The International Schools Review Forum

Clearly PsyGuy divides opinion...some find him amusing, some offensive and some even agree with him (which I find somewhat disturbing). However, I am a teacher and I seek to empower my students to challenge the wrongs in this world when they come across them. If one of my students made such a statement as 'the Middle East is a craphole' then I am confident that the other students in my class would shout this down and point out the danger of such sweeping generalisations. Would that be a restriction on freedom of speech? Perhaps...but it was not so long ago that racial segregation existed in a number of countries based upon such ignorance.

For me this issue is actually a bigger one than whether PsyGuy should be allowed to make such comments on ISR...my biggest concern is that this person is actually a teacher, and I am left wondering who is going to challenge the students in his class when they make bigoted statements or blatantly lie. My one grain of comfort is that this fool is currently based in San Antonio (not Denmark) and that he is well away from my own children.

"The point is that 2 months in a place is not long enough to make an informed opinion of what it's like to live there. "

It's not?? Then how long do you need? I knew I loved New York the moment I set foot there. I knew I loathed Santo Domingo pretty much immediately. And I knew I was so-so on London within a few days. My opinions of these places did not change in any significant way after moving to them. It's not the amount of time in a place that matters when it comes to creating an informed opinion, it's the number and depth of your experiences.

The issue here is not how long it takes to like or dislike a place----it's sounding off on a place you've never been to. But I'd even say this is not a hard and fast rule. Do I really need to go to Homs or Tegucigalpa or Lome to know I probably wouldn't like it?

I spent two years in one country, not really liking it, but then looked around some different corners and down different alleys, and discovered I loved it. Spent three more years there.
I subscribe to a theory that one shouldn't make any decisions about liking or not liking a place until after living there for six months. That's long enough for the frustrations of residence permits and driving licenses to have passed, long enough to feel like you're not completely new and lost.
And it can be very difficult to tease apart any difficulties with your school from any difficulties with the country. If you're struggling every day at work, then returning every afternoon to a crap apartment that your awful school provided, you won't be in a frame of mind to notice all the wonders in the rest of the country.

There is nothing wrong with that theory, I just dont share it. General quality of life is more important then school life. Everyones job sucks to some degree, thats why its called work, and they pay you to do it. If your home life is bad, then the only thing you have going for you at best is your work life, and i dont want my world to revolve around work.

A great city can make up for a bad school, but a great school cant make up for a bad city. To that end the middle east just has too many problems. To many rules, and too repressive an environment, and not enough fun. Add to that an unattractive environment and its just a big litter box.

[quote="PsyGuy"]

A great city can make up for a bad school, but a great school cant make up for a bad city. To that end the middle east just has too many problems. To many rules, and too repressive an environment, and not enough fun. Add to that an unattractive environment and its just a big litter box.[/quote]

Some of the best diving in the world, desert and oasis trips, religious and archaeological sites, miles of beaches and watersport opportunities, brunches, concerts, skiing just a few of the things to do in the ME. It depends what you call fun, and I agree it's not for everyone. Just as other regions aren't for everyone. I guess people should be specific about why exactly they don't like a place.

sid, I completely agree with you about allowing 6 months to decide on a place, giving time to get over initial shocks and also allowing time to check out areas in which to live can make a difference. Also I don't agree with leaving colleagues in the lurch, is it really that hard to survive a year? I know there will be people that dis/agree with that.

This site could do with some moderators to split threads and start new ones when topics go off course. Any more views on the best and worst schools in Qatar?

[quote="PsyGuy"]If your home life is bad, then the only thing you have going for you at best is your work life, and i dont want my world to revolve around work.[/quote]

If your home life is bad, everything else sucks. Fix it.

"And it can be very difficult to tease apart any difficulties with your school from any difficulties with the country. If you're struggling every day at work, then returning every afternoon to a crap apartment that your awful school provided, you won't be in a frame of mind to notice all the wonders in the rest of the country."

Very, very well put.

.isr

No, I have a shell like Teflon, Ive been doing this long enough that nothing really bothers me.

Didnt really use the staff room when I was in Cairo, A/C broke the first week, and it never got fixed before i left.

[quote="PsyGuy"]No, I have a shell like Teflon, Ive been doing this long enough that nothing really bothers me.

Didnt really use the staff room when I was in Cairo, A/C broke the first week, and it never got fixed before i left.[/quote]
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See you just left too soon. It would have been fixed the very next day
(In shaa'Allah).