Good Morning Families, This is Erin, the Office Manager at the studio. Recently we have been asked by some families to reschedule lessons for various reasons i.e. illness, weather, participation in other events. I feel the below article, written by a suzuki mom who is also a economist, gives a very articulate view on our way of thinking. The educators at Keys & Strings (especially the head teachers) rarely miss lessons, to make it a point to not inconvenience their students who have chosen a specific lesson time and day weekly on their schedules. We feel the teachers are paid to be available to each family at their designated time with the obligation of being at the studio for their assigned teaching days/times, and prepared for each individual students needs. As a courtesy to our families we will reschedule up to two lessons that are missed during the summer quarter to accommodate vacation plans (and within set openings on our schedule during this quarter). Please read the article at your leisure, and realize that our students music education is at the top of our priority list. Make-up Lessons From An Economists Point of View Im a parent of children enrolled in Suzuki music lessons. Id like to explain to other parents why I feel - quite strongly, actually - that it is unreasonable of we parents to expect our teachers to make up lessons we miss, even if I know as well as they do just how expensive lessons are, and, equally importantly, how important that weekly contact is with the teacher to keeping practicing ticking along smoothly. I think that it is natural for we parents to share the point of view that students should have their missed lessons rescheduled, but if we were to walk a mile in our teachers shoes, we might change our minds about what it is reasonable for us to expect of our teachers. Like many parents, I pay in advance for lessons each term. In my mind, what this means is that I have reserved a regular spot in the busy schedules of my sons teachers. I understand - fully - that if I cant make it to the lesson one week (perhaps my son is sick, or we are away on holiday, or there is some other major event at school) then we will pay for the lesson, but that my teacher is under no obligation to find another spot for me that week, or to refund me for the untaught lesson. And this is the way it should be. In my other life I am an economist and teach at our local university. Students pay good money to attend classes at the university; but if they dont come to my lecture on a Monday morning, then I am not going to turn around and deliver them a private tutorial on Tuesday afternoon. When I go to the store and buy groceries, I may purchase something that doesnt get used. Days or months later, I end up throwing it out. I dont get a refund from the grocery store for the unused merchandise. If I sign my child up for swimming lessons at the local pool, and s/he refuses to return after the first lesson, I cant get my money back. So there are lots of situations in our everyday lives where we regularly pay in advance for goods or some service, and if we end up not using what we have purchased, we have to just swallow our losses. On the other hand, if I purchase an item of clothing, and get home and change my mind, I can take it back and expect either a refund or a store credit. So why do I believe that music lessons fall into the first category of non-returnable merchandise, rather than into the second case of exchange privileges unlimited (which I think is one of the advertising slogans of an established womens clothing store!)? Speaking now as an economist, I would claim that the reason is that items like clothing are durable goods - meaning, they can be returned and then resold at the original price - whereas music lessons are non-durable goods - meaning, once my Monday slot at 3:30 is gone, my sons teacher cant turn around and sell it again. The only way she would be able to give him a lesson later in the week would be if she were to give up time that she had scheduled for her own private life; and that seems pretty unreasonable - I cant think of many employees who would be thrilled if their bosses were to announce that they couldnt work from 3:30 to 4:30 this afternoon, but would they please stay until 6:30 on Thursday, because there will be work for them then! Many teachers hesitate to refuse our request to shift lesson times (because our busy schedules do change), because unless they keep us parents happy, we will decide to take our child somewhere else for lessons (or to drop musical study), and they will lose part of their income. This is particularly true in areas with lower average income, where it can be particularly difficult to find students. So rather than telling us that well, actually, the only time when Im not teaching and that you can bring your son for lesson is during the time I set aside each week to go for a long soul-cleansing walk, and I cant do that on Monday at 3:30 when you should have turned up, they agree to teach us at a time that really doesnt suit their schedule. Teachers who are nice in this way often, in the long run, end up exhausted, and feeling exploited; they try to draw a line in the sand. However, too few parents ask to switch only when absolutely necessary, and too many parents want lesson times when it suits them this week, which is not the same time that suited last week. If the conflict arises because my child is in the School play, and they have their dress-rehearsal during his lesson time, then I feel that I must choose between the two activities, and if he attends the dress rehearsal my private lesson teacher doesnt owe me anything. During May, my eldest son will be missing three lessons because he is going to accompany me on a trip to New Zealand to visit his great-grandparents. I do not expect my sons teacher to refund me for those missed lessons, or to reschedule them by doubling up lessons in the weeks before or after our departure. Since there will be lots of advanced notice, I might ask her to consider preparing a special practice tape for that period, or to answer my questions via e-mail, but if she doesnt have the time (the second half of April is going to be really busy for her, and she wouldnt be able to do the tape until more or less the week we left) and so has to refuse, then thats fine. I certainly dont expect her to credit me with three make-up lessons; there is no way for her to find a student to fill a three-week hole in her schedule during our absence. Instead, I hope that she will enjoy the extra hour of rest during those three weeks, and that we will all feel renewed enthusiasm when we return to lessons at the end of the trip.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 16:05:25 +0000
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