Osama's Bin Missing

     

This photo is a fake.

"Justice was done. After so many people, trying so hard for so long, following a number of false leads. After so many sad days of loss, finally we can celebrate again. Today was a truly historic day and we should never forget what was achieved by a small skilled team acting on the best intelligence available. The Canaries are back in the premiership."

I have begun my latest entry with one of many reactions to the news of Osama bin Laden's demise.  This one came from Garry, my old Korean buddy.  It was the first I had heard of Norwich's promotion, probably at the expense of West Ham, who look like they will falling out of the top flight and into the Championship. 

With regards to the killing of OBL, and I restrained myself from writing the adjective 'alleged' in that last clause, it has predictably lead to some heated conversations in the office.  It has, however, not been mentioned by any of my students and I have stoically avoided the topic since the story broke with Obama's Whitehouse statement, 8 years to the day that George W Bush announced 'mission accomplished' in Iraq.   Despite justifications and explanations so far for the burial at sea, I am not convinced that (a) they showed due respect to Obama's muslim faith and that (b) why would they need to respect him, anyway?  Well, whatever, the body has been dumped like a mobster in the Sopranos ... I wonder if they split the body up first with a meat slicer.  Or was the despatch more akin to Dexter disposing of a body in what he would have justified by his father's code.  By the way, 'Lob Da Man In Sea' is a handy anagram of Osama Bin Laden!

I have been more concerned with the whereabouts of my student, Osama Abdulrahman bin Al-Manna, who had been missing from my class since last Wednesday.  But he turned up today (4 May), with a plaster cast on his foot, in order to take the final self-learning project lesson.  There was a lot of positive energy in the air today, and my full attendance belied the general apathy around with a Maths exam for the engineering students tomorrow.  I think we've nailed the project together.  After this.. just four more weeks, 20 days of teaching time... then final exams.  In the meantime, 6 of my first class take an IELTS exam; they have already had the speaking element.  

Mid-term exams have 'bin' and gone.  My class did fairly well, with four students getting full marks and a couple of others missing out by one solitary wrong answer. I am pleased that they generally scored high on writing, which I have been focusing on with them since the start of the semester.  They was a lot of marking to do, extra cover duty and 'teamwork'.. although I seemed to get away lightly compared to others.  I am not busting a gut anymore.  A couple of bits of supplementary material to hand in and I am as good as done on my PDMS. 

Many of the British guys are itching to go now.  They plod along, with little enthusiasm.  I have taken my foot off the pedal as well.  Luckily, the ESP project involves a lot of computer-based work and internet research... so I can email my second class there

Meanwhile, a couple of my ex students from CAFA, Beijing, have been in contact and I have befriended them on Facebook now.  They are either in Glasgow, London or on the south coast, studying on an arts course.. and I like to feel I helped get them there, in my own small way.  I feel I have enough experience in TEFL and in preparing students for IELTS exams, to be able to apply to the British Council as an examiner.  There are countless places around the world where I could get supplementary and well-paid employment as an examiner.  But number one has to be the People's Republic of China.  It has recently gone up in my reckoning as my next destination to work.  I was asked this week by the Academics Manager if I was coming back and whether I had much cultural induction stuff.  I replied, through gritted teeth, that it was unlikely that I would return... because of my desire to try a new work situation and/or country, not because of the hundreds of things wrong with KSUPY. 

No decisions about my next destination are going to be taken before the summer school, for which I have been reminded about Bell's Social Networking Policy.  This is related to my ongoing gripe about having to complete a Criminal Records Bureau check every single time I am re-employed by Bell.  The company now declares official policy that you can no longer befriend current or former students who attend one of the young learner courses in the UK:  

"You must NOT accept current or former students as ‘Contacts’ or ‘Friends’ on social networks or photo-sharing sites, including offering ‘limited profiles’ access. If a student requests access, this should be politely but firmly declined. You must NOT attempt to make contact with current or former students via their own social network websites. You must NOT create specific Bell networking sites for any course or students."

Last year there was a general dictum given, and in my first year there was no policy at all... although a sensible approach was required.  I have commented since that all this does is serve to protect the employer, not the employee, nor the 'mythical child' as someone else commented.

I don't disagree with this and believe it is right that my employer should do this.  It relates only to young learner courses because only on these are the clients under the age of 18.  It says nothing, however, about what is allowed when that sexy Italian girl, who you explained the difference between the second and third conditional clause to, turns 18 a couple of months after the course.  It's simply a legality.  Perfectly understandable, perfectly reasonable. But it does bug me.  Maybe I shouldn't even air my thoughts and lead people to think that I am interested in newly turned 18 year olds.

Of course, I am not stupid.  I know the kinds of things that would get me sacked... and the most obvious example is getting a student in the sack.  And rest assured, I have no intention of doing anything remotely on that declining gradient.  

An innocent arm around a shoulder can be misconstrued. Last year I was asked to remove a perfectly innocent photo of a female manager and a male student, which was taken after the end of course show.  I willingly obliged and did this immediately, because whatever I think, other people think differently and I can't justify the irrational fears that some people might have. 

I would never add a current Saudi student as my friend, even if they are male and over 18.  This is because it is FAR more likely to lead to unprofessional conduct.. such as the corruption of grades and allegations of bribery.  This never happens on a young learner course because grades are less important and the duration of the course for most kids is 2-4 weeks only.

Anyway, there have been some moments recently when I have forgotten where I am.  A whole week goes by at work, including the journey to and from the university, and I forget where I am.  My tongue has loosened and I more casual about topic of conversations.  Every day I am party to conversations about all kinds of things, especially political and religious issues.. so I am keeping myself sane by offloading some of my own thoughts, whilst still trying to avoid insensitive, random comments.  Then, I see a 'Nazgul', a fairly derogatory term used by some of my UK, non-muslim colleagues for the way women are required to dressed up, and I am reminded about where I am.