what next?

I had a teacher fail today.  I usually do, Tuesdays 8^th period with 5G.  I have missed four lessons with them out of six in the past two weeks, but I still plowed forward with the lesson, trying to jam it all in  . . .  a strategy that NEVER works. 

Kind of like the whole English program, jamming a few years of English into one.

All schools have their problems.  Our school problem I haven’t figured out if it’s unique or Turkish – but there is a false democracy.  The English Department is throwing themselves into a program that all advised against.  The director of the school posed the question in public forum once: Why don’t you feel respected by administration?  But even if dissidence could be respectfully discussed – it seems very little comes of it.  Instead, disagreement seems to be viewed as a challenge to ones job.  That was my experience with Human Resources.  I asked, “Why don’t I have my work visa?”  And the response, essentially, was why are your mad?  I’m sitting in the same position again this year.  An expired work visa with assurance that renewal has been applied for and is on its way, anytime, in the next couple of weeks.  I am fighting the urge to call some people out on not doing their job, again.   But I’m trying to be patient while imaging a whole bunch of worse case dramas that involve me, 9 months pregnant, in jail because HR thought my work visa was no big deal. 

I have talked about changing schools for the past couple of years, but I haven’t really moved on it, because inspite of these problems, I’m generally happy where I am.  I love my freedom in the classroom and it’s restored my creativity and enjoyment of teaching. 

 I keep looking at the “top” school because it pays more, offers more benefits, is an international school (not solely Turkish), and will give many MANY more perks than my current school.  When I brought this up with Human Resources, the woman’s response was: do you have an offer? and later, “We don’t compare ourselves to other schools.”

I argued that they must – the lire has dropped to three-to-one – and the competing school is offering housing, tuition for my kids, for myself if I wish, and plane tickets home.  Huge selling points for me. 

I’ve played the scenario out in my head – getting the offer from the competing school and my current school matching it.  What would it take to keep me?  Bottom line would be my kid’s tuition paid and some sort of bonus, plane ticket, or dollar’s compensation so we could make it home to visit family.  Either way, I’m looking forward now – ready to move.