Yoori Helen Won

"I can say with the utmost confidence that Kenneth Chang will surpass any and all expectations of anyone who has the privilege to work alongside him."

It is said that the first impression is everything. It leaves a lasting mark in our brains and we unknowingly continue to judge a person’s character based on that first impression. My first impression of Kenneth Chang was that he was personable, intelligent, and extremely passionate about his profession. Many people tend to stray from a first impression this impressive, but I was pleasantly surprised that Kenneth was exactly who he presented himself to be from beginning to end.

I first met Kenneth back in 2016 at my orientation to my new teaching position at The Education Inc.’s ESL academy, PentaOne. The Education Inc. prided itself with training top-notch teachers through a vigorous 3-day program that was designed and executed by none other than Kenneth. This being my first official teaching position, there was nothing I can do from calming the nauseating feeling that stirred in my stomach as I took my seat. Five minutes into the orientation and that nauseating feeling dissipated, supplanted by the feeling of amazement at how comfortable he made everyone feel even though he was, technically, our new boss. As Kenneth was the Manager for Service and Development, I expected his opening presentation to nothing less than perfect. It was everything I expected: organized, detailed, and informative. Throughout his presentation, he spoke with such vigor that if he was not so skilled at public speaking I may have thought it quite laughable. Surely this was a ploy to get new teachers amped for their new teaching journeys. I pride myself in being insusceptible to such “pep rally” talks, but I must admit, I was quite excited for the job.

Kenneth quickly proved to be a manager that any one of us can trust. He welcomed any and all questions we had and I highly appreciated his candor when it came to questions about the workplace culture. His integrity never faltered throughout the year I worked alongside him at PentaOne. He was unafraid to give sharp constructive criticism during mock trials with teachers, but he never lacked tact. The advice he offered were always valid, backed by examples of case studies that he had personally researched that would make our ESL program better with each passing day. He would not just critique our mocks, but instead provide ideas that had worked in a number of educational institutions around the world. As a teacher, it meant more to learn from someone who truly believed that what I did every day mattered enough for him to go above and beyond the expectations the entire company had of him.

From what I have written, it may seem that Kenneth’s main role was to train and motivate teachers at PentaOne. This cannot be farther from the truth. He was the go-to man for departments throughout The Education Inc., not to mention that he also played a key role in developing the very textbooks that we used to teach the more than 100 kids that attended our academy. In fact, many of the teachers considered him the poster child of an overworked employee. He worked endless hours in the office and yet he was never farther than a phone call away whenever anyone needed him.

Unlike many managers in today’s corporate world, nothing was considered too trivial for his attention. This was, in my opinion, the one trait that truly underlined his success as a manager. He would even lend a hand in calming down that one rowdy student that refused to stay quiet for more than a minute. He also listened to the insecurities that we, the teachers, had in our profession, becoming a makeshift therapist in a blink of an eye. Many times I doubted my decision to pursue teaching after earning a degree in Business Administration, thinking I was doing a disservice to my students with my inexperience. But Kenneth was the type of manager who instilled confidence in you that you had not thought possible. His managerial style is tragically lacking in many companies and I am so pleased that I had the great fortune of having him as my boss and mentor.

I can say with the utmost confidence that Kenneth Chang will surpass any and all expectations of anyone who has the privilege to work alongside him.