very clear to me that the integrity of the learning centre was above the needs of the students in her tirade on all the things I'd done wrong, so I guess its true for the students too.
I regret most of all, though, all the unfulfilled promises I made to the students and the "see you next week" that's not going to happen. That's the worst part. Still, I learned that teaching is not for me. I don't really have the patience, although it seems I could learn it in time.