Dear editor,

I was greatly dismayed by John Huer's articles about foreign English teachers.

Given limitations of space, it would be impossible to address the many vagaries, distortions and outright lies that fill Huer's hateful little screed against the ``gold speculators" like me who have come to Korea to teach.

I'd simply like to ask him one question. Given the dozens of foreign teachers who actively blog about their experiences as teachers and foreign residents of Korea, would it trouble Huer too much to simply ask a few of them, via e-mail, what their actual experiences have been like, and what their educational and professional backgrounds are?

He would no doubt be surprised to discover that a large number of us come here primarily because we want to explore and learn about Korea, a far cry from the caricature he draws in his risible tirade published on May 9.

Further, he might be shocked to discover that a number of us are actually highly qualified teachers in terms of work experience and academic credentials. (I guess my lack of a ``lifetime commitment" to my ``calling" is sullied by having a master's degree from one of the top universities in the United States.)

Given the complexities and cultural issues that surround English teaching in Korea, I'm all for a reasonable, fact-based discussion of what is and isn't working.

However, Huer seems to be allergic to both reason and facts, not to mention impartiality, and his delusional rants against foreign teachers offer nothing but more heat instead of more light.

J. F. Parr
Seoul
jfparr3@gmail.com