Wednesday 26th May, 2021 1720
The new light in the office is great. Really bright.
Yesterday the great vaccination started on campus. Millions of students queueing outside the medical centre but still no news on when I will get stuck. Tonight on the way home in the taxi I noticed a huge queue opposite Peili Square, probably half a mile long. The queue ended at the pharmacy so they must also be sticking people.
Well if they think I am going to stand around waiting for hours they can think again. Firstly I am a grumpy old git and secondly I can't stand for any length of time. If it comes to it I will go somewhere and pay for my own jab privately. It can't be that expensive if everyone else is getting it for free.
Yesterday was all hands to panic stations. The first I knew of it was when Jody wanted to leave fifteen minutes earlier than usual. Naturally I moaned about it but considering Tuesday is the one day I have a class not on the ground floor and she lugs my books, laptop and lunch, well it meant I would be having two cigars before my eight o'clock class. And she would carry my stuff upstairs.
The reason?
The inspectors were coming.
I went through this rigmarole seven years ago in Chizhou. It's all to do with universities wishing to gain promotion so they can grant Masters degrees as well as Bachelors. I assume with the prestige of that also comes more money for the school and a pay rise for the teachers.
Anyway, everyone runs around like a blue arsed fly in case their classroom is one of those chosen for them to sit in and observe. Except me.
One, there are hundreds of classrooms so the chances of yours being picked are slight and two, they are never going to come to mine because they don't speak English! To be frank, were they to do so, I'd have loved it. I would have ensured they participated in the class. I would have changed nothing, unlike the Chinese teachers who had all prepared special measures. I fail to see the point of an inspection where everyone knows the date – bit like the Queen thinking the world smells of fresh paint. Surely random unannounced visits would yield more honest results.
However, to my delight the students all put their mobile phones on the front desk before class started. That was the first time ever that the entire class actually watched the portion of the film I showed them instead of Wechatting.
We should have an inspection every day!
100 RMB per jab here in Shanghai if you have to pay.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, think I can manage a tenner!
ReplyDeleteThey were very lax with checking where I went. I just held up my insurance card but nobody checked it or made any record of it. They were more interested in the vaccination app and that I had logged in to book the appointment.
ReplyDeleteNo insurance card here. If I need to go private I will take someone to translate. Either that of just play the dumb foreigner
ReplyDeleteThe school will probably do the teachers separately though and as the "Father Of The House" I rather hope I will be given preferential treatment. We shall see.
When I was teaching at Huangpu I was told we were to be 'inspected' with a view to the school becoming a full University and was told not to do anything different.
ReplyDeleteTo get in spirit of things I wore a tie!
Imagine my surprise in the morning when all the teachers (aka professors!) turned up in dresses and suits (and ties) and wearing their academic gowns.
Regards
Will W, Wgtn, NZ
I believe it. I wore a suit in Chizhou. The way I look at it now is that if they want to observe my class they will be treated like students, same as I do when Chinese teachers/deans come. They have to participate.
ReplyDeleteBut I am not doing anything differently for anyone.