I broke my head...

This week has been exhausting and almost broke me. I hate the fact that students, especially those from exam-based cultures, suddenly think that poor to failing results in tests here somehow makes them exempt from the fact that generally when you fail you repeat. I hate that I have to test them so much and so often. I hate the unwillingness from upper management to tinker with the system. Mostly, I just hate the fact that I have to tell students that I like and care about that they have failed. Of course the majority pass, especially those going into undergraduate courses. It's the postgraduates that are problematic. Being postgraduates, they need a far more sophisticated control of the language and that takes time. I'm not sure what they're being promised by marketing people and from agents in their own country but I think the reality is quite different once they are actually here.
Oh well... one more term to go and then I'm out.

I had to break the news to work that I was leaving which has caused quite the storm of shock and controversy. That's kind of nice because I didn't even do anything to cause that. Discounting the whole quitting thing, that is. The nice part is that it would appear (on the surface) that people are going to miss me. The downside to that is it made me realise that I am leaving. In general I leave thoughts like that to the plane. That way I can choke down my emotion with scotch. I'm pretty certain that's what men are supposed to do. Isn't it?

Interestingly, even though I am leaving, I have been asked to submit a proposal for a revamp of the course I work on. Not a total revamp. More like a streamlining. I was also told that it was hoped I would move into a position of power in my current job. There's only one position that could be below management and while I am capable, it would be weird because I am friends with the person that currently does that job. Nonetheless, nice to know that they believe in me. I've already been given the 'great, take your year out and then come back to us' speech. I seem to have a revolving door policy with the university regarding my employment which dates back to mid 2003 now. Scary.

I am a huge HUGE fan of the Mac vs PC ads. Here's my new favourite ad.