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Forums > Living in Kunming > Salary info for prospective teachers

I was with my wife in the Hofbraeuhaus in Munich and that's for sure not your cheapest option.

1Mass [ 1l mug] beer- 8 Euros=67 RMB

Roast pork [massive couldn't finish] 9.90 Euro = 83 RMB

Pork knuckle- 11.50Euro = 96 RMB

we spend 37 Euro= 310RMB there, filled and drunk. In the city center happy as you can get, strolling through the old town. Tourist heaven. lol

That's not the cheapest nor is it necessarily the best. But it's a tourist Mecca and we were sitting in this nice century old place with stereotypical but partially [accurate] German cultural influences, for the same price I have a hot pot in a mall or some run down building with absolutely no charme at all in China.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Salary info for prospective teachers

@ Alien

..." but it's certainly easier to get a reasonable meal much cheaper in an ordinary Chinese restaurant than it is in, say, the US."

But yeah that was my point, Germany is cheaper than Kunming.
170 kuai is about 20 Euros, for that fine dining is off limits but I could go and have good pizza in a nicer Ristorante. And most definitely local food would be in the range. A local dish in Germany is about 7-9 Euro. Times two and you still have room for a half liter Hefeweizen around 3.50Euro.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Salary info for prospective teachers

@alien
I was talking about a proper restaurant where you order proper clean dished, none of the snack joints.
Most of the local food around here are about snacks.
But even if you go to a better Yunnan or Kunming restaurant each dish is about 20 to 30 RMB, take a few beers, which are always around 10-15 kuai and you are over 100 RMB just by having "3" dishes and 2 beers.

The example was a hot-pot joint we never made it under 170RMB. You already pay 30 kuai just for the broth.

I mean it's worth it, that's not the point but in general Chinese proper restaurants are not a bit cheaper than western diners.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Cultural Colonialism

Mmkunmingteacher
I think you should take it easy a little.

I don't think this Chinese culture crusade is leading anywhere.

So does a culture, -it goes it's natural way.
Chinese are tired of their own culture and I can't blame them.

So I dunno if what you promote isn't equally bad.

What's the difference if you force a western culture on Chinese or Chinese cultures on foreigners.

Chinese culture is open for foreign changes and that is new in the history of Chinese sinocentricism.

All of China's historical problems came from xenophobia overtaxing, ripping off, cheating each and every foreign initiative in the past.

The reaction to it was mean and terrible beyond believe but China is using the same colonialism on other countries, as well.

See; Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the provinces I cannot name here.

So I think we aren't so different after all.

No culture can be kept alive artificially and that's it.

So if China changes and they dearly need. Judging the chin. citizens that actually risk the big step over the ocean, -most of them are compelled and welcome many but of course not all benefits of it. So do foreigner here.

So we are not so different after all.

I have chin. friends that are huge fan of european food and wines, cars, furniture, lifesyle, and quality of live.

There are no month passing when I am flying home with shopping lists for my friends, in my pockets.

So should I say no to protect the culture.

Chinese culture is failing, not completely but it's changing into a global Chinese culture like HK or Singapore, and people are very happy with this change, because it has variety and choice, something non existent at the moment.

So don't be so stiff, welcome this change.
And about foreigners in anther country.
I have chinese friends who lived in the US or England and never went out only met other Chinese and didn't speak better English from before they left for the new lands.
They never eat out in non Chinese or Asia restaurants and complain non-stop that they can't find friends or partners.
They let their folks send hot-pots, condiments and other stuff every few weeks.

And complain that life abroad is terrible.

So we are not so different after all.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Salary info for prospective teachers

I think the time when the west was more expensive than China is over.

Example.
My younger brother lives in Holland, he rents a central 120sqm duplex apartment in a city comparable with Kunming. I think it's 5th or 6th biggest in Holland.
He pays 370 Euros=3100RMB for rent incl utilities. Except internet.

He goes to local discounter called LIDL and ALDI, check out their site. In those supermarkets, literally every product is cheaper than, even, the farmer markets or carrefour in China. Which still doesn't make sense, except for greed.

Same for my older brother.
He lives in a suburb of the MOST LIVABLE city in Germany, his rent for his almost 400sqm HOUSE with garden and balcony is about 450 Euro=3400RMB.

What kills them is car insurance and German utillitiy bills.

About Chinese food being so cheap, -it's relative.
Western Food is not more expensive, depending on how you look at it. You pay a little more but you pay for variety and quality and a certain amount of food safety.
I can't see mixian and Kunming snacks anymore, after 3 years in Kunming. It's literally all the same and al the same flavour.

A good filling bowl of proper Kunming food is at least 15RMB.

A dish at a western diner is about the same or slightly more.
Last week I spend 90 kuai at Salvadors for a falafel ca. 30RMB and quesadilla ca.30 RMB plus a filled to the top glass of Pinotage 20RMB.
I spend ca. 90 RMB and we had to doggy-bag it, because we just couldn't finish it.
So we ate two days on it. That's about the same you pay for Chinese snacks.

I promise if you have a proper meal at a Chinese restaurant you will spend more at a Chinese joint than a Western place.
We never leave a Chinese place paying less than 170RMB for 2. And we don't eat fancy or seafood or exquisite meats.

Literally everything is more expensive in China than it is in Germany or Holland and I suspect the rest of Europe.

The pay in China has not gone up for more than 10 years while expenses climb, like an expedition to the Everrest.

Foreign culture is becoming Chinese culture. Import sections are growing everywhere and I don't think it's for the few expats here.

As posters mentioned before a lot of Chinese culture is this preached government regulated culture BS. It's all mainstreamed. In general real Chinese culture is dying and I don't mind it too much. It's a sort of Disneylandish idea of it that just doesn't exists anymore, if it ever did!

I live with my Chinese wife and we are pretty integrated in Chinese culture and our salaries are barely enough to get by and we don't earn little.

China is crazy expensive. So the 4500RMB salaries even if they include living and stipends are not enough to save or pay mortgages or other luxury stuff, like owning a car.

We are not big import stuff spenders, nor do we go out besides our weekly romantic dinner, sometimes western sometimes chinese food and we still won't be able to save money.

Also keep in mind that having a life is something to spend a bit money on. And MMKunmingteachr you may be able to tell yourself you can do this for eternity at some point you will leave this bath in Chinese culture because the water will get cold and stale. You will get out again and spend some money on stuff you don't necessarily need or want but it makes you feel worth all the trouble and it pays off, for every penny.

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@misfit
Your football example translates into one class with only grade A students, receiving full scholarship and sponsorship.

My example is in the regional league, where there are only a few or none exceptional players.

The artist kid didn't have bad grades. I listened to him and looked at his skills and what he wanted to do. And we both agreed on arts. We convinced his mom to let him, if he keeps his grades up.

But he could have easily gone to one of the better universities.

What I did with artist kid was, giving him special tasks with his regular homework. Write a 1 page screenplay, write a sad scene or gave him a few pages of screenplay to correct or change. After that task was done, I let him make a mood-board, later on I gave him an camera to play with and film a few scenes.

Showing him how easy it is to make a film. I do that with pretty much all of my students, most don't need to because they already found an interest or hobby.

None of my extra tasks or homework take more than a minute to think of or to plan.

That's what I am saying all along. It is not that hard to teach every kid, what they need to learn.

@Dazzer
Not really, fortunately-unfortunately there are tons of books, studies and experimental educators in the last 500 - 1000 years, from amazing people in how to look at a student and how to teach?

I have not achieved anything, I am just doing what I was trained to do. Nothing special, just a few of the most basic teaching tools; classroom management, time management and parent-student feedback.

@misfit
You are incorrect. All of the top players excel at least at one more playing position. As a good coach or teacher you NEVER tell someone, how bad they are but you show them how great they are at their skills, position and so on.

A coach should constantly encourage and let players play different positions to get an overall better team. And that is practiced at all top teams in the world, in case of injuries or sudden replacement, a player changing teams etc.

As coach I never had to and as a teacher even less.

Factually great players aren't born, most of them are chosen by scouts not by coaches. Coaches don't like to see good players go.

They aren't perfect when chosen, they have the luxury to devote their time fully towards their and sport. While others have to work or earn a living before and while becoming professional players.

I know a pro player and he says it has nothing to do with skill, becoming a pro player is luck, nothing more. And as some of you post here it is similar in the classroom, you have a good teacher, he sees you as an academic, if not you are supposed to clean toilets as janitor, right?

And there are more top players still undiscovered, because they just haven't been scouted or promoted, just yet.

@Tigertiger
no offense but you are still sounding like you need justification to not give ALL your students what they need.

I have classes with up to 70 students, I make my own assessments and pretty darn tough ones, too. And still all my students make it, well. Also I don't just assess grades but also progress, to make sure what is needed individually. Currently I have 9 different classes from preschool to Chinese grade 7. I am 41 years old, I have a wife and a daughter and setting up a business, which counts as a second child, lol. I send homework online and test progress of all 4 pillars of language acquisition quarterly.

I really can't see how a good or even average teacher cannot manage the time and attention in a way that he can give enough attention to each individual group or student.

There are plenty of teacher websites with amazing ideas online, in case you are sometimes out of ideas. I am sometimes. So while sitting on the bus listening to awesome tunes I go there and get new ideas. In case you haven't learned them in your pedagogy courses.

You could give the good ones attention through group work, self study, essays, speeches, demonstration, debates, and thus even give them more attention than you are giving them now splitting your time here and there.

That is the beauty of the result based systems in China. It's all about test prep right? For good students, it's a snap to get ready for that, and with the spare time you win, by more efficient classroom management, you can also raise the level of the non-test-based stuff. Trust me if a dimwit like me can, then everyone can

In the meantime you have loads of time to deal with your challenged group.

Or, if you want to go real time, you can send any issue or question in the lesser great group to the overachievers and letting them answer it, and deal with it. You are conducting some sort of classroom concert.
It's amazing, especially when those kids discover teamwork and class dynamics.

If you look at the time problem, in a standard classroom in China at roughly 30-70 kids per classroom you would have not more than a few seconds available for each student.

So, how does a god student reward attention more than a bad student? What could you do in 20 seconds with a good student, that you couldn't with a bad one?

How do you measure that? How is that logical?
In my experience all students reward attention given to them.

And thanks again for the soccer example. If the coach would have given most of his attention to Ronaldo, he would have a profitable player but no team left to put him in. In education, military and team sports, you always focus on the weakest link, because they can speed up the whole team, good players can arrange their training themselves and you then also produce plenty of team captains. When I coach I also let the best player coach the training sessions, it gives me time to analyze, adjust training intensity and find problems and achievements.

As I said weak link focus is the more effective but more difficult method, in the beginning. Later it takes care of itself and gives you tons of easy-peasy work. Leaning back, watch and enjoy.

About your egalitarian idea, it is proven that is does work and to add to it, works greatly.

And that excelling students need very little attention, even thrive in the task based environment.

But you have to establish a system like that first, which takes some techniques, but very little extra time and effort. You have to prepare well, and that takes techniques and also, very little extra time and effort.

The good news is, once done usually in a period of about 3 weeks the system maintains itself and you are just being an MC. You will have plenty of extra time to run other chores. And most importantly you have the position to overlook individual progress and students. You see the Big Picture.

If I could, I would show you.
There was a time when I was saying the same things you were saying.

And when I was at the point, where I had to find a better way to teach or become a lazy sh*te, talking about myself here, I promised myself not to become one of those teachers who made my life miserable.
After a short time, I saw how the weakest links became the strongest.

I am not saying you don't prepare or don't care about your students. I am guessing that it's just simple tricks, techniques and teacher magic to make your student level even again.

Well, for what it takes, it saves you more time to get all kids on the same level, before you carry on with your material.

In my humble experience it never took more than 3 month to raise the below-level to on-level and then you have 6 academic month left, to keep it that way or rise to above level. And 6 month to REALLY teach is a lot of time to make huge progress.

An example, if you want to cook a 5 course dinner for your friends, but still have one week of unwashed dishes in the sink, you don't just wash a few knives and pots, you start from scratch and clean everything that needs cleaning, before you start cooking, right? Otherwise a 2 hour job would take you the whole afternoon.

I just did a whole washing task from September last year up until December to get a class, CLEAN. When they were ready to go on, we made huge progress, because all students, just could.

But the rewards and watery eyes after you tell the parents that their kids climbed from barely going through their grades, to become a above average learner, and the kids seeing a new range of possibilities is rewarding and puts you in a great position to get a raise, next year.

I have advised students to head towards non academic jobs or courses but never because they couldn't, or of low grades.

I Advised one kid to become an artist, the worst you could do to a parent in China and the world. And he did. He is becoming a commissioned film-director, as we write.
His mom called me during Chinese New Year telling me how happy she is and that she is sorry for causing me all the troubles, arguments that is. And for the very little effort from me, which is almost nothing, because he did it all on his own, I didn't help him do his chores and homework, he did.

I just said the things he needed to hear, and teach the stuff he needed and put him at the right place in the classroom, with the right classmates.

Sometimes rewards for teachers come incredibly late, but it hit hard and deep.

@misfit
You are saying it. Everybody is genius.
About coaching a football team, players usually rotate playing positions and have various chances to show they are good offensive players. There are plenty of ways to build a potential player although the playing skills are still low and raw.

Most worldclass players didn't start perfect or have changed their positions during their career.

Also the best way is to give the player chances or in a bad case, let him realize himself he isn't the perfect match being a striker.

@Tigertiger
I don't know your school or classes but the main issue seems to be seating order and handing over chores and lesson content to your apt students.

It don't understand why the good students need so much attention.
In each class I ask the assisstant to arrange a seating order by level/group. Usually

I give the good students a very hard task in the beginning of the class, a chellenge

@Dazzer
Yes! A teacher shouldn't be the judge and executioner of a student' s future career.

If a student wants, the motivation is there. There are various ways to do so.

But it takes time, and the right way should be chosen. These are parent teacher conference subjects.

I had teachers constantly telling me what I couldn't and shouldn't do. IT took me so many extra years to prove them wrong and find out what the issue was.

The time I used to make things right, I could have taken another course from start to finish.

And I know plenty of teachers who do the same today.

I had students expelled from a famous school here in Kunming because they didn't do their homework, failed their exams or being told they are too lazy, just to see them thrive in my classes, or the classes I referred them to.

All of the, are doing extremely well. And I don't credit myself for it. I really just sat down and listened very careful to the student's fears worries and weaknesses.
Then I helped them to fix it themselves.

It takes a bit effort and a little bit of planning but the results are worth it.

I am not kidding, none of my students ever failed an exam, and it's their achievement, and by knowing that these students can manage any difficult situation in the future.

Not everyone can go to university, and not everyone will. Plenty of students will drop out for various reasons.

But nobody should be held back just because they are chose not to or because the teacher things they don't have what it takes.

If that would be the way it works, then we wouldn't even need a teacher. Put a video on the board, or an online lecture and let the students record every word.

Teachers are conductors of the classroom concert, constantly diagnosing the people and teaching material.

It does work, it isn't easy but rewarding.

@Dazzer thank you.
Your ABC example is wrong, I just walked a group of kids in Dali through Grade K/1.

Some spoke fluent English, advanced reading level, and others have literally never seen the alphabet, thanks to perverted and fake local alternative private education.

It took 3 month to teach phonological awareness and reading skills, then everything worked fine. They all passed their exam and are now in an International Grade 1 class.

As I said it's not about giving up, but about using the right tools.

You just pointed out the exact opposite of the science and art of teaching.
And even from Darwinian point of view, you are wrong.

Learning is not just about excelling at a specific subject but about many other factors, cooperation, challenge and teamwork.

I don't know if you are a teacher, or working in the education industry, but I recommend from all my heart to review your approach on teaching and learning, as it is very contraire to the actual scientific method and experiences in the classrooms, worldwide.

How much you pay should never be the measure of how much help a student gets. What if a student is good but he paid a lot of money, so you help him even more?

Good students need the 'bad' students, and vice versa. It's called classroom dynamics.

In a Harvard science class there are struggling students, too and lazy ones, I met one. He built an enormous business network in Asia.

They don't just get expelled or quit, no teacher is kicking them out.

The problem with education is not the distribution of care and help, but poverty and disadvantage.

I had an Asperger kid, in my class, because the parents din't want the child to be excluded, according to your picture, everyone would be losing and dropping grades by the hour. But the opposite happened. The boy with Asperger kicked every student's math through the roof, and when he needed social skills and p.e. class help, everyone was glad to help out.

Overall the class became one of the best in the history of the school, and all grades increased, of all students.

This is not an individual case, you can find the same results, worldwide, in all sets of school.

And as you can see from the article above, and you can deny as much as you want, still the slowing down students don't exist, unless you want them to and let them appear.

All teachers should know the techniques and ways to motivate, most pro teachers I met, do and we share the same results.

Give it a try, it really works.

May I ask, have you actually, ever talked to those students in private?

Get them out of the classroom for a pepsi in the cafeteria and listen to them. It's one hour of time, which can change a whole year of teaching.

But let me guess, it's not part of your job description. Right?

Cheers

Reviews

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The probably most family friendly place. They have a spacious area with toys, crayons and other children entertaining materials around. The owner and the staff always have a little play time for the kids, at least when we were there.

If they would get a little play area for kids, it would get all my votes for favorite 'everything', at the gokunming awards. There is a playground (entrance fee, quite steep). So If you have kids it's the best place to hang out. The owner has a lot of kid treats for kids, organic unsweetened yogurt, etc.

The pizza is great, and could compete with other pizza joints in China. For my taste it's a bit heavy on garlic but, if you let the staff know they will moderate the garlic use.

I can only agree with the other posters. Prices seem steep but when you see the pizza, it makes sense. Portions are huge. I ordered a family pizza for a treat to 15 kids, we still had left overs, and we were all stuffed.

The dough is a bit thicker but the tomato sauce tastes fresh made, and the amount balances the dough thickness. It's always plenty of ingredients on the pizza.

So in total it's a great spot, with good prices and good and healthy varieties. If you are with kids, it is a really good spot. If the staff is busy or the toys are taken, just send your kid to the indoor playground, opposite. Watch them have fun, from the huge glass windows and enjoy a nice draft, or craft beer while munching on your tomato Frisbee.

That's why I am giving it 5 stars.

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...best coach I ever had and i practiced Wushu at Beijing University of Physical Education and with a few members of the Beijing Wushu Team.

He is sharp, he gets your daily mood and doesn't mind when you scream to heavens when things don't work out in practice.

He has very modern teaching methods and really wants you to progress. He won't just let you repeat every move until you get it yourself.

He offers free trial classes. You won't be dissappointed.