My name is David Puckett. My Chinese name is Bai Da Wei and I am the co-founder and Headmaster of the school which began in July 2000. I have recently been informed about this thread and would like to respond. I have lived and worked in China since 1999 and I have always been associated with the school even when away on sabbaticals and extended periods of time for personal reasons. I will be returning to the school in a few weeks from a six months' sabbatical and medical leave. I look forward to working with the incredibly talented national and foreign staff at the school.

Having been around for longer than just about any foreigner in one location in just about any city in China, I can honestly admit that I have made decisions and choices as a manager that I now regret when dealing with personnel and other school issues. I have also made unpopular decisions that I will defend as being the correct and proper ones. To be fair, we all know that at times, the teaching staff has made poor choices and mistakes as well. Striking a balance where everyone gets what they need has never been easy nor will it get any easier, after all we are dealing with many different cultures, expectations, experiences, market changes, technological changes... I also realize that anything I write here will be taken as double loyalty on my part since the school bears my name and is a reflection of my educational and personal philosophy and approach.

Rumors flourish in this kind of situation where foreign staff who arrive in Changchun have instant friends who live close by, share what life is like in Changchun and the school, eat together, play together, ride to school together and on and on. It is only natural that school stuff becomes a topic to discuss especially when someone feels a decision or way of handling something has not been fair. I get that and only hope that all of us can do better to not let discontent lead to damage in relationships before it is too late. I also hope that everyone, management and staff, can learn to reflect first then respond to a situation rather than react emotionally. I do know that this is compounded by the fact that we live and work in a country that requires a work visa sponsored by the school and negotiations appear to be one-sided as a result. We also all live where our typical support systems are not available and we become reliant on colleagues to be there for us.

If any one of the hundreds of teachers that have passed through the doors of BDW during the 13 years since the school started would describe my style, most would agree that it is a pragmatic approach; looking objectively at all the information and trying my best to find a reasonable solution keeping in mind where we live. Those teachers would also admit at times, decisions were made that may not have reflected what they thought should be the solution. Most would also admit that I have always tried to keep a reasonable balance between running a private school and delivering a quality educational product and have struggled throughout the years to keep that balance. Communication in any institution whether it be in China or any other place in the world is never easy. While names have been named and blame given to specific individuals have appeared in these postings, a lot of names have not been named, people who have carelessly and maliciously done damage to the reputation of the school for no other reason than they didn't get what they wanted.

So how does one approach this situation pragmatically? Never easy thus my need for sabbaticals and time away. However, I can honestly and without hesitation tell you or anybody else who checks out this thread when considering employment with BDW School that I love my students, the city that I have called home since 1999 and the many many parents, grandparents, friends, teachers and staff at BDW. I have grieved over those teachers who have had issues with the school and could not meet us with understanding and compromise or felt that we did not meet them likewise. I have fought as best as I could to make sure what we promise everyone involved, foreign and Chinese staff, parents and students, that those promises have been met. While this posting may have legitimacy in some of its complaints and I certainly do not or will not dismiss them, they are only a small portion of the overall situation. We are committed to provide as best as we can, a quality of life for our staff and have successfully demonstrated this throughout the years.

Yes, we can do better. Yes, we will do better and yes, I hope that our foreign staff in particular will once again gain our trust and know that we are committed to making their time with us a positive experience.