Wow, Chuck! Not only are you presumptuous, you're psychic!

You state: "But I'm sure Phil has learned a lesson from his experiences, both in China and at the summer camp. Next time he's faced with a contract, he'll look at it closely and have a list of questions that need to be answered satisfactorily. He knows to look at the big picture of the job, not just net gain. He'll also have some ideas of how to handle difficult situations, better than what happened before. These are all things that will help him all throughout his life, and he's become a better teacher, a better work mate and a better man for it. That's called growing up, and its something that all of us must do all of our lives..."

Amazing how you understand the workings of Phil's mind! Did you read the same post from Phil that the rest of us read? It's called "Response to Frank and Chuck"??? I got a VERY different impression from his post than you obviously did!

You go on: "At two years of experience, Phil is just getting the hang of it, and now it sounds like he's leaving soon."

"Getting the hang of it"??? You're talking about career, and I believe Phil is talking about tolerance. After two years of typical working-in-China BS, he's had enough! Gaining experience as a teacher and how much one wants to accept the high level of unprofessional/unethical practices in Chinese schools and summer camps are two entirely different issues.

I hope Phil will respond and confer as to whether or not your version of his feelings, revelations, and now-found maturity are at all accurate.

Something tells me... not!