> Well said.

> I would like to add... I'm curious. Why do you spend so much time on
> the ESL teachers board, when it seems like you are only here to pick
> on every detail that is said. It seems as if yo are looking to fight.
> Do you have a personal problem with a foreigner that you know? I
> think it would be good for you to deal with the root problem, instead
> of gathering mistaken conclusions from the teachers that want to chat
> here.

> Just my humble opinion. I appreciate your views as a Chinese person,
> but if you could try to understand what life is like for foreigners
> here, maybe you wouldn't end up so offended all the time.

> Take Care. Looking forward to hearing you positive comments in the
> future.

> j.a.t

===============================================

Dear j.a.t.,

A personal problem is NOT my difficulty ... NAY! NAY! 'Tis merely the refusal on the part of so many of the more-educated citizens of the PRC to open their minds long enough to admit a mere POSSIBILITY of the veracity of an opposing philosophy. Hell's bells, Man, well-schooled individuals (especially those of us who are over sixty -- and I AM!) certainly do NOT travel to China for the "ultra-high" salaries or even those
"splendiferous accommodations" customarily offered. Quite to the contrary, we are dedicated to distributing the worldly knowledge that so many of us have acquired over the years. NOT that you must agree with everything imparted; it's merely that we BEG you to at least LISTEN and CONSIDER!
"Mistaken conclusions?" Of course, there's nothing at all wrong with having those. After all, that's an instructor's "stock and trade," as it were! It's only that the closed-mindedness we regularly enounter on this board tends to irk the hell out of me and many of my colleagues. Ergo, my "classroom!"

I find that your final statement befuddles me somewhat. Granted, I may not be situated in China at this very moment, I have worked and resided there in the recent past (Beijing and Shenzhen). Ergo, I am QUITE familiar with the conditions facing foreigners on that front. Granted, China is NOT the UK or USA, there ARE certain steps that could be administered by the Government to guarantee a happier and more comfortable stay for its QUALIFIED "guest-specialists," while, at the same time, weed out those foreign adventurers who have come to China 'just for the ride.'

Dear Fellow, you seem like a reasonable person. Can you not see that, even from this perch in my present, far-off locale, I have not forgotten the struggle faced by so many foreign teachers -- beginning with the very credibility of many of the agencies that recruited them, right down to the validity of the contracts they have signed. NOT that all teachers are either qualified or well-intentioned, it all comes down to the necessity
of a greater joint effort. Today is Labor Day here in the USA ... so, I've been a 'good boy' and made my speech!

Cheers.