Buckland Weekly #22 - How To Avoid Getting Into Trouble

As always these notes are based on my own experience of China and should not be taken as an official statement of Buckland's position.

Not Getting Into Trouble

Mostly staying out of trouble is just a matter of using some common sense, but in this document, just to be sure, I'll mention a few things that could potentially lead to difficulties. If it all seems a bit obvious, that's good because it means that you already have the right idea. You would be surprised at how often people come with the wrong idea.

Visitors on Campus

Your apartment may be on campus. This is quite common and it has some advantages and some disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is a lack of privacy. If you have come to China as a couple then you will be sharing an apartment but should still be aware that students are always about - behave accordingly. It's very different if you are here alone. You may well form a relationship while you are here. It happens. You must be discrete. Remember that visitors to apartments on campus, even just having a friend over for coffee, ought to be cleared with the school first. As with any country, schools don't like strangers wandering about. Having someone stay overnight may not be allowed at all so check out with other teachers what the rules are and follow them. Just remember that it's all about the safety and the security of the students. The plus side is that it also gives you safety and security.

PDA

Some places, like Yangshuo, are a little more relaxed and western than others because of the number of foreigners but away from those places, in cities with fewer visitors, you may well notice that public displays of affection are rarely seen. This is cultural and should be respected and copied. Hugging and kissing, even holding hands, isn't commonly seen. It isn't likely that anyone will actually say anything but it might get people looking at you.

Inappropriate Dress

How you dress in the classroom is quite important. The simplest advice is to start out in your most formal clothes for the first week and look at how the other teachers there dress. From the second week you can adopt the same dress style that they do. Remember that it's easy to go to a less formal dress code from a more formal one but hard the other way. If you go in to school in jeans and a T-shirt in the first week but find that every other teacher is in a suit, then you have already made a bad impression that will be difficult to recover.

Generally schools expect you to dress smartly and professionally. You don't usually need to be very formal but proper trousers and a good shirt give a good impression.

It is possible, though not likely, that some schools will have specific dress codes or even ask teachers to wear a provided uniform. (I have only once come across this.) There isn't a lot you can do about this except follow their regulations. They may be prepared to make an exception for you, but they may not.

Drunkenness or Drugs

These are two very big issues that will cause problems. No one will mind you going out and having a drink outside school hours. China has a very social culture and you will probably be invited to eat and drink with other teachers. You will also want to go out with your friends. However, it's important to never turn up drunk or hung-over to class. This should be obvious but when you are out of your own culture it's easy to get caught up in the moment and drink too much. Most of us have done it. Just be careful when you have school tomorrow.

As for drugs, all I can say is “don't.” At best it would get you into trouble with the school and depending on the situation it could get you thrown out of China or even into jail. The Chinese authorities have very strict laws about drugs.

Smoking

It's less of a problem now than it once was but there is something of a double standard when it comes to smoking in public. As with the PDAs, you shouldn't judge by what you see in Yangshuo because it isn't typical. Typically, elsewhere, you will see that men smoke at anytime and anywhere but you won't often see women smoking in public. Nowadays, among younger adults, in bars or coffee shops, you will see it but in public buildings or in the street, it is rare. It won't cause any problems but it is against the social norm. Smoking is allowed in most places and I sometimes see male teachers smoking in school offices but I have literally never seen a woman teacher smoking at school.

Lateness

The school expects you to be in class before the start of each lesson. If you live on campus this isn't a problem as the time from your apartment to the classroom is a couple of minutes. However one of the disadvantages of living off campus is that you could be quite a distance from the school. I was a forty minute bus ride from one of my schools. You are still expected to be on time. Clearly there might be something unexpected that delays you and you should inform the school by phone if that happens but if you are regularly late, even by a couple of minutes, then you will get in trouble.

Inappropriate classroom behaviour

China doesn't have the strict regulations that England or America have regarding teacher student interactions. (Remember in England a teacher cannot give a student a pat on the back for work well done or even be alone in a classroom with a student. Touching a student in any way at all is only allowed in order to prevent immediate physical danger – for example if he is about to fall from a window. America has, I believe, similar laws.) It's not as strict here but it's better to act as if it were.

It's hard to pin down exactly what kind of classroom behaviour is inappropriate. As a general rule of thumb work on the principle that if it would get you in trouble at home, it could get you in trouble here, and always try to behave as professionally as you can.

Lack of Preparation

The school can ask to see your lesson plans. If your lessons are going well and everything is fine they probably won't but if you are struggling or they feel your classes are not up to standard, they might. If you can't show them a lesson plan they will, possibly rightly, assume that it's because you didn't make one. If you have been a teacher before, or have been working here for some time, you may well be able to walk into a classroom with your plan just in your head and teach a great lesson. I have a number of lessons that I have taught so often I could do them without a moment's thought before the lesson begins. I still print them out and take them to school with me. There is always the chance that someone will want to see them. 

Also keep them filed. They might ask to see the ones for lessons that have already been done. Again they probably won't but they might.

Unless you do already have a lot of experience, don't try to teach without preparing. There will be more about how to prepare and the documents you need during orientation but at the absolute minimum you should write out a running order for your lesson and details of any tasks or activities that you want to use.

Bad Language or Rudeness

We all have bad days but in China, even more than at home, it's important to maintain your politeness when dealing with others, no matter how frustrating you find it. Losing your temper and swearing or being rude, even shouting or just raising your voice, causes a loss of face both for you and for the person you are dealing with. You may feel that your voice isn't being heard, that no one is understanding your point. It may even be true. There are often cross-cultural misunderstandings. However, you need to just keep on trying to explain your point of view calmly.

As I said at the start, most of this should be obvious and it can all be summed up as being professional in your attitude and behaviour. We have a saying in England for telling someone things they already know. We say (and I have no idea why) that it is “teaching your grandmother to suck eggs”. Apologies if this has sounded like that, but all these things do occasionally bear repeating.