Lee-Kelly

This is another of the infamous teachers that graced my former place of employment. I promise I am going to finish up with this soon as I have become tired of the subject.



I never was sure what to call him. Half the teachers called him Kelly the other half Lee. In fact I had forgotten about him until recently when I asked my sister-in-law when she came home from school the name of her English Teacher and she said his name was Kelly. He was then recalled to memory.


Kelly was from Arkansas and had a pronounced southern accent, just like me. That was good in my opinion as students need to be exposed to all manners of accents. He also had a military affiliation having spent twelve years in the United States Air Force (according to him), but for some reason elected to be discharged at some point rather than remaining to qualify for retirement benefits. This I though was very strange. In retrospect it may not have been of his choosing in view of his demonstrated drinking record.


Though not a qualified teacher according to the Thai Ministry of Education (who change the rules weekly) he was a more that adequately equipped with education and experience to perform his assigned duties at our school. To the best of my memory he did well in the classroom. He was also married, but not to a Thai as are most native speakers, but rather to a lady from the Philippines. They were expecting their first child together.


All the time that he was working full time with us, he was also employed part time with a language school at the Central Rama III Mall.


As soon as he was hired after making a good showing at an interview, personal problem started to come into play. Something perhaps to do with wine, women and song which is the downfall of many a good man in Thailand.


On one occasion, on a Friday evening he ended up in Patpong, a notorious adult entertainment area and using less that good sense became involved in an alteration with a Thai Policeman. Talk about stupid. Of course he had no passport on him as he has used in as security on an advance in pay which he had received from the school. Consequently, he was immediately locked up in the immigration hold cells. There he sat until Monday when contact could be made with someone from the school.


Not sure what became of the charges of fighting with a policeman if that part of the story was even true in the first place as he has a notable habit of embellishing this stories.


On another occasion, he had to go to the American Embassy for some matter of business. (Memory is a bit shaky on this event). Anyway, according to his account of events they held his passport as his wife had reported him as being behind on his child support in the United States and there were warrants or some such for his arrest. Again this was according to him as it seemed strange to me. Anyway the story went on that he had to send some money or make certain financial arrangements before they would release his passport. Apparently, he was hiding out in Thailand to avoid paying these monies, and his former wife became aware of his location through his parents. Only a dirt ball does not provide support for his children in the first place and anyone that runs away to Thailand thinking they can support children back the the USA on a English Teachers salary are really living in a dream world.


Shortly after this event, he elected to send his wife back to the Philippines to have their child and it is my guess it will probably be another one that he will end up not supporting. Prior to this he compained often of the problems he was having with his marriage. He then really went nuts with no wife to somewhat keep in under control. Missed the van many mornings, showed up for school late and looked like death warmed over when he did manage to crawl in. Within weeks he finally stopped coming entirely. He was very friendly with the Filipinos at our school but as is their tradition they kept quite denying any knowledge of his whereabouts not that it really mattered, as no one was overly concerned about his loss.


In conclusion he was a better that average teacher, but a disgrace as a responsible adult. I’m told he is still in Thailand and still working.