Why is it that no one here understands the purpose or necessity of a contract?
Last week the director of my community classes asked me to meet with her about creating a final one month class at the school. According to our contract, we are to teach two semester of 16 weeks each, but the community classes were arranged by the school to be three month classes. This means that come April 14th, the three months are over and five weeks remain. Some of the students will stay for the final leg of the semester, but many have decided not to continue. There are no longer enough students to fill two classes, so the remaining students must be combined into one class. Gulnor, our director, has never cared about the contract and therefore, has never followed it... until now.
My supervisors have decided that now is the time to lay down the law of the contract. I was told to communicate, in a respectful manner of course, that we will not participate in the formation of a new 5-week class, which from my perspective, is both good and bad. Being asked to do tasks not called for, or sometimes called against, in our contract is something I do not like to experience. She could not care less that it even exists, which is typical of every Kyrgyz citizen. Future teachers will hopefully reap the benefits of this first "laying down of the law" with her. At the same time, however, it is bad for us this year. From April 17th through the end of the school year, my teaching load will be reduced from the already below the contracted amount to even less. This means nothing but more free time for me and less time spent with students in the classroom. I am saddened when I think about how often I will see some of my students, which will sometimes be limited to once a week!
This all made me think about the culture I have grown up in--a culture that upholds contracts to the highest degree. Our perspective is completely opposite of the Kyrgyz perspective, who seem to feel the need to make a contract simply for the sake of having one, but feel no constraint to uphold it. Evidence of this is found quite blatantly in the political system and corruption therein, the family life and divorce rate, and the business arena, all of which only serve to foster the very slow economic and moral development of Kyrgyzstan. To me, upholding a contract is of utmost importance. Not only because our American culture elevates honesty and faithfullness to an agreement, but because God commands it. He expects us to be faithful to the contracts established, because He has been faithful to those He has established and will always be faithful. This is a concept I have not yet seen introduced into this culture... a God who cares enough to keep His promise to His people. Hopefully it will not be long in coming.
i'm sure you were quite intimidating in laying down the law, Miss Gray. you always scare me into doing the by-the-book option. except when it comes to trespassing and speeding.
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