Wow! I think I hit a nerve!!!
If anyone reading this string of postings regarding RuYi noticed, my latest posting was in response to Andy (or Frank Two), the infamous chicken farmer who said:

I think we owe a lot of gratitude to farmers around the world.

and

Next time we pull ourselves up to the dinner table, give a word of thanks to the dedicated farmers.

I thought to myself, OK, Ill sincerely thank the chicken farmers (and various other farmers) of China. But I thought, if this farmer who also has some position of power and influence at the school in question is concerned about getting credit (not for his management or education skills but for his chicken farming!), Ill gladly give it to him. But he should consider thanking foreign teachers for what we do as well.

He responds to my missive with:
I think when he jumped on his soap box and began patting himself on the back and thanking him self for a wonderful job he has done was what gave him away.

Excuse me??? Were you not doing EXACTLY the same thing you are accusing me of doing? If not, why else would I feel the need to write what I did?

Andy a/k/a Frank Two a/k/a Chicken Farmer continues his defense: Yes, the pay is not as good or even the same, but if you come for the pay and or heroic recognition, you came for the wrong reasons.

I certainly did not come to China for the pay! In fact, most of my friends and colleagues back home think Im crazy to come here for the salary and the unprofessional working conditions.

I do not seek heroic recognition, but I do seek respect. As Ive said numerous times before, I truly love teaching English to Chinese students. If I did not find personal reward and satisfaction in the work, why else would I still be here after three years? Most foreign teachers I have met flee as soon (or before) as their contracts are up!

The proud Chicken Farmer concludes with: perhaps you need to go home were REALLY Needed. Let me know in advance, Ill try and arrange a ticker tape parade for you.

Really??? You have so much power and influence in my home country (as a chicken farmer in China) that you could arrange a ticker tape parade for me??? Wonderful! Ill take it! However, that offer seems rather strange as you seem to have enough trouble recruiting and retaining foreign teachers at your school.

Now, as for fish4esl who retorts: ...you are evidently from a western country but know little about capitalism. Companies, even non-pofit orga, use employees for gain. That's called profit, and that's what we all work for.

Since when did capitalism (virtues or pitfalls) enter into our debate? Since when did I express a problem with capitalism?

It seems to me from your misguided lecture that perhaps you are NOT from a western country, because if you were, you might understand first of all that capitalism does not mean to make money or profits by any means necessary. You may find this hard to believe, but there are actually right and wrong ways to conduct business. There are actually standards of good business practice. Hard to believe, I know, in China, where it seems anything goes as business.

Making profits often seems to override any sense of integrity or honesty here. Yes, every orga I have worked for here is deeply dedicated to making profit (and will say and/or promise almost anything to perspective students to get it), but somehow they have little or no interest in the education component of the business.

Is not education and the service provided by foreign teachers exactly what they are selling? That reality seems very irrelevant to them, because if they admit that fact, they might actually have to care about more then just making profits. Who can be bothered with such things as curriculum planning, development of proper teaching materials, providing reasonable teaching environments, etc., when all these things reduce profits? How silly!

These so-called schools keep foreign teachers marginalized, and never discuss any plans with us, because in my opinion, if they did, they would expose the fact that English education has precious little do with anything (as if we havent already figured that out).

My quarrel, or beef (Thank you, all cattle farmers of the world!) with things here has nothing to do with capitalism, but everything do with how capitalism and profit-making is conducted.

By the way, capitalism in a free society, and capitalism in a communist society are two very different things.

Also, if all the things I am calling attention to here did not have some measure of truth, why then do we have (or need) so many forums such as this one for foreign teachers to vent and alert others of unsavory work situations here?

ESLTeacherBoard.coms school review forum is open to anyone to extol the virtues or the nightmares found in ESL establishments around the world, but have you noticed the very high percentage of negative postings about schools in China?

Surely I am not the only one here who has these complaints.

Yes, chicken farmer and fish4esl person, were it not for the joy I receive from my students, I would have fled from China years ago.

By the way, I encourage anyone who decides to sign up with Chicken Farmer Andy/Frank Two and RuYi to let me know. Something tells me, itll be a short list of names.