A Brief Tirade

So here we are, 4th of November already. I'm looking forward to the next few months [the events, not the cold] and I'll be filling up these posts with more descriptions and reflections as often as I have time. Since the teacher training my workload hasn't lessened at all, which at this time of my service is a blessing and a curse to be honest. With Jamie and Drew's departure,time has seemed to slow a bit, without much free time to accompany. Usually, when someone is super busy, time tends to fly, but lately, not for me. It's not a thing to worry or fret over, since I know when the new volunteers arrive and Ghulzhan finally comes home, things will really pick up again. It's a strange phenomenon, having 28 hours of classes a week [minus clubs] and Kazakh/German lessons on the side, plus usual lesson planning, I should feel like there are not enough minutes in the day. BUT, i think because Jamie and Drew leaving to go back home, i mean real HOME it makes me realize just how much time I have left, even if i've already been here for over a year. ANYWAY, that doesn't seem to be so exciting or edifying for anyone reading this. So, moving on.Something that I think would be interesting to talk about in this post is the structure of a typical college out here [namely,

mine].So, if you are at all not really interested in this subject, feel free to pass it on by.

So, starting from the very top, we have the Director. This woman[or man] is the "Queen" of the college[high school]. The whole structure revolves around this person's every wish, whim and desire. Right underneath the Director are the Zavuchs, or the assistant principals.

These people answer directly to the Director and can be thought of abstractly as her entourage.

They are the ones to check teachers, students and reprimand anyone whenever necessary. They are also the ones to dock paychecks and employ countless displays of nepotism [but that's a whole other story, which I would be wise not to get into here]. Then, under the Zavuchs you have the administrative staff [accountants, secretaries, etc]. This group makes up the majority of the staff, alongside teachers.

At my college there are different "faculties" or vocations that each department of teachers belongs to. Primary Education English, Economics, History, Finance/Accounting, Interpreter English, Mathematics and Computer Programming are the biggest ones my college has.

The reason I wanted to write about this part of my experience is because recently the Director of my college made a bold move in her efforts to control the students [and staff]. I don't really disagree with her actions but I can understand how my co-workers are really upset by it.

In my college we have two buildings [each 4 stories high] that are connected by a long hallway. Recently, one of the entrances to the college was closed completely. This means that everyone must enter and exit through the same doors and subsequently must travel along the same hallway to reach either building. The Director went a step further and set up cameras all along this hallway. 7 in total.

What does this mean exactly? Her zavuchs [the entourage] now have the ability to check and see if students are skipping class early, if teachers are late getting to and from work and if anyone is messing around in the hallways or pulling the fire extinguisher lever [which happened 3 times last month]. When seen in this light, the move to control and monitor the flow of students makes sense. BUT, there seems to be a different side to the whole situation which makes this kind of advancement detrimental to the keeping of staff and general well being of the college as a whole.

Most of the teachers I work with are underpaid and overworked. Their accomplishments, good teaching skills and general effort every day never get any positive feedback. There is no framework for motivation or proper leadership. They have meetings, but mostly the zavuchs are telling them what they need to do without needing much input from the teachers themselves.

The administration seems to forget, or not even recognize the fact that without teachers, you have no students, without students you have no money, and without money.. well, there's just nothing.

So couldn't we assume that the leadership in an institution of learning would take care of it's most important commodity, the teaching staff? I may be getting carried away here, but like I said, my insight is into the everyday life of a working Kazakh woman and I can tell you, it's not easy. Lots of women tend to have children [especially boys] who are a little on the wild side, coupled with all the duties of home when you add work related stress, the

combination of factors is liable to make any one person snap.

You may be asking yourself why exactly am I going off on all these tirades about how poorly I perceive my teachers are being treated by the leadership in charge?

One, it's sad but true. This is my way of venting about it and Two, I'm becoming more and more interested in the dynamics of leadership and how one person's leadership can drastically change the atmosphere for a large group of people. I would love, love, love to be able to share any sort of leadership advice or simple tactic with her!

BUT It would all be futile, since she doesn't have to [nor will] listen to the opinions of anyone else. I don't mean to paint her in such a terrible light, she is a very strong woman and I commend her

for being so successful in what is usually a man's position. BUT, I must add the disclaimer that too often in the educational systems here, corruption is just too easy to come by. And do I blame them for taking part? NO. It's made easier and easier by circumstance and kept that way. For the system to change, it has to be a major grassroots movement and begin with the new generations of administrators, teachers and leaders. Who knows where the dynamics of education will go from here.

To tie all of my earlier venting to a solidified point, I mainly want to illustrate the TRUE dynamics of how relationships at my work operate here in my experience. I must also add that I by no means make any assertion that I know everything that goes on within the walls of my work, merely I want to simply illustrate the cultural differences [and clashes] that I have come across working here for a year and a 1/2. Whew.

Thanks for reading. :)