One week after I heard about Alice's allegation, I wrote my first response to it and another problem I had been alerted to just days before the sexual harassment bombshell. One of my colleagues informed me she heard that my contract renewal was in jeopardy because of student complaints.
The main complaints were quite conflicting: some students said my class was too easy and they felt bored, while others said it was too hard and they couldn't understand when I spoke English in class...and they were scared they would not pass. Well, the primary reason for this dichotomy of complaints was caused by the powers-that-be themselves who had decided to regroup students in English courses at the start of that academic year. Instead of the normal and more sound practice of grouping student's together in the same level according to their entrance test scores, they decided to group the strongest "A" students with the weakest "D" in the same class. It was a disaster in the making! Little could I have imagined just how big a disaster it would eventually become.
Here is Part I of what I wrote in response to Alice's accusation (which still had not been confirmed to me by the school administrators) and the newly-revealed student complaints:
I am writing you because starting on Monday, June 11, I faced one of the most serious crises of my teaching career and personal life. First, I was informed by a concerned colleague that a student had reported me to the college (National Taipei College of Nursing) for “inappropriate contact” at an outside school activity the week before. Second, I was informed by another colleague that the college had decided not to renew my one-year teaching contract. I have been teaching in Taiwan off and on for over 9 years and have never experienced such an unfair, illegal and immoral situation. Here are some facts and thoughts about what is going on in my case, one which has happened to other foreign teachers and hopefully some stop can be put to these things happening to some of the many dedicated and good foreign teachers working far from home in Taiwan.
About the allegations from the student about inappropriate contact, I can unequivocally say that no such unwelcome or untoward behavior occurred at that time or any other time in my teaching career. I am a man and teacher of high integrity, high morals and unfailing respect for everyone…man or woman. It is not in my character, behavior or conduct to ever touch someone else inappropriately. Anyone who knows me well enough would never believe such a thing as the student has accused me of would happen. I will defend myself vigorously and to the full extent of the law and expose the falseness of this accusation.
The second crisis concerns exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims by certain students at the college about my teaching and the illegal procedures the college has followed (or not followed) to deny me a new contract.
I am no ordinary, average teacher. Who said I’m supposed to be ordinary? Is it not a teacher’s responsibility to challenge their students to reach higher and do what they haven’t before in order to learn, improve and achieve? I was hired to teach English and help these students to prepare for their future careers that almost certainly require a certain level of work-related English to perform their duties properly. Plus, they must also pass a standardized English proficiency test (TOEIC, TOEFL, etc) in order to graduate from NTCN. It’s one of my goals to help them have a better chance at passing that test.
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