Surprise!

Just as Ian and I were getting ready to pack up and leave today, Montana came in and handed us a packet of information regarding our tv/internet/mobile bills.

Apparently, Julia signed us up for 2 and 3 year contracts (with the companies) when we first got here.  The longer contracts saved on start up fees and also gave us a discounted monthly rate.  They knew that we were only signed up with Yoon's for one year, but they figured that they could pass on the services to the next round of foreign teachers.  But, the company has decided that we will be their last foreigners, so, they must cancel the contracts early.  Because of this, the company is asking for that the difference (from the one year contract monthly fee and the discounted multi-year rate we've been paying) be paid in full.  The bill came to 545,604 won or approximately $450.

So, naturally, Yoon's decided that this was our responsibility.

We told Montana that we were never in control of these contracts and therefore were not going to pay for the company's mistake.  It was the company's responsibility.  Ian left to call Julia, who did not answer, but promptly called Montana's phone.

He spoke with her, asked us if we would like her to come down and speak with us and we said yes.

She showed up about 15 minutes later.

Before she would let us say anything about the bill, she wanted to discuss why we wouldn't just talk to Montana about these things.  We tried to explain that Montana has been working for Yoon's for less than a quarter of the time that we have and he, more often than not, does not have the answers we need.  As we are running out of time, we figured it was best to talk to Julia directly (or as directly as one can speak through a translator).

We finally got down to talking about the bill.  At first, Julia couldn't seem to understand the difference between paying a lump sum and a monthly bill (as in, we would have paid a higher amount each month with a 1 year contract, so what's the difference now?).  Then she went on to attempt to guilt trip us by telling us she signed up for these elongated contracts to save us money.  After all, she argued, the company could have charged us the full price and pocketed the difference.  But, they wanted to be moral, you know, so they gave us the discount.  She even threw in the busted white board from the Janrak campus (closed down 8 months ago), blamed Ian for it and basically said that she didn't charge us the 900,000 won for it out of the kindness of her heart.  That white board split because they drilled into for access to a power outlet behind it.

Through all of this, we kept pushing.  We told her that the company was taking money from us left and right and that this extra $450 was a very big burden.  Then she tried to ask us whether or not we thought she had a conscience, which we declined to answer based on the fact that we're supposed to have a professional relationship.

And then, finally, she bent and told us that the company would cover the bill and that she didn't want to say anything else.  Montana signed our printout as a safeguard and we went on our way.

It was a small, exhausting, but thrilling victory.

Good night!

The Reveal

We found out something very interesting this morning when we called the National Pension Office to discuss the legality of a hagwon not paying into the scheme.  When they ran our Alien Registration Numbers they found that we are listed as "self employed" (as in, free agents who came to Korea [not under contract] looking for work on our own).  We read them our contract and they agreed that Yoon's has mis-registered us.  They did this to skirt around tax, health care and pension laws.  So, before we can go and apply for our pension refunds (meaning we and the school will have to pay back pension that we will get back in 6-8 weeks) we have to go to the tax office and change our status to "worker."

Our meeting with Montana this morning was terribly anticlimactic.  It's not that I wanted a fight, Montana went from "You've made a big mistake" (on the phone with Ian last night) to "Do whatever you need to, it's your choice," (the gist of his input during today's meeting) in a real hurry.  I don't think he was prepared for us to have found out about the school's shady fraud situation.

Julia did not show up for our meeting.  Ian tried to call her today and she refused to talk to him, stating that her English is not good enough and that she'd have a "recruiter" call back.  Sure enough, ten minutes later a girl from ESL Park called.  She tried to convince us that pension was a contract issue and that it isn't mandatory.  When it was obvious that we weren't convinced, Ian told her that she wasn't privy to our plans and hung up.

In discussing this new circle of hell with fellow teachers, I've discovered that the school has been stealing the money that it claimed was going to pay for health care from us (15,000 won a month each).  We have no health insurance cards and David/ Julia accompanied us to the hospital the three times we had to go.  That adds up to roughly $220 and I want it back.

I'm really tempted to open the blog early, but I worry about libel laws and our last paychecks.

The last few entries will be suggestions and warnings regarding Yoon's and working in Korea in general.  Here is a draft of the "blacklist letter" that I've been posting on several different ESL sites:

-Yoon's English Forest (영어 숲 ) has three campuses in Jecheon-si (Haso-dong, Sinback-dong and Goam/Jangnak-dong)
-The director's English name is Julia Lee and her Korean name is Park Eun-hee
-The corporate website is yoons.com (there is no website for the hagwons as of right now) and the phone number is 010.651.0580

From the start, the school was difficult to work for. I chalked my feelings up to cultural difference, kept my head down, worked hard and pushed through. I should have listened to my gut. 10.5 months in, I'm regretting ever getting on a plane and coming to this country. I work for this company with my husband, Ian.

Our director threatened to terminate our employment starting when we were 8 months into our contracts. It took us very much by surprise. We had had our differences, but we had always worked hard and found common ground in the past. It all reached it's peak then when they gave us a letter stating that we would be terminated if our "performance" did not improve in two weeks time. While this warning came as a shock to us (we had had a couple rough meetings with our director before then in which she was unhappy with one or two small things, but the overall feeling was that we were doing well), we took it very seriously and worked very hard (putting in extra hours and showing a lot of submission to our director) to show that we were serious about keeping our jobs.

Two weeks later, in a meeting to discuss whether we would, in fact, be terminated, our director told us that we seemed to be "doing our best" and that if we kept that up, everything should be fine.

Then, two weeks before the end of our third term with this hagwon our director made some changes to our schedules, switching the campuses that we worked at and such, and told us that if enrollment didn't improve in two weeks that we would be terminated (this time with no letter). Again, two weeks later our director told us that if we kept up the good work that our jobs were not in jeopardy (she seemed happy with our performance at this point and said that the "switch" was a very good idea).

Then, two weeks into the term, she called another meeting. She stated that she was very unhappy with our performance and said that our teaching skills were not up to par with what she had hoped for. The meeting ended with nothing concrete being said about our employment. The next week our director failed to show up to our meeting. Instead, it was conducted by our translator/supervisor. He told us that the company had decided to let us go and gave us a letter listing the reasons (which included ludicrous claims of inappropriate language and behavior in the classroom and poor class preparation [we have folders and folders of lesson plans, activities and worksheets to prove otherwise]). We have little room for legal action because they gave us four weeks notice (meaning we'd have to wait until we were no longer employed and housed to make a claim).

Additionally, we found out this morning that Yoon's registered us as "self employed" to skirt around tax, health care and pension laws. As we are American citizens living as "workers" (not self employed free agents as Yoon's falsely told the government) we are required to pay 4.5% of our income into pension with the school paying a matching 4.5%. Then, when we are leaving the country, we can apply for a full refund as per the agreement the US made with Korea in 1993. They have also used this illegal loophole to fly under the radar with National Health Insurance (which they have also not been paying or providing). Our hagwon has tried to convince us that their (and our) payments into this are optional. They are not. We will be going to the tax office, changing our status then taking the appropriate steps (including paying our back pension) to hold Yoon's responsible for this indiscretion.

Less shady and illegal, but still important things to know about this hagwon are:

-The school is incredibly unorganized and has no foundational curriculum to speak of. It (and the schedule) change upon the whim of the director.
-The school employs CCTV and regularly forces teachers to watch hours of themselves teaching and write down any mistakes or flaws and report them to the director
-There is no meal provided to foreign workers or time specifically allotted for consuming one's own, making for days in which one cannot eat for 7 hours
-There is no transport or stipend provided (while its common to make one's own transport, make sure you're living within walking distance to the campus or that the school provides a bus/van [as Jecheon GnB does])
-The director is known for her contradictory behavior. She will be happy with you one week and sit you in a two hour meeting discussing your faults the next.

Please, do your research. There are plenty of great schools and great people in Jecheon. Just DO NOT work for Yoon's.

Good night!

A New Low

I asked Montana for the pension paperwork right as I was leaving work tonight.  He said that he didn't have it because Julia hadn't been into the office today.  Then he asked a question (which I don't remember) to clarify and he referred to it as "taxes."  I corrected him and told him that our pension and taxes are two separate things.  He said he didn't know what our contracts say, to which I replied that it had nothing to do with our contracts, that it is the law (we must pay 4.5% into it and the company must match 4.5%).  He again stated that he didn't know anything about foreign contracts, and I repeated myself.  Then we said our goodbyes and I left for home.

I tried to call Ian to tell him that we may have a problem, but the line was busy.  A few minutes later he called me, telling me that he had just received an angry phone call from Montana.  He had called Ian after I left to clarify this whole taxes versus pension situation.  When Ian told him that we and the company must pay our 4.5% halves, things started to get ugly.  Montana wasn't having it and when Ian asserted that it is the law, Montana said that Ian was threatening to shut down the company.  Of course, Ian stated clearly that he did not say that or even imply it, but Montana was adamant.  He told Ian that we'd have a meeting (including Julia) tomorrow at noon to "figure this out."  He basically closed the phone call by telling Ian he'd made a big mistake.  Remember, Korean libel laws are archaic and extremely harsh.

So, I met Ian at the Sinback campus where we printed out the English information regarding pension from a site for expats and directly from the National Pension Scheme's website.  We did the math and figured out that our "taxes" taken out of our paycheck don't add up to 4.5%, which means that we most likely haven't been paying into the plan and neither has Yoon's.  As we were walking home, Ian decided to call Montana back, hoping to end things on a lighter note.  Montana insisted on referring to our pension as "taxes" and stated that pension was "not a must."  The US has an agreement with Korea (France, Germany, Canada and Hungary have the same kind of agreement and other countries have different stipulations) and it is legally required for both parties to pay the tax.  While it's our fault for never having run the math before, Yoon's was in charge of any and all deductions from our paychecks.  If it hasn't been paid by either of us, I'm not sure there's anything we can do.  If that's the case, we've lost another $2,500.

This nightmare just won't end.  I miss my country.  At least I understand its flawed labor laws.

Can someone tell me the feasibility of taking legal action from the US against a foreign company?  I'm going insane here, I need options.

So tomorrow we will have a meeting at noon with two people who want nothing more than to screw us over in every way.  It'll be our first face to face with Julia since she canned us.

Good night.

Out of Steam

The only other time I can remember being so thoroughly exhausted as this was UPS finals/ graduation.

For me, it's not necessarily all of the things that I am doing that make me tired.  It's the thought of everything that needs to get done.  I'm a notorious list maker.  Through college I had a cafe board on which I made lists of everything that needed to be done.  Everyone always talks about wonderful it feels to cross something off the list; I get almost as much relief our of making them.

But, sometimes the lists don't help.  Since we got fired I've been having trouble sleeping.  It takes me an hour or two for my brain to stop cataloging all that needs to be done (packing, cleaning, Visa applications, itinerary finalizing, etc) and fall asleep.  Then if I wake up at any point, it starts all over again.  Last night I nearly hopped out of bed because I randomly remembered that I wanted to find a vegan whipped cream recipe for Mom.  Stress does ridiculous things to me.

It's not as if I was sleeping well before we got fired; our bed is rock hard and the mattress is starting to break down where I normally sleep because it has no give at all.  I went to bed at 11:30 last night and got up at 8:40.  I was doing a little reading during one of my breaks and I actually dozed off for a minute or two.  I should be functioning better on 9 hours of sleep.

Aside from physical energy, I don't have much either.  I'm so disconnected from this job.  The lesson plans I made today are lazy and while I feel bad for the students (the ones who aren't urchins), I honestly don't think they care.  I'm officially a warm body to fill a (legally sanctioned) position until they find a replacement.

Julia tried to greet me in the hall and I mostly ignored her.  I tried to smile a little to be polite, as I don't want any complications regarding our last paychecks.  But, I think I only managed to twist my face into a grimace.  Later, Montana popped his head into my classroom to tell me there was pizza for the staff.  I said okay and sat back down at my desk, not intending to do any interacting that wasn't obligatory.  Then Terry (Julia's son) came in with the pizza box and a cup of Coke.  I told him I didn't want any.  I wanted to tell him where he could put the pizza and coke, but I didn't.  He seemed very surprised and left.  

We have been told that our presence is required at a meeting tomorrow at noon.  I don't know what it will be about, but Ian and I have several things we need to clear up (taxes, date of our last payment), so we will take full advantage.  I'm not sure if Julia will be there.  Either way, we're going to discuss the effectiveness of such meetings.  We don't want to attend any more.  After all, our letter cites seeing no solution to our faults as a reason for letting us go, so why bother?

Good night!

Response

I know that I'm most likely preaching to the converted, here, but I'd like to take a moment to talk specifically about why the reasons listed on our letter of termination are complete and total bull.  So, beware, for below is an organized rant.  I don't blame you if you choose not to participate.

1. Abiding complaints from students and their parents as well as principals for the last 8 months

 I cannot account for the principles, but students complain about everything.  If I gave them a lot of challenging work, they complained.  If we played language games (taboo, pictionary, charades, etc.) they complained to the principals because they thought it was funny to see if we'd get in trouble.  As for the parents, they send their kids to hagwon once a week and expect them to be fluent in one term (3 months).  It's common knowledge that Korean parents will pick up their kids' text book, flip to a random page and ask their kid to translate/answer/explain.  If they cannot do it perfectly in English, the parent calls the hagwon.

     2.  Caused serious financial damage to school management as well as lowering school's reputation by losing students

 Personally, I think that opening four campuses in a small town of 140,000 people within your first year of business is financially ridiculous.  There are many established hagwons in Jecheon, it would have been smarter to open one campus, build a rapport with the city and move from there.  Oh, and as for a reputation, it's the hagwon division of Yoon's first year of business, so there was no reputation to "lower."

     3.  Poor class preperation

This is a stack of lesson plans from one month of Ian's time at the Goam campus.

This is an average lesson plan of mine for a forty minute class.  Some of them are more interesting than this, but all are at least this thorough.

     4.  Using inappropriate words and behavior in the class

About two months in, Ian and I were told that we weren't to use the word "crazy" or the Korean equivalent "babo" in class.  Since then, neither of us has used it and we've implemented disciplinary measures for students who use it in class.  In fact, Ian made a list of inappropriate ("do not say") words on his board at Goam and I retained it.  Ian has been reprimanded for playing with his students.  He pokes, teases and bops them on the head, riling them up and making them laugh.  For several months, this is how Ian bonded with his students with no one telling him not to.  Last week, when Montana was sitting in on his class, Ian was playing with the students when he used the paper folder to lightly bop them on their heads.  Rebecca, a student that is all around good but routinely whines and needs attention, began to cry.  She told Montana that she had fought with her friend earlier that day, had been hit in the head and it still hurt.  Later that week, at our meeting, Montana flew off the handle at Ian and told him that he could invite lawsuits for "hitting" the students.

     5.  Not using textbook with felicity

I don't even understand this complaint.  We use the textbooks and as for "felicity," we've never complained about them unless they've explicitly asked us for criticism.

     6.  Assignment is not checked up properly

I can only assume that this is referring to homework.  I check the student's homework everyday at the beginning of each class.  Julia even once complimented my thorough grading.  They have hours of CCTV videos of my teaching to prove that.  When Ian first started working for Goam, there was a lot of confusion regarding the essays that were assigned and who (the students see their main teacher and then come for our conversation class) was supposed to assign homework to the younger students.  Every time the question was posed to Julia or any authority figure, a different answer was given.  But, for the last two months Ian has had complete control over his classes, which means that he assigns and checks homework everyday.

     7.  Teaching method is not as developed as expected

There's really no way to argue this.  Maybe we're not good teachers.  Maybe we're not what Yoon's wants.  But, the time to fire us for that was months ago.

     8.  School management can't find any possibility any of the above situation would be corrected

Right, because finding a solution would mean paying us our severance.

Our notice of dismissal is illegal on two counts.  A) It is not signed or dated by both parties.  B) It lists a time of less than 30 days.  This could mean that we're due another 30 days wages.  So, we're gathering information.  We asked for the day off tomorrow (and got it), so we'll be getting our ducks in a row.

Good night!

Delay

Ian and I got up this morning and went to the gym as usual.  Luckily, Ian happened to check my phone when we got back because Montana had called and texted to say that the meeting was moved to Wednesday.

I'm not sure what signal to take from that.  Is she delaying the inevitable?  Julia did tell Rahee that she avoided dealing with her because she found it stressful.  Or is the meeting much less weighty than we're imagining it to be?    I don't want to wait any longer.  I just want to know so that I have a clearer picture of my future.

Rahee is seriously considering quitting.  Julia is trying to push her out.  Rahee is going to wait and see if Stephanie leaves (another teacher who told Julia she wanted to quit about a month ago, but agreed to stay for another thirty days).  If I understood her correctly, Rahee will leave if Stephanie does.

I'm fairly certain that this hagwon won't make it past the end of the year, if it makes it that far at all.  This hagwon has been shady from the beginning (if you'll remember, they didn't properly put our information through with immigration until we'd been here for three months).  I can't wait to open this blog and write about the abusive practices here.  I really don't want anyone else to come in as blindly as we did; which is why the very last post on this blog will be a guide to getting good work in Korea and making the most of your experience.

The good news is that my students have been especially wacky and energetic today.  It's tough to resist that sort of pick me up.


On a side note, Laurie at the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee has begun her fund raising for the Pierce County Humane Society's Dog-A-Thon Fundraiser.  All donations made through her group go directly to help the cats and kittens at the shelter.  Last year, she and her group raised $23,000 and helped build an entire new wing in the cat area.  This year her goal is $40, 000.  I gave last year and I will again.  If you're feeling generous, please visit her blog and follow the links to give.  To learn more about the Dog-A-Thon, go here.


Good night!

Dinner and a Show

Ben and Amy came over for dinner last night.  We made stuffed pepper, spicy sweet potatoes and glazed steamed carrots.  Amy brought pa jun (veggie pancakes) and peanut butter cookies.  We stuffed ourselves.  Then we stuffed ourselves again with popcorn and mini snickers while we watched Lovely Bones.  

Just as the movie ended, around midnight, a thunderstorm picked up outside.  It was really active with high lightening and thunder every few seconds.  So, being the silly people that we are, we ran outside to get a better view.  We ended up underneath the covered entrance to Sinback elementary.  We watched the storm and talked for another three and a half hours.  We didn't get in until after 4am, which is why this post is late.  My apologies.

There aren't any pictures because we were having too much fun.  I promise I'll get better at getting photographic evidence of such events.

Ben and Amy are considering Portland for when they return to the states.  Ian and I couldn't be more excited about that.  We try not to be pushy (well, I try, Ian's pretty open with his peer pressure), but it would be fabulous to have them there.  I think they would fit very well with the other great people who already live in that area.

We're currently doing more research on the labor laws in Korea.  So far, we've discovered that if Julia does fire us or threaten to, we must walk a very fine line.  If we tell her outright that we will go to the Labor Board, it could be taken as a threat and (because of archaic libel and other laws here) she could have a civil case against us.  So, we have to inform her that we know what we are owed without alarming her or coming out and saying what we will do.  Stay tuned.

Rights

Here's an update in case you find yourself wondering.

Ian and I did a little research this morning about our rights in case we get fired on Monday.  Here are a couple of points of interest from the more experienced folks on the Dave's ESL Cafe forums:

• The written warning we received a few months ago is null and void because no one signed and dated it.
• Because of this, if we are terminated on Monday it is as if we were never given warning.  Therefore, we are (supposedly) entitled to a percentage (83%, since that's the amount of our contract we've completed) of our severance pay and airfare or equivalent payment.  This goes against what it states in our contract, so I am a little confused.
• This money would be owed to us on the day of termination.
• Also, because we would be fired "without notice" we would be owed one months pay for lost income, but I don't really know how this works. 
• If we do file a report with the Labor Board, it will take 14 days for anything to happen.  But, after that it seems (by most accounts) that things would turn out in our favor.

I emailed Asia to see if she had any information that could help us.  This is all very confusing and overwhelming, but we're not going to take it laying down.  A few people on the forums reported similar incidents (which is where we got this info) and most people agreed that they were being hosed by their hagwons.  If necessary, we will go to the Labor Board and the US Embassy.

As we learn more, I'll keep you posted.

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Ian's a big fan of these propaganda posters and today's events reminded me of this one.

Randomly, and in passing, Danny said something very troubling to Ian.  He said, "So, I heard you might be leaving soon."  To which Ian replied, "Not that I know of.  Who said that?"  Danny just seemed confused and said he didn't know.  Since they live together, we figured that it was probably Montana who said something.  So, Ian mentioned to Montana what we'd heard and asked him if he knew anything specific.  In true Montana form, he vaguely alluded to Julia being the boss and him not knowing anything.  He said we'd all discuss it on Monday (here's to a relaxing weekend, right?).  Montana's a good guy, but he hasn't proven any help when it comes to Julia.

So, Ian and I spent the day vaguely nauseated and anxious.  Our Europe plans may be for naught.  I had gotten a little too attached to the idea of having my birthday in Paris and I'm trying really hard not to pity myself (prematurely, I hope).  Our tickets to SE Asia are nonrefundable, but if we do get fired on Monday, we'll be calling to see if we can change the end destination on our ticket from Siem Reap.

I can't wait for this ordeal to be over.  However, I'd like my effort to be worth something and I'd like to complete our contracts.

Good night.

The Blame Game

Ian and I had a meeting with Julia this morning.  She was in great form this morning, laying the full weight of her company's financial problems on us.

As we sat down she brought out a sheet with the enrollment numbers for all three campuses.  She told us that, for Haso and Goam, the numbers were down 40 students from the beginning of the year (September).  She said that the "students don't want to come" because our classes are "not interesting or beneficial."  I talked to a student last week who told me he wasn't coming back next term.  When I asked him why, he told me that his mom didn't want him in classes at night, so they were going to find somewhere he could take a class an appropriate level class during the day.  It had nothing to with Yoon's itself.

Then she scribbled some math regarding our severance, airfare and remaining three months.  She asked us (and not hypothetically) how she should find the money to pay for that.

At one point, while Julia was chiding us for the seven months that we lazily "wasted time" ("Your teaching skill is fine now, but you wasted so much times," then she drew a time line from September to April, in case we didn't understand) Ian swallowed hard and told her that it was difficult to know how she felt about our performance during those months because Gene rarely spoke of it and when he did, he told us we were doing well.  Julia said, "But, Mr. Gene said he told you all these things, but you didn't listen.  That's why he choose to leave the company.  He felt he had no work to do here."  While I doubt that Gene actually felt that way, I do believe he may have said it to her, as he proved pretty spineless when it came to Julia.

This went on for nearly an hour.  Ian and I twisted uncomfortably in our seats wondering if she was just going to out and fire us.  Then her phone rang and she ran (quite literally) out of the room to take the phone call.  When she came back, she picked up one of the new books and started going over potential lesson plans with us.  We went through two books and then she dismissed us.  Just before we went to lunch, Ian tried to tactfully clarify that we were going to finish our contracts with the company.  She answered with, "Oh, just continue to do your best."  So, my guess is that we will be on our toes until August 31.

I was pretty tired after that meeting, but my classes went well.  The first day of a new term is always a little stressful.  The books make it easier to keep the students engaged and the time flew by.  I didn't have time to finish my lesson plans for tomorrow, but I should have ample time before tomorrow's begin.  I'm hoping things settle down enough for me to work on my article.

Good night!

A Different 100 Celebration

On December 1st last year, I posted for the one hundredth time.  It was a pretty big milestone for me, proving to myself that I could keep up with a writing project even when there were no consequences for not accomplishing it.  Everybody Jecheon Tonight felt a little more legitimate.

Yesterday marked another occasion revolving around the number one hundred.  One hundred days left on our contracts.  We're in the final stretch, folks.  Sixty-five working days left.  Ian doesn't want to book anything for South East Asia until after this month (our month long probation to see if more students are enrolled).  But, Sue has told me that more students are signing up, so I am not worried.  We're keeping an eye on Thailand, however.  Our plans (to spend three days there and then head to Cambodia) may have to change as there has been a lot of violence between the Red Shirt protesters and the military.  Parts of Bangkok are still sectioned off and under a state of emergency.  But, we'll just play it by ear.  Maybe Vietnam then Cambodia, or Laos first.

When our contracts end, we'll spend our thirty days in Europe.  Our itinerary ideas keep changing, but I'll be sure to update you when something's official.

Pushing Forward

Especially considering yesterday, today was very normal and low key.  I only had four classes, so I used my extra time to make the lesson plans that Julia wants to see.

 My Beginner 2 (top) and Essential 2 materials.  My worksheets and homework assignments are in the plastic folders.  The only real difference is the written lesson plan.  

Making the lesson plans fit Julia's scheme was actually a lot more difficult than I had anticipated.  These plans are designed for Ian, who doesn't use books for the majority of his classes.  I had to make my books fit the three tiered plan.  I don't mind making these plans.  I'm a habitual list maker, so this type of activity isn't as tedious to me as it might be to someone else.  But, I worry that Julia will find a problem and make me do it over until it's exactly what she wants.  From experience, I know that it could be upwards of ten times.  Also, Julia mostly focuses on the time count (see the side of the sheet).  Every class is different, so I tend to play that part by ear.  But, Julia is obsessed with "wasted time."  I hope my model comes close to matching most of my classes.

Gene was at Sinback today, sitting in on my classes.  He said he thinks he's been demoted because he told Julia and David that he's quitting.  She told him that he must either leave at the end of this week or this month.  He hasn't decided yet, but he's very tempted to quit on Friday.  He didn't actually stay in my classes much.  He came in and watched for about a third of each, then left to fill out the check list.  My classes are pretty consistent (even from level to level), so I'm guessing he got bored and just filled in what he figured about each of my classes.  I'm pretty sure I can count on his grading of my classes to be in my favor.  I'm a little surprised Julia has sent him to assess me.  Granted, Julia is very tunnel visioned; so I doubt she actually realizes that anyone has a problem with her aside from Ian and I.

While Gene was at Sinback, we bought our plane tickets for Jeju-do.  We're taking Mom there.  I suppose it will be a bit of a Mother's Day holiday since she'll leave just before then.  Now, I feel comfortable booking our rooms and moving forward with those plans.  It's nice to have something else to plan.  Obviously, it isn't a pleasant sensation to have your possible termination hung over your head.

Ian said Julia was in a very good mood today.  He ran around making worksheet after worksheet and she was polite and even nice to him.  Julia finally has the employees she hoped for.  Opinion-less drones who are nothing but an extension of her will in the classroom.  Ian and I thought we'd be good at this job because we have ideas for the kids' educations; but it's better to be an empty vessel if you're choosing to teach in South Korea.  Julia's good mood is a reflection of her finally having us where she wants us.  I don't mean that we're doing what she asks.  Truly we've been trying to do that all along.  I mean we're running scared, constantly thinking about what Julia would do or how she would think of our behavior at any given moment.  There's no room for thoughts of our own and that's exactly why she's pleased.

But, our contracts only have four months left.  I have no problem with keeping my head down until we're out.  I still can't shake the worry that they'll terminate us just before we cross the finish line, but there's nothing to be done about that.  If we quit preemptively, we'd lose out on several months' salary.  So, we'll keep moving forward until there's nowhere left to go.

Good night!