I FANCY YOU :) and VOTTO
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- Aug 22, 2009
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Hi everyone,
I'm a student in a program that is designed for people who work full time. We meet two week-day evenings a week for four hours, and then for 6 hours on Saturdays. Almost everyone in my class does work full time. Many of us have spouses and children.
To make a long story short, the program has been a near-nightmare from the start (August 2006) with instructors who didn't seem to know their material ("Well I think that's piriformis."), material not even being covered (aren't we supposed to learn Origin and Insertion in Kinesiology? Ours was anatomy plus palpation), miscalculation of hours missed in the first semester, and schedule changes galore. We are on our third coordinator since we started. The newest one took over January 1. Myself and my fellow classmates are getting fed up.
Anyway, recently our new coodinator told us he made a mistake on the calendar, and gave us 4 days notice for an event that we are required to attend on a non-class night. Part of the event is during the time that many of us work. The announcement went over like a ton of bricks, let me tell you. I started to argue in class, but it seemed as if no one else had an issue with it so I shut up. THen I learned that LOTS of people had an issue so I wrote the following to our coordinator.
I'd like to know if this sounds OK. Part of me worries that maybe he will see this post, but really it doesn't matter since I'll be sending him the email anyway.
Here it is: (It's lengthy. sorry)
[Mr Massage Coordinator Man],
This is not meant to be a confrontational letter and I hope it does not come across as such. However, Iโm writing because I think you ought to know what is going on in class. Ever since the semester started there has been a growing undercurrent of anger โin the ranks.โ If something is not done quickly and our concerns are not addressed, then I am afraid you will have a real mess on your hands. Iโm trying to give you a heads-up before too much doo-doo hits the fan, if you know what I mean.
Let me start by briefly saying that a lot of us like you a lot. We think youโll do great things for the organization of the program. Itโs obvious that you know your stuff. I for one like the fact that you expect us to work hard, be on time, and pay attention in class. And I think that in your rush to take on all of your new responsibilities and get things in order in a program that is full of problems, maybe youโve not had time to stop and think about your students.
I know youโre a busy guy, so Iโm going to get straight to the bottom line and most recent event that has us upset.
The fact is that many of us (your students) feel that you do not respect us or our time.
This stems most recently from the fact that you announced an event we are required to be at only 4 days in advance. And itโs obvious that you plan to penalize us if we cannot attend. You already know that I have changed a scheduled massage (needed to keep me functioning, not just for relaxation)to attend the event. However, to do so means that I will miss 2.5 hours of work (Iโm just waiting for my boss to reprimand me) and an hour of class on Thursday. Instead of having my massage Wednesday and then being able to come home and take a hot bath or use ice as my therapist often recommends, Iโm going to have to come sit in a classroom right after my massage on Thursday, not to mention having to run around and get dinner before class. Plus, my husband will miss more than an hour of work because we share a car. A good number of others in the class have to change their plans for Wednesday as well. Some of them are far more upset than even I am. I overheard a few of them saying that they would be making calls to the powers that be at [massage school name] to complain.
Iโm a firm believer in the chain of command, and I really wish that we could all have sat down and really discussed our concerns before it came to this.
We understand that you put the [event] on the wrong month on the Calendar, and God knows we all make mistakes. However, from our point of view, you are penalizing us for a mistake that you made. I, and Iโm sure many of my classmates, would really appreciate if you would consider making Wednesday an optional event. If that is not possible then many of us feel the event should be completely cancelled. Those of us who have to give a certain amount of notice at work before we take time off should not be penalized 5 hours of time from the massage program.
At this point I plan on being there on Wednesday, but to be honest Iโm so upset, angry, and stressed about this whole thing that I wonโt be able to give massages (lest I inadvertently work too deep and hurt someone). Today, Iโm dealing with quite a bit of pain as well and had to cancel a massage that I was supposed to give. Hopefully by Wednesday Iโll feel better.
As for the other issues that have come up about our disappointment in the program, I feel it would be better for others to bring them up because they are not my issues per se.
Again, [Mr Massage Coordinator Man], I know that things are very busy for you right now and that the calendar mix-up was an honest mistake. Iโm sure you remember what a delicate balance it is as a student in this program to make sure school, family, work, and other obligations are met. Four days of notice for a required event just throws a wrench in everything for all of us, and I just felt it was important that you know what is going on and what is being discussed.
Thanks,
Kemilyna
I'm a student in a program that is designed for people who work full time. We meet two week-day evenings a week for four hours, and then for 6 hours on Saturdays. Almost everyone in my class does work full time. Many of us have spouses and children.
To make a long story short, the program has been a near-nightmare from the start (August 2006) with instructors who didn't seem to know their material ("Well I think that's piriformis."), material not even being covered (aren't we supposed to learn Origin and Insertion in Kinesiology? Ours was anatomy plus palpation), miscalculation of hours missed in the first semester, and schedule changes galore. We are on our third coordinator since we started. The newest one took over January 1. Myself and my fellow classmates are getting fed up.
Anyway, recently our new coodinator told us he made a mistake on the calendar, and gave us 4 days notice for an event that we are required to attend on a non-class night. Part of the event is during the time that many of us work. The announcement went over like a ton of bricks, let me tell you. I started to argue in class, but it seemed as if no one else had an issue with it so I shut up. THen I learned that LOTS of people had an issue so I wrote the following to our coordinator.
I'd like to know if this sounds OK. Part of me worries that maybe he will see this post, but really it doesn't matter since I'll be sending him the email anyway.
Here it is: (It's lengthy. sorry)
[Mr Massage Coordinator Man],
This is not meant to be a confrontational letter and I hope it does not come across as such. However, Iโm writing because I think you ought to know what is going on in class. Ever since the semester started there has been a growing undercurrent of anger โin the ranks.โ If something is not done quickly and our concerns are not addressed, then I am afraid you will have a real mess on your hands. Iโm trying to give you a heads-up before too much doo-doo hits the fan, if you know what I mean.
Let me start by briefly saying that a lot of us like you a lot. We think youโll do great things for the organization of the program. Itโs obvious that you know your stuff. I for one like the fact that you expect us to work hard, be on time, and pay attention in class. And I think that in your rush to take on all of your new responsibilities and get things in order in a program that is full of problems, maybe youโve not had time to stop and think about your students.
I know youโre a busy guy, so Iโm going to get straight to the bottom line and most recent event that has us upset.
The fact is that many of us (your students) feel that you do not respect us or our time.
This stems most recently from the fact that you announced an event we are required to be at only 4 days in advance. And itโs obvious that you plan to penalize us if we cannot attend. You already know that I have changed a scheduled massage (needed to keep me functioning, not just for relaxation)to attend the event. However, to do so means that I will miss 2.5 hours of work (Iโm just waiting for my boss to reprimand me) and an hour of class on Thursday. Instead of having my massage Wednesday and then being able to come home and take a hot bath or use ice as my therapist often recommends, Iโm going to have to come sit in a classroom right after my massage on Thursday, not to mention having to run around and get dinner before class. Plus, my husband will miss more than an hour of work because we share a car. A good number of others in the class have to change their plans for Wednesday as well. Some of them are far more upset than even I am. I overheard a few of them saying that they would be making calls to the powers that be at [massage school name] to complain.
Iโm a firm believer in the chain of command, and I really wish that we could all have sat down and really discussed our concerns before it came to this.
We understand that you put the [event] on the wrong month on the Calendar, and God knows we all make mistakes. However, from our point of view, you are penalizing us for a mistake that you made. I, and Iโm sure many of my classmates, would really appreciate if you would consider making Wednesday an optional event. If that is not possible then many of us feel the event should be completely cancelled. Those of us who have to give a certain amount of notice at work before we take time off should not be penalized 5 hours of time from the massage program.
At this point I plan on being there on Wednesday, but to be honest Iโm so upset, angry, and stressed about this whole thing that I wonโt be able to give massages (lest I inadvertently work too deep and hurt someone). Today, Iโm dealing with quite a bit of pain as well and had to cancel a massage that I was supposed to give. Hopefully by Wednesday Iโll feel better.
As for the other issues that have come up about our disappointment in the program, I feel it would be better for others to bring them up because they are not my issues per se.
Again, [Mr Massage Coordinator Man], I know that things are very busy for you right now and that the calendar mix-up was an honest mistake. Iโm sure you remember what a delicate balance it is as a student in this program to make sure school, family, work, and other obligations are met. Four days of notice for a required event just throws a wrench in everything for all of us, and I just felt it was important that you know what is going on and what is being discussed.
Thanks,
Kemilyna