Update on my probation, part III

Hello blog readers of the world! Here is the third and not last installment of "Matt on probation." I met with the Director and the owner of said hogwan of Suwon, South Korea. What bullshit did flow from the former's mouth!

First, here is the letter I wrote to them in response to two letters the Director wrote me on May 30 and June 17.

J=Director D=Owner L=Other big wig person

Letter Number One

Sent on Fri, 6/20/08, Matt Palmer <> wrote:
From: Matt Palmer
To: Director and Owner
Friday, June 20, 2008
To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter to clarify my thoughts and position on what has transpired between me, staff and management at MBESL (MBS) before and during my probation. Please read it as factual. It is not meant to place any party on the defense; it is merely explaining events, as they unfolded, and my feelings—as I hope to convey—in an assessment of myself and MBS over the past few months. It is also written to show some inconsistencies of admonishment and offer solutions, when possible.

In our meeting on Friday, May 30 the subject was my admonishment for my classroom act on May 29. During the meeting with J, D and L, I think D was correct in his assessment about my teaching preferences; I do prefer teaching older students, middle school and above. Although my IEP3 of ten/eleven year olds is generally good and their high English learning ability great, they are sometimes incredibly “bratty” and act spoiled. My KP class is fun but I think I prefer teaching older kids and less “baby sitting” as I do in my lunch class. Per that meeting D said he would look for a suitable school that needs my skills. I agreed to this solution. This would mean, as your June 17 written letter stated, MBS releasing me from work.

The “rough housing” event on occurred in a combined class in my EAS 3 class on the afternoon of Thursday, May 29. In the meeting w/ L et al on May 30, and in your subsequent admonishment letter dated June 17, there was no mentioned of the other teacher involved on the May 29 event nor was he admonished for his part in “rough housing.” My class was combined with his students, in his classroom and I got admonished for “rough housing.” Is this fair? The staff meeting on Tuesday, May 27 said no rough games. If a no “rough housing” rule is MBS policy, why did not the other teacher get a warning or placed on probation for his involvement? Why wasn’t he talked to about it? In fact, I was told that he got an apology from J. This makes it seem that the “rough housing” policy applies only to me. This is inconsistent and sends a confusing message to staff for meting out punishment at will. If the rule just applied to me, that’s fine, but the meeting was for all staff so that means all are included. I was obviously singled out. This creates a hostile work environment (for me) when someone is singled out for behaviors while others are not.

That event of May 29 makes me think that J may be personally upset with me, outside of work with non-related work issues which may have caused him to single me out for the May 29th event. I personally don’t know if this is true but if he does feel some ill will towards me, then I think he should just have told me. Maybe that would explain why I was singled out. I know other teachers have had games that involve physical activities and some “rough housing” but they don’t get caught.

The follow up to the May 30th meeting slated for June 13th, never happened nor was there any contact from management about re-scheduling it with me. I know that J was here that day because I spoke to him in front of the post office after he had come back from a doctor’s visit. If management means what they say, shouldn’t they not miss a meeting? And, if there were problems meeting with me that day, there should have been an email to re-schedule. It wasn’t clear if I was still on probation which ended on June 13 or not. I think it's management's responsibility to clarify and follow through on details such as this.

In J’s second letter of admonishment dated Tuesday, June 17, he did not like that I had negative comments about students. In an email I sent to J dated June 5, I was told him that my lunch class is too “unsettled to play any sort of game play” and that “they don't listen; they run around and when they do play games, they argue and yell.” And “they listen really well to Helen but she needs to raise her voice constantly over the din of noise.” Then on June 10, I wrote to J in an email that during my lunch class “I had to call in (lady's name) to calm [them] down the lunch hour class. Jack and Harry were particularly loud today and were not good students today according to tara .”

I have a right to complain to the Director, that I am frustrated with my lunch class behavior especially when students create a non-learning environment for all. If I have negative comments about them then he should know. Around Tuesday, June 16 I was telling a teacher in the staff area downstairs that our student, named Harry, threw his chopsticks and spoon case at me for no apparent reason during lunch. Why should I accept such behavior? Why should a student like Harry not get a call to his mom? The teacher takes it too personally—it’s not her fault. Of course I would have negative comments about students who treat me this way!

Also, I think that the Teacher Partner is overwhelmed with our lunch class. She constantly needs to yell at them to have them settled down and though she does a good job at controlling the kids, they are very wild and under the influence of several “bad” students including Harry and Jack.

In the letter of June 17, I was not making a statement about another teacher’s performance in the classroom; that was taken out of context. I was telling the other teacher that her student was acting up. It’s not the teacher’s fault for Harry’s behavior. She got upset about it because on other occasions, I’ve told her about other student’s behavior, like Jack and Joshua’s. I’ve personally told her about their behavior and even a few parents wrote about Jack’s behavior affecting their son/daughter’s learning in those red MBS books the kids take home.

I still don’t know what J is referring to in his letter of June 17 about “rudely stating that” I had work to do. It was vague... I know that I was venting that I had work to do for a class to do but I don’t think I was being rude. And what did I say? Who did I say it to? What was the context?

I don’t understand what J wrote about “Do no speak to J about what I do in the classroom.” What does this mean? Please clarify.

I appreciate D looking for a school for me but I don’t think it is such a good idea now. In the June 17 letter is says that I “will be leaving” MBS. This means that I am being released or terminated. Please clarify. Thank you.

Best regards,

Matthew