By Here is the latest press release from ATEK:
ATEK Communications Director Resigns
(Seoul, South Korea) – Tony Hellmann, spokesman of the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK), resigned from his role as communications director on Sunday.
“We didn’t ask for it, however, after careful consideration and with deep regret, the founding board of directors agreed to accept Mr. Hellmann’s resignation,” said Tom Rainey-Smith, ATEK’s acting president. “Without his commitment to the cause of helping English teachers in Korea, it is unlikely that this association could have accomplished as much as it has organizationally.”
In his capacity as communications director and publisher of The English Teacher’s Guide to Korea, Hellmann bore the brunt of the attacks against ATEK on the popular website for English teachers, Dave’s ESL Café.
After stepping down, Hellmann will no longer be involved with publishing or publicity for ATEK.
“This was a personal and extremely difficult professional decision,” said Hellmann. “I seem to have become a focal point for negativity, so I’m stepping down as communications director. What we’re trying to accomplish shouldn’t be about me – it’s about English teachers and the community.”
“I don’t agree with the methods used by my detractors, but I do agree that it is time to upgrade and get a better spokesman,” Hellmann added. “For those of you defending me on blogs and forums, I thank you, but you can help me more by putting those same energies into supporting ATEK.”
The board has since appointed Greg Dolezal, 33, as Hellmann’s temporary replacement until the national council is formed and a director can be chosen by the democratically elected leadership. Dolezal is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University’s graduate program in journalism and has experience in national election campaigns.
“Perhaps this change will reduce the conflict between ATEK and some of its more vocal critics, so we can share a common vision,” Hellmann said. “Expanding the leadership will serve to strengthen the core of the organization.”
The aim of the founding board now is to focus on the needs of members and potential members, and to ensure that the national council is established so that it can take over the day-to-day running of the organization. ATEK continues to provide support and advice to many teachers on a daily basis. Currently, the PMAs are holding elections in some areas. Eventually the current leadership will be replaced by elected representatives who will answer to the members themselves.
“ATEK will grow and to develop on its own, but will also be indebted to the efforts of Mr. Hellmann,” said Rainey-Smith. “He is responsible for much of the hard work of establishing bylaws and setting up a structure that represents all the major interests of English teachers, including F-series visa holders.”
“Tony Hellmann has dedicated countless hours to helping teachers in Korea. He has contributed enormously to laying the foundations for a truly representative, national association,” said Jason Thomas. “He is one of the most dedicated and competent people with whom I have ever had the privilege of working.”
“If ATEK succeeds in becoming a voice for expat teachers, it will largely due to Tony’s integrity and untiring efforts. I hope that Tony will continue to work on behalf of teachers. We need him.”
I don’t know any of the people involved in all of this, but looking at this thing as an outsider I got the impression that Tony Hellmann was committed to helping English teachers in Korea. It seems like he ruffled a few feathers while doing so and the plagiarism episode appears to be the incident that his detractors were looking for to take him down. The plagiarism in writing the handbook appears to be quite sloppy editing that Tony Hellmann seemed legitimately remorseful over.
Anyway it will be interesting to see how ATEK goes on from here without him.
2:58 am on May 17th, 2009 1
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7:03 am on May 17th, 2009 2
For those who do wish to discuss it, there’s been a lengthy but very informative discussion of what comes next for ATEK at The Hub of Sparkle.
http://www.koreasparkle.com/2009/05/atek-press-release-tony-hellmann-resigns/#content
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9:00 am on May 17th, 2009 3
Mike, that’s bullshit. Those “events in my past” weren’t anything I did. I resigned for the reasons I outlined in the press release.
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9:27 am on May 17th, 2009 4
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May 17th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Sorry… 2006. And “this” in the last sentence contains the link.
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May 17th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I have no knowledge of this person and the discussions going on a Dave’s or other places —
—- but — is this the “things in his past” you’re referencing: contract issues with a hakwon?
…He left before a contract was finished but kept the two-way ticket they had originally given him?…
(…or did he finish the contract but wanted to leave before a replacement came….)
Either way — this is a big sin that finally caught up with him and sank him as a leader in the ESL community?
If it is, good golly, the cesspool that is the ESL industry in South Korea must have cleaned itself up A LOT since 2000….if this is considered such big deal….
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8:00 pm on May 17th, 2009 5
You think I quit ATEK because I quit a contract early and went home in 2003?
Call whoever you want.
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9:56 pm on May 17th, 2009 6
OMFG.
I just checked out Dave’s ESL Cafe.
Remember all those less-than-complementary things I said about many English “teachers” in Korea?
The prosecution rests.
This petty beat-down on Tony Hellman defines the mentality of a large percentage of the community… especially as he seemed sincerely trying to help those most in need of assistance and advice.
Tony. Baby. Let it go. Let social Darwinism take its course here. Let those who can help themselves do so. Let the weak fall by the wayside.
At the least, a more personally capable group of teachers will stay in Korea and the pay will have to remain high to attract them.
If you want a personality cult, open a bar… more fun, more money, more appreciation and lots more willing women… and, if they are GIs, many of them want to play with BDSM after a few drinks… although most want to be a dominatrix in public and a train track in private… but these are other stories.
On another note, imagine how fun it would be to go to a school named after Tony.
“Where do you go to school, dude?”
“I go to Hell, man.”
“Funkin’-a-right.”
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2:40 am on May 18th, 2009 7
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8:15 am on May 18th, 2009 8
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10:48 am on May 18th, 2009 9
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10:52 am on May 18th, 2009 10
I used to keep up with Dave’s ESL Cafe for the first couple of years back in the US – mainly because I wanted to give some help to new people who came over and had some of the same common problems I did.
I eventually quit reading and commenting there – in part because I was getting too far from having been in the industry to know what it was like, because it had been changing (for the worse) — but also in part because the ESL community is one in which they eat their own. I got too tired of the self-righteous asses and twits…
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9:42 pm on May 18th, 2009 11
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1:19 am on May 19th, 2009 12
What about Vinny Greenier Tony? What about his human rights?
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8:00 pm on May 21st, 2009 13
That is a question for the person that wrote those stories, not me. I’m not responding to any more accusations on this thread to that effect.
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8:38 pm on May 21st, 2009 14
This is a duplicate post… but it applies to this just the same.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!
I can’t take any more.
ESLTeacher… StFUaGBtW.
…but before you do that, go back and look at all your posts.
They are composed of fragments and run-on sentences with missing punctuation and hideous structure. Only the saddest excuse for an ESL “teacher” could naturally write this poorly with this consistency… as it should be second nature for any real teacher not to make these mistakes.
This makes your criticism of Tony as a teacher especially amusing.
If it makes you feel better, Tony’s reply not only had a few conceptual turn-offs but was also filled with elementary mistakes that would subconsciously be avoided by any real teacher even in a quickly written first draft.
So… the whole deal is like watching the class hillbilly argue with the class pseudo-intellectual geek about who would win in a fight between Jesus and the Hulk… but with substantially less interesting subject material.
If you have a juicy story to tell, spit it out. If you think Tony is a jerkoff, say exactly why. Just remember, you get double points for issues that relate to him professionally or the faults of ATEK… rather than what kind of dirty stories he may or may not like to write on his own time.
Otherwise, quit rambling on about Vinny Greenier every time you have a few beers and a couple hits of the bong.
To everyone else…
The prosecution rests.
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12:55 am on May 23rd, 2009 15
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5:26 am on May 24th, 2009 16
The above post was ALSO not written by me, although the poster either typed in my email address so that my avatar would be used, or just lifted it.
The only way I can put a stop to this is to say that I will not be replying on this thread any longer. Any other replies that appear to be from me, are not in fact from me.
And to whomever is doing this, grow up.
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7:32 am on May 24th, 2009 17
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3:15 am on May 28th, 2009 18
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4:20 pm on June 12th, 2009 19
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6:47 am on June 13th, 2009 20
[...] official reason for the resignation of Tony Hellmann is that he was responding to the accusations of plagiarism in [...]
1:37 am on June 16th, 2009 21
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October 25th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Squirrel,
I appear late to join this blog but I am intrigued by your comment which seems quite harsh, particularly as the link you provide, which is presumably there to support your claim, doesn’t seem to work.
Can you provide further details of your claim against Tony?
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9:12 am on November 8th, 2009 22
[...] So, I received a takedown notice. Being the kind of nice guy who doesn’t like to offend or upset people, I have complied with the order. I must confess, I am perplexed as to why it was issued. I did cite my source and linked to it, as is my habit. I would hate to be found guilty of plagiarism – I mean… Who wants to end up disgraced like that guy who was involved with the teachers organisation? Yeah… him! [...]