Standing Up For Myself

This past weekend, one of my students' parent emailed at 11 asking if they could come at 11:30 for a lesson instead of the usual 12:00 lesson. I did not check my email that morning. And since they ALWAYS come late. I was still waiting for them at 12:15. At that point, I got a phone call asking if I got an email this morning. After our conversation, they said they're heading over right now, and if they could just do a 1/2 hour lesson instead of the 45 min normal lesson. So I kept on waiting. And at 12:30, I got another phone call from the parent saying, they can't come anymore, the schedule didn't work out...

That just set me off. I am a teacher, not a relative whom you can come visit whenever you want. I am running a business, even though it's a self employed, small business, but it is regardless a legitimate business. First of all, you're already always late for lessons, that just shows that you don't really respect my time at all, and now you want to reschedule things at your own convenience at the last minute without giving me a 24 hour notice? That's a basic ethical procedure that everyone should automatically live by for the consideration of others even if it is to your own friends and relatives.

Actually, those people are harming themselves, because think about it. If they're always late for everything, what are they teaching their kids? That being late is okay? Procrastination is okay? Time is not relevant? So when they grow up one day and have to go to school and go to work on their own, people are going to see them as slackers. And if they don't learn to respect other people's valuable time, then other people are not going to respect their time either.

Also, you don't want to make the teacher mad. What's the benefit of sending your kids to a teacher that's already too upset for waiting for you for 20-30 minutes just to give you an half an hour- 45 min lesson? That's more than an hour of time total if added the waiting time altogether. You're not paying me for 1 hour worth of time, why should I wait for you in vain? In addition, your kid is going to think that, "oh maybe I don't have to go to lesson today, then I might not have to practice for it." So the kid never improves, and you're wasting your money, and you're wasting my time.

On that note, I must add that for the students whom I travel to for lessons, I am always right on time, which makes things so much easier. On Monday, as I walk into on of my students' house, her mom approached me and said, "She [my student] has been asking me all week, 'Mom is it Monday yet?' She really likes your lessons. Thank you so much!" Now that's something to inspire me to teach better.

For finally, about the late student parents, I emailed them and told them to either change the lesson to another time when they can come on time or something else have to be done, and they have to figure it out. Also to give me 24 hour notice if there are changes to be expected.

What can you do? I just want to teach, I don't want to deal with these housekeeping issues, but since I am running a business myself, I have to do everything.