Nearly 100% Turnover

Today's weather: High = 9 Low = 2
Cloudy

Everyone will be leaving this school at the end of the year except for myself, the principal, and potentially the vice principal. Main reason is they just want to go back to Canada. In a depressed economy and an even more depressing job market for teachers, it is hard to imagine why, but that's what they want to do.

Meanwhile, replacements have been easily found for teachers next year. Including one guy from Sino Canada school at present who rides his motorcycle to and from Shanghai all the time. Should be an interesting guy to talk to.

For better or for worse, I can already play the video tape in advance and anticipate the questions and reactions that the majority of new teachers will have. The reactions of westerners experiencing China are almost always predictable. It is more or less like playing a video tape over and over and over again. "Why do they always spit on the floor?" "Why do we have to work on weekends to make up holidays" "Why do they open the windows in the freezing cold?" "Why do they want us to pay up front?"

Why, why, why. Whine, whine, whine. Anyone will tell you that you're not supposed to ask why questions in China as it's a fruitless exercise.

Seeing as I'll be the obvious go-to guy for these kind of questions, I'm working on a project with the principal to put together a manual for new teachers. It will focus on the ins and outs of the school, as well as getting around Shanghai. The section on finding housing will be useful, and I hope to team up with our secretary to help the new teachers get the best deals possible. The manual can't explain everything, but I hope to rely on it for at least 80% of the most-often-asked questions by new teachers, and not have to keep answering them over and over again.