The university owned IB schools around the country are paying around 500,000 yen base salary plus 100,000-150,000 yen per month housing plus a generous settling in allowance.

It is easy to develop real friendships and communicate with your colleagues if you both speak English or you both speak Japanese.

Some schools find a place for you; some schools give you a generous allowance and help you find a place. Other schools that do neither of these are not worth working at.

Most schools are not in the centre of Tokyo so you may find you can live very close to work.

You are paid in the currency of the country in which you live, just like 99.999% of the world's population and 99% of international school teachers. You have no right to complain.

Four or five preps is standard in many international schools. It is usually the North Americans who complain / are concerned about the amount of preps they have.

SpedMaestro wrote:

> IB HL doesn't delve into calculus in anywhere near the same depth as Calc BC. Its
> a more generalist course and while not easy, its not the rocket science you make
> out to be.

Notice that I included the Calculus Option course in my argument. You have to do an option course in HL.

I am talking about real extended courses. I guess you are talking about AP Calculus AB, the easier course. Imagine a mathematics course where all the content from AP Calculus BC (the challenging AP Calculus course) represented just two units out of a total of seven, plus an in depth exploration. That is IB Math HL (assuming you take the calculus option).

MedellinHeel wrote:

> The problem is you are thinking that only naturals (what ever that is) can learn and
> understand a subject matter like HL Math. That is absurd.
>

They can learn and understand it just fine with enough effort. It is the applying that people struggle with.

sid wrote:

> Might as well print up name tags with 'good',
> 'average' and 'bad', and send the baddies off to work in McDonald's after primary
> school. If they can master enough math to make change.

No need for that. Just print "HL", "SL" or "Studies".

I think the problem is that you are seeing mathematics as something which is entirely procedural, like calculating the mean of a list of numbers. Yes, anyone can do that.

People are born with different IQs. Do you really think those at the lower end of the scale can pass HL Math in 18 years time if they work hard enough? I would say only those at the top end of the scale can.

> As the other poster just mentioned, you do not have to be a natural to do well in
> HL math.

If you are talking about IB HL, I think most, if not all, mathematics teachers of that course will disagree with you. You do not understand the course at all.

SpedMaestro wrote:

> Teaching isn't creative, you teach the same material/work the same problems year
> in and year out. This is particularly the case for you as you seem unable to adjust
> your methods to assist the non gifted.

There are so many things wrong with your first sentence.

In your second sentence are you saying that anyone can pass IB Mathematics HL?

Again, spoken like a non math teacher.

The fact that you consider teaching to be not very creative is worrying.

MedellinHeel wrote:
> Thats absurd, you dont have to be a natural in anything. One can acquire the knowledge,
> background, and conceptual understanding through hard work and determination. Sure
> it helps in the acquisition mode, but it certainly isnt the end all be all. I will
> say though, it is a little more than simply memory and practice.

Spoken like somebody who has absolutely no understanding of the demands of HL Mathematics. Most (as in the majority of) mathematics teachers can't even (and don't) teach it.

SpedMaestro wrote:
> pgrass wrote:
> > I good mathematics teacher has, among other things, natural mathematical
> > ability and is confident in this ability. You can't learn this ability from
> > any course. The fact that you are asking means that you shouldn't be
> > teaching any extended courses.
>
> I smell a troll. Were you born with the quadratic formula memorized and an innate
> understanding of algebra? Mathematical skill is acquired by rote memory and practice,
> nothing more.

Complete nonsense. You don't pass HL Mathematics with just rote memory and practice. You can work your ass off but if you don't have the natural ability then you crash and burn in the final exams. You need to know how to apply the "quadratic formula" to any number of (new) situations the examiners will throw at you. Some people naturally see how to start a problem. Others don't, even though they know how to use the "quadratic formula".

I guess that you are either a) not a mathematics teacher, or b) a mathematics teacher who doesn't teach IB HL or AP Calculus BC.

I good mathematics teacher has, among other things, natural mathematical ability and is confident in this ability. You can't learn this ability from any course. The fact that you are asking means that you shouldn't be teaching any extended courses.