By Sunny Kurti
I'm writing in response to a March 21 Korea Times article, ``Just Say `No','' contributed by David Thiessen.
I would like to address the cynical opinion of Mr. Thiessen about what I truly hope will become a respected, honest, sincere organization that will bring a new level of harmony to Korea and the English teachers who are invited to teach here.
We can't do it without a strong membership, where all of us unite to create an organization that should have already been in place when we arrived. Our purpose is not to hassle anyone who might have hassled us.
We are not forming in order to take action against anyone. We are forming in order to negotiate labor contracts. We are forming so that we can give professional support to our members when it is needed.
This is a means for us to come together, contribute and share ideas about how we can improve our profession and attract new English teachers to Korea.
We can pool our intellectual resources and teaching materials and in the process also assist each other in the transitions that are necessary for us to do a professional job here.
We are not working against anyone ― government, hagwon (private language institutes) or any other. We are not rebellious nor are we radical. Hopefully, membership will be because we are needed and appreciated for what we can and will do. Why would I want to say no to that?
To become a member now is one of the best contributions I can make for my fellows. I believe that as an individual I can make a difference and that I have the right stuff, otherwise I wouldn't be here in the first place.
If it wasn't important to me then I wouldn't take a moment to respond to the inane comments he makes.
I cannot understand why Mr. Thiessen believes our association is rooted in arrogance and selfishness. It does not speak for visa-holding teachers, and never will.
He is short-sighted to see that having an association, a resource that will benefit students and employers, will also help relieve the workload of over-burdened co-teachers and administrators of language teaching programs.
With enough members in Korea ― that's not arrogance ― that's pride in workmanship. It has nothing to do with our culture, or the improvement of either culture. We are not competing with anyone.
Where did idea that we are self-appointed come from? How are we usurping a democratic process when we have yet to complete a constitution, which will of course depend on the members' (like myself) input?
We are forming a membership at this very moment and there is no going back. This association is long overdue. Please let me ask from where the figure of 80 percent arises when he claims that ``approximately 80 percent of the problems faced by a native English teacher (NET) have been brought on by themselves.''
Is there a study or a footnote that might support such a claim? I suspect that this is ignorance speaking, while the rest of his statements border on racism.
It is appalling that this man should have the atrocity to do this. His writing reveals both a complete ignorance of history as well as a horrendous lack of empathy for the many victims of Nazi Germany's aggression. Personally, I think what Mr. Thiessen needs to learn is tolerance. As far as what we are owed, we are only owed what we have been promised.
The problems in the industry appear to me to have arrived out of failure to keep promises. What we are owed is a sincerely professional approach, the kind that membership in a professional organization can deal with.
In fact, the time we dedicate (without pay) to forming an association is a selfless act. We want to understand ourselves as an association because we want to make a difference in the lives of many others here, not just ourselves.
So, in conclusion may I suggest to my fellows: Don't listen to this guy ― get a second opinion.
The writer is a native English teacher at Pyeongtaek Girls Middle School in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. She is a member of the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK). He can be reached at sunnykurti@yahoo.com.