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Michael Allan Charles

More cultural differences

11/30/2014

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Family
In the western world, when we talk about family we are talking mother/father and kids. When we have a portfolio day or parents evenings at school in the west,  we tend to expect mother or father to arrive at the school. 

In my experience in Asia, as often as you will get parents to visit, you will get grandparents who tend to live with the nuclear family in the same house and often take care of the kids when the parents work. 

I used to hold what I thought was going to be  a parents breakfast once a month and more often than not it was the grandparents who arrived and discussed the school with me and not the parents at all. 

So if you want to discuss a particular student often you will discuss the child with the parent and grandparent. 

In Asian culture, it is important to note that the child is considered THE CHILD, and not a young adult which will have a big impact on how you think about teaching and interacting with the family.



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Noise

It will be a challenge when you try to get your students to do cooperative learning for a few reasons. One is that they are so used to doing individual work that when you ask them to work in groups they think it is cheating or something like that and it is hard to get them to consider what you are asking them to do is serious work. 

Secondly, once you convince them that it is important and serious the noise level will be dramatic. I think the reason for that is that many Asian languages are tonal so that you must be able to hear what the other person is saying because each word has a different meaning depending on the tone that is used. 

If you are prepared for what will happen, just emphasize to the students that everyone has the right to hear which is impossible when they are talking so loudly that is sounds like an explosion! Tell them to use their "quiet voices"



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Personal Space

If you look closely on the picture on your right you will see the western concept of space. Westerners tend to be three feet apart when they are talking or sitting. Anything closer starts to make westerners feel uncomfortable. In the picture on the left, although there are more than two people so the pictures are not really parallel, Asians tend to "cluster" more. Unconsciously if you are a western teacher you may begin to feel somewhat overwhelmed when students tend to surround you at your desk or in the hall. You may not quite realize why you feel uncomfortable but if you think about it, it may just be the case that you feel someone is intruding on your need for space. Once you realize why you feel uncomfortable, you should start to feel comfortable again because you have this knowledge....get it?

Being Aware
One culture is not necessarily better or worse than another culture...just different. Awareness is the critical piece. The more you are aware the more you can develop your own approach and examine your own innate bias. Being aware is more than half the battle. 
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Cultural Differences to be aware of when you teach in Asia

11/26/2014

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What makes this world a beautiful place is that there are clearly cultural differences between the east and west. Rather than be annoyed by it as a teacher, embrace the differences and use them to your own advantage when you are teaching. I will highlight a few differences here just to make you aware and reduce some of the culture shock your first few weeks. 


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Assuming you are a westerner, I am sure you are governed by that thing which is on your wrist. or if you are young, in your back pocket that looks like a phone.

If you have been trained in the west,  you really expect your students to come to class when the bell rings. Well, guess what, most international schools do not have bells.If someone is in your class when it is supposed to start, it is because he or she got lost



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angry face
In the west, if one of your students looked like this you might understand that the student was angry with you. In the east you will never know when anyone is angry or even if they disagree with you.  There will always be a polite smile on everyone's face. When you ask a secretary in English to do something for you, there will be a very polite smile but when you do not get the the test run off or the key or whatever else you asked for, it is likely because the secretary did not understand you and was too embarrassed to lose face!


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The last time you will see a straight line like this will be the day you leave your home country at the airport and the next time you see people waiting in line will be the day you come home. Asians have no concept of a straight line as you will quickly discover the first time you disembark or try to get something organized at your school.
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Which face would you rather have, the one on the left or the one on the right? If you do not embrace the differences between the east and west your face will constantly be the one on the right!

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Confucian vs Socratic Attitude

11/21/2014

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Which picture do you think more likely typifies an Asian school setting? Why would you say that? 
If you picked the second picture for the Asian setting you are right. The emphasis in any Asian school I have ever worked in is on the individual working alone. I think the reasons behind it are philosophical and speak to the Confucian system which puts the emphasis on the teacher, listening to instructions and doing exactly what is asked. In Asia, when the teacher says to jump the answer is "how high"
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In the west the answer would more likely be " why." I remember doing a workshop in Mandalay and I said a whole lot of very controversial things with absolutely no responsefrom any of the teachers involved. In fact, it really started to bother me so I said more and more controversial things just t get a response but there was nothing. Afterwards I got the typical polite response of clapping and that was it.
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On thinking about it later, it was the only response they knew how to give. This, after all, is the Confucian model of education. I was the "expert" the leader and the audience of Asian teachers were taught to listen, digest and then produce based on what I was saying. 

On the other hand, the whole model of the west is on analysis and inquiry. We are taught to question and reflect. In the next few blogs I will look at a number of specific differences between Asian and western thinking and if you are not ready for it could lead to a whole lot of frustration on your part.

However, know this. If you are white, a little older, you will be respected before you even open your mouth. The lesson for you is to keep quiet, listen a lot and don't ruin your good image until you actually have something to say. You have an entitled position so take it seriously 

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Royalty Cheque

11/21/2014

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Hey, I just got my first royalty cheque!!!!  What a thrill and what a humbling experience to think that readers spent hard earned  money to buy my book. It all Started in Mandalay. It is incredibly rewarding when I get a comment like Jay's saying how much he enjoyed the book. I am an avid reader myself and there is nothing I like better than to curl up under a blanket and read and to think that another human being is having this pleasure with a book I wrote is beyond belief. 

It is one thing to write the book but quite another to actually have someone read it and say nice things about it. I am surprised that so many of you bought the e version for $2.99 but I guess it is very telling that we are now living in a digital age.  Actually I only read books now on my Kobo which is absolutely great. I download books from the library and read them anywhere in the world ( except places like Vietnam which blocks books)

If you did not buy the book yet, please do so now. You can get it here or places like Amazon, Kindle and so on.  You will put a smile on my face and hopefully put a smile on your soul when you read this heart warming story of a few teachers at an international school., spiced with a little sex and romance. 

I will get back to writing about teaching in Asia in my next blog but for now go and buy the book. I have discovered that most people buy a house or a car faster than they buy a book. Be a risk taker....be the first on your street to buy it! Make us both feel good!!! By the way, after you read the book would you please rate it on Goodreads or write a review on Amazon or wherever you buy it from. If you live in the Toronto area, I would also be thrilled to sign the book for you if you contact me. I will also be going back to Asia in a few weeks so if you contact me we can make some sort of arrangements even though I realize it is probably like saying I will be in Canada soon visiting Vancouver so can you sign my book please.

Buy Now
THANK YOU
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Interview...Do's and Don'ts

11/16/2014

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Unless you are applying to become the principal of the school, you are not likely to have a sit down interview with the school personnel. It will likely be over some medium like Skype.

If you are applying for a principal's job at a prestigious international school after the skype interview they will likely fly you over for a one on one interview and if this happens write me and I will tell you what to do. 

For the rest of you, a few hints. Skype is a funny medium. When I was interviewed for one job the owner of the school told me to make sure I brought  lots of pairs of shoes. When I asked her why after I had arrived, she told me she thought I was much bigger than I am and shoes did not come in large sizes in that country. By the way, I am 5 feet seven inches so not that big at all. 

Another interviewer happened to see all of my books behind me and was quite impressed. I did not set up the interview that way, but it just happens that I do have a lot of books and that owner was very impressed. In fact, I reached back and took a book and we started to talk about it. You may want to arrange some props like that although mine were serendipitous. 

So...make sure you have a good space to talk and keep your "cheat notes" handy by the computer. Do make sure you make eye contact with the interviewer, but you can certainly pause and look at some notes out of range of the camera to remind you of what you wanted to say. Being thoughtful and pausing occasionally is not a bad thing,

You might be quite intimidated if you knew there was a whole committee watching you and your face was up on some screen for all to see but thankfully you will not know that probably. Just be yourself and say what you believe. After all, they are going to be hiring you so you may as well be honest. It will make it a lot easier once you get the job because you can be yourself!

Do's

1. Speak clearly and slowly and articulate every word. As my father would say, make sure you take the marbles out of your mouth when you speak.

2. Take your time. You are not in a race

3. Be as specific as possible when you answer questions about what you did in the classroom. For example, if they ask you about discipline, tell them how you handled a specific situation, or if they ask you how you assessed some piece of work, be as specific as possible. These are the things you have to think about before the interview so you have your "ducks in a row" It will be a descriptive behavour interview so they will assume that how you behaved in the past is how you will behave in the future.

4. You might want to have some artifacts of student work on a web site you can refer to or a youtube video but you better be pretty confident that the software will work and if it doesn't keep a good humour and do not be flustered. You can, when talking about a student piece of work, just dangle it in front of the screen realizing it is not the artifact that is so important but what you say about it. 

Don'ts
1. Do not start asking about money, holidays, time in classroom  and so on until the interview is over. You first have to make them believe they should offer you the job.

2. Dress appropriately...women no cleavage, guys wear a tie, even if you are the only one in the interview wearing one

3. Do  not badmouth any former employer and if you have to give a personal weakness if they ask you, say something like you work too hard at school and should have more balance in our life.

4. Do not frown and use inappropriate language

If the interview lasts about 30 minutes, you know you have a shot at the job. If you are out of sight  out of mind after five or ten minutes you know you blew it. For your own information, it would be good to find out what you said wrong. After a few weeks you may wish to write and inquire and if  they answer you consider it a bonus and learn from it.  Most principals will just ignore such an inquiry. 

Don't forget that we learn by failure.


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Resumes...Do's and Don'ts

11/13/2014

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I have been a principal at various international schools for a long time and I have seen literally tons of resumes. I can tell  you what I do immediately. If there are any mistakes in spelling or syntax I throw them immediately in the trash or in this digital age just delete them.  You might think this harsh, especially considering all of the mistakes I make in this blog but a blog or email is totally different from a resume. A resume is a thoughtful precise summary of your working career and we want and expect perfection. If you cannot give me your best work on a piece of paper, why would I think you could perform in the classroom?

Secondly, if it is too flowery, which is the style in many countries like the Philippines or India I immediately discard. Get to the point immediately. Principals are busy people and do not have a lot of time to sift through descriptive accounts of your life.

Thirdly, do not list every workshop you ever attended.  It is not helpful for me to know this. I am far more interested in what you learned at the workshops than whether you attended or not.

Fourthly choose which experiences  you wish to highlight wisely depending on the job you are applying for. You have done tons of teaching either in your practice teaching or your teaching career. The challenging thing is to figure out what is important to note for the school you are applying to. For example, if you coached basketball and the school has a basketball program, you may want to mention that in your resume.
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Do's

Read the ad carefully and find out everything you can about the school and I mean EVERYTHING. Contact someone at the school if you can and get the inside "scoop"

If you know they want someone with language skills, coaching experience, classroom experience, team player and so on I would be inclined to write my resume in that order. That is, have a section on each of the skills they are looking for. The advantage of this is twofold. It shows you are an individual who created their own template for a resume and secondly you are handing the principal information on a platter about your skills. I can't tell you how boring it is to see the same Word template on a hundred resumes for the same job. It is just human nature to pick a resume that stands out. 

Make sure you include a flattering picture where the reader can see your eyes and ensure that your clothing is appropriate. Make sure you look professional. Attach whatever other information the school is looking for such as a police report, educational documents and passport. Failure to attach what they require can also mean immediate disposal of your application. 

Make sure your references are willing to say nice things about you. Surprisingly, when I call references about a candidate I am often shocked when they tell me what a bad experience they had with a particular candidate. Phone or write your references before hand and ask their permission. Hopefully, if they are going to give you a bad reference they will tell you and if they do....do not use their names. 

Send the materials in a manner that was asked. For example, some schools want everything on a PDF form and others insist on Word and so on. If you are rejected, you want to make sure you are rejected for the right reasons, not based on incomplete applications... so  Just do what they ask for.

By the way, if you are rejected after an interview do not despair. It is probably a good thing because you would not likely have been a good fit in that school. Just keep applying until you get the job you want. 



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in the next installment, let's get to the interview stage and I will tell you the do's and don'ts of an interview. 

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The Anatomy of a Writer

11/9/2014

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A big thank you to Rob McLennan of above/ground press  for organizing the Ottawa small press book fair. I also want to thank all of the people who spoke with me and especially those that bought my book It All Started in Mandalay. 

I had the chance to speak with a lot of writers whose tables were set up and were waiting eagerly for the doors to open. The first fascinating writer I met was Gordon Bowman who wrote the Scooter Diaries. He wrote a book based on his father's diaries with pictures of his mother and father "scooting" around Latin America a lifetime ago. The picture on the cover of his parents on a scooter looked remarkably like Gordon who was now more or less his father's age when he took the trip. This was also a labour of love as it was all based on his father's diaries and pictures and was published after his father passed away.

To help fund the book, Gordon directed me to an interesting web site called kickstarter. If you have an idea for a book or movie or an invention of some sort, you put your idea on the website, give backers a limited time to respond, like 30 days, and if you get the donations you go ahead with the product and if not you either spend your own money or forget about the idea! For those independent book writers this might be a great way to pre sell your book.

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Authors write books out of love. Another remarkable woman I met was Margaret Kell Virany who wrote Kathleen's Cariole Ride who wrote about her parents having access to love letters and other artifacts she found. As I said in an earlier post, writing has to be a labour of love and I think Gordon and Margaret exemplify this.

Many of the authors I spoke with like Margaret had a background in journalism or editing, and often worked in this capacity still. I suppose they felt that it was time to edit their own words for a change and write about things close to their hearts. Scott Bury of Independent Authors International would be typical, I think. He even worked for one of the big five publishers in another life. He writes in a number of genres and you can read The Bones of the Earth, the Stawb Part, or One shade of Red, no, not Fifty Shades of Grey, but I bet it would be fun to read!


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Writers seem to come in all sizes, shapes and colours, but what they have in common I found at the fair was a love of writing, a creative spirit, an ethic of incredibly hard work, tremendous will power to be able to sit down day after day and write, a sensitivity to the world around them and great insights into life. I am inspired by all of the writers I met at the Fair and I am now even more determined to write with love and passion.
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What does it take to write a novel?

11/7/2014

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The purpose of the blog. 
As I stated in the very beginning, I wrote the blog for three reasons:
1. to promote teaching in Asia
2. to encourage everyone who reads the blog to at least consider travelling to Asia
3. to sell my book

From the sounds of your responses to me, I have done a good job showing you where to look for jobs, how to decide  which country to teach in, the different types of schools and what your options are. 

Surprisingly many have written in and asked my why I wrote my novel It All Started In Mandalay so in this blog I will try to answer that question.

Does the author write the story?


As I think I have said in an earlier blog no one creates a story out of thin air. I almost feel like my novel was dictated to me by a higher power. I just sat at my desk, either overlooking  the ocean in Thailand or sitting at my desk in Toronto and recalling bits and pieces of stories I heard about or experienced in the schools I taught in or the parties I attended. The novel just seemed to create itself  from bits and pieces of experiences one has along the way.


It seems there are two types of authors. Those that think and think for years to develop a story in their minds and have it all worked out before they even turn on their computers and others, like me, who just start writing to see where the book will finish up. I think it will take me a few books to really find my voice but I hope to get better and better as time goes on.. Please read my book and let me know what you think. I appreciate the feedback I did get but can always use more.



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Self publish or traditional route?
For me the choice was easy. At my advanced age, I just thought I have two or three books in me and I did not want to take five years to get an agent, have a publishing house buy the story, spend a year editing and then finally have the story produced. 

I took the easier route and just self published. I will be delighted to give you the details of what it cost and who I might recommend and who to avoid,  but the key for me is it was wrapped up relatively quickly. About five months from the time it was created to publication date. 

The two major drawbacks were quality and now distribution. When I read other authors it seems they go on for pages thanking all of the people who helped them develop the concept, edited the book and so on. When you self publish you are basically on your own. Secondly, although my book, It All Started in Mandalay can be bought anywhere, I am the only one promoting it so it takes so much more time. 
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Caleb the boss

11/2/2014

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I can hopefully meet a lot of you at the Ottawa book fair next Saturday November 7. It will be nice to say hello and actually give you a chance to buy my book, It All Started in Mandalay.  If you live in Ottawa please come and say hello and  at least tell me what you think of the blog. It is at the Jack Purcell Community Centre Saturday afternoon.

I would also appreciate it very much if you invited me to your book fair or school any time to speak about international teaching and you will forgive me if I try to sell a book or two to your staff at the same time!

After reading this blog for a while, I  hope you are really tempted to go and teach in Asia.  Teaching at an international school with teachers form all over the world is truly a fascinating experience that all teachers should take on at least once in a lifetime. I assure you that you will have stories to last your the rest of your life. In fact, my book, It All Started In Mandalay is just that, a bunch of stories I have accumulated over the last ten years.  A group of teachers from all over the world come together as strangers and leave as family. Each story is more fascinating than the one before and you have a constant stream of stories about love, sex, tragedy, humour and fascinating family history. If you have not done it yet, you must. Have a look at my book, preferably buy a copy, read it and then get on that plane!  Alternatively, you may decide to read it on the plane.

Thank you Kim for telling me how emotional you got at the death of one of the characters. It lightens my heart that you could really get into the story. Now I want to introduce you to another character I created  who actually owned a school, a few actually.
Caleb - The Boss

Caleb, whose company managed the school, was a larger than life character, both literally and figuratively. Even at birth he was a big baby, weighing over ten pounds. His father was out of the country over three hundred days of the year, and as an only son Caleb was expected to be the man of the house, including making all the financial decisions. Caleb had to write reports to his father explaining any major expenditure, the rationale for the decision, how the money was spent, and a cost benefit analysis.

It was not surprising to anyone who knew him when Caleb took a Master’s degree in Business Administration at the London School of Economics which was a major achievement for a Chinese boy coming from Singapore. Caleb enjoyed numbers very much, and he was glad his father gave him so much early training in business.

After university Caleb went into insurance where he was totally in his element. With his knowledge of many Chinese dialects including his “Singlish,” as well as his ability to explain all of the difficult insurance terms in a way his customers could understand, he was an immediate success.

 He spent most week-ends away either in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur and stayed at the best hotels. If he had an especially good customer, he often took him with him and supplied the basic necessities of life for any Asian: good food, good drink and a good massage. He was always the life of the party and often drank with his buddies until the wee hours of the morning. He spent a fortune buying dinner and drinks for his friends, but he also made a fortune because of the good will he was banking.

He loved having clothes made to measure, especially in Bangkok, where the tailors were expert and the costs so much lower than Singapore. One Sunday morning, he remembered waking with two beautiful women in his bed. At least, they certainly felt beautiful; he could not really see them without his glasses. There was a knock on the door and made his way to the entrance hall. Someone who looked vaguely familiar was standing there with two suits in hand. The tailor assured Caleb that he had ordered these two suits the night before and insisted he try them on. When they fit his 250 pound body, he knew he must have ordered them, and let the tailor throw in some shirts and ties as well.

On the plane back to Singapore that Sunday night, two suits richer, he started reflecting on his life. Was making a million Singapore dollars a year fulfilling enough, or was there more to life than money? As his father constantly told him, you could only eat three meals a day. In Caleb’s case that was a bit of an understatement but he got the point.


 

Each school I have ever worked at has a "boss" like Caleb; some who are the salt of the earth and others less so but all memorable. They are always be an integral part of "your" story if you want to work internationally and I only hope you will be as fortunate as me to meet one as good as the boss I created in my novel!
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    Michael Allan Charles is the first time author of It All Started In Mandalay

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