So it has been a great time learning just how the Turkish education system works. It is fit to say that it is at the very best horribly inconsistent. So here is the list of times when you don't have class in Turkey:
1. It is the first day of the week. You can't learn too early in the week!
2. It is the last day of the week. And this is different for everyone since individual schedules vary.
3. When it's the middle of the week. Turkey adopted the idea of a siesta and then improved it.
4. It is too sunny out. If its too sunny it's too hot and you can't learn in the heat.
5. It's rainy out. Not only is it too cold to learn but all transportation stops when the roads are wet, buses, cars, dolmus(minibus).
6. Classes only happen between 11am and 3pm, also don't forget the one hour lunch break from 12pm to 1pm.
Keep in mind all of these criteria are followed by the professors as well.
When there is class, periodic breaks are taken merely to smoke. All of the students stand right outside the front door to the building and don't spread out. So a dense cloud of smoke forms on the threshold of the building. When the break is over evidence of the smoke fest is seen in the hundreds of cigarette butts on the ground, some still smoking if you're lucky! I have even had a teacher ask us, the students, if we could take a break so he could go smoke. Also when you have class it is not unusual for the teacher to answer their cell phone! Yes the professor will answers theirs! And students are permitted to leave the class room to answer any calls. In addition, class will often be cut short because the teacher has a meeting or has to be home by a certain time. In addition, just to make things interesting, professors will just out of the blue decide to change class rooms. They wont tell you, email you, or even leave a note in the old classroom, they will just move and assume you will figure it out.
In short, time in the class room is not a priority here. Oh well, it is all part of the experience and it has been great!
1 comment:
Yeah... and also, some teachers will just cancel classes because some classmates didn't do their homework.
Of course they won't inform you beforehand... you'll just have to travel the 1.5 hour to school to find out that your only class for the day is cancelled.
Still thinking of writing this teacher an email about this. I've really lost my respect for her :-\
Ah, and I see you met the Kadikoy goose :-)
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