Now let me get this straight Old and Tired. Is it your contention that those who pull down a decent wage and those who have become successful as the result of hard work and/or positive energy, are not in a position to advise others of the advantages of positive thinking? If you honestly believe that, then yours is a sad world indeed. But perhaps I have misunderstood you. Please feel free to clear up any misunderstanding I may have gleaned from your post.

What is it with you Heather? Stuck in the ozone of negativity. Wait let's see, the unforgettable Spiro Agnew said it even better. How did that go? Oh yes, "nattering nabobs of negativity." Not sure what a nabob is, but I'm pretty sure that what you're doing is nattering, and I'm convinced of your negativity. But ok, in all fairness, I should stick to the content of your post.

As I'm sure you are aware, Mark Karr will no doubt never have the opportunity to exploit young children again. Good. Isolated incident. Has it happened before? Yep. Will it happen again? Yep. But your purpose here seems to be that you'd love to cast a shadow over all EFL teachers in Asia - by the way that's EFL, not ESL; one who has been a what?....Oh yeah, Head Master, should be aware of the difference.
Too frequently for your taste? Hmmm.

Here's a few things that happen too frequently for my taste. Drunk driving, Spousal abuse. Sexual abuse. Warmongering. Man's inhumanity to man. Religious bickering. I'm sure if we put our heads together Heather we could write a list a mile long. But listen, if it occasionally happens that a judge is arrested for drunk driving, should I use that as a means by which I cast dispersion on all judges? Decidedly not. If I hear my neighbors abusing the hell out of each other, should I draw the conclusion that everyone in the neighborhood is guilty of spousal abuse? Clearly, that would be illogical. If I'm teaching and living near someone who thinks they're from another planet, should I draw the conclusion that there are a whole bunch of schizoids teaching EFL in China? Not. Yeah, I agree with you though, EFL teaching should not be a means by which teachers can escape from their moral obligations or whatever it is they're running from. However, can you be a little more objective please? You are painting a pretty sour picture here.

Sure you have the right to ask who you'll be working with or around. Not sure how many answers you'll get though. Let me see, how 'bout this, "Uh, yeah, John Smith, that funny lookin fellah over there, he's nuttier than a fruitcake - heard him talking to himself the other day. And that dude sittin' over there? I'm pretty sure he likes little girls. But hey! Don't worry about it. You do your own thing and everything will be ok."

All kidding aside though, sure, I've been around some pretty kooky teachers in my life. I've seen some pretty kooky posts right here in the forum. However, I'm not going to let the minority rule my perceptions. The other side of the coin is that I've met some fantastic teachers here. I've met teachers who are more than dedicated individuals - they are that and so much more. I've met teachers with extraordinary backgrounds and teachers with extraordinary minds. I've been "forced to work" around people who are far more educated than I and yet humble beyond words.

For your own sake Heather, start imagining the glass half-full. You'll be amazed at how your perspective shifts, but more importantly you'll be amazed at who you meet and how those people will change and enhance your life. I've seen some of your recent posts and it seems as though you are getting pulled down by something and whatever that is it is like a shroud, that decreases vision, and eventually you will not be able to view the positive side of things.

In all fairness though, I guess there will be those who will benefit by your warnings. Moreover, those with discerning minds will seek the truth for themselves and may also benefit by your advice which is akin to keeping one eye open while you sleep.