[ddc]

Hi all,

I've gotten some good advice here so I thought I'd ask a question--what would you do? (Disclaimer: I'm really a wimp and try to avoid confrontation or complaining about anything)

My 17 yr old daughter is taking violin lessons from a new teacher. It's $25 for a 30 minute lesson. The lessons are pretty much back to back with other students so if the previous lesson goes over a few minutes, then your lesson is cut short. At least one of the teacher's kids come in and asks her something and even other teachers and the program director have come in to ask the teacher something and even just to chit chat. So it seems like the 30 min lesson is really 20-25 minutes. She usually leaves the door open, but even when she closes it, people will come in. Would it be petty of me to say something about the interruptions? I feel like it's my money/my time and it's rude for other people to interrupt. I'm not sure how to tactfully bring it up though. Any suggestions??
My first thought is just find another teacher since I'm so non-confrontational!


Thanks!

[happy2bme]

Since you are paying for a private lesson, you have every right to expect that is your daughter's time (for the full 30 minutes) and the teacher should respect that as well as ending lessons on time. I would bring it up in a non confrontational manner that you are concerned that your daughter's progress is hampered by the distractions and constant interruptions. It sounds though as if the ball is in the teacher's court - she needs to let all the interrupters know that walks ins are not acceptable when she is giving paid lessons. If this was an occasional and infrequent thing, I'm sure no one would mind but this seems to be her regular behavior. If, after speaking with her she doesn't take corrective action, then I would look for another teacher.

[Sundove]

I can see why you would feel shorted. In the other hand, if your daughter enjoys the lessons & is making good progress, those interruptions are no biggie. The price seems reasonable enough, so my main concern would be whether the pop ins are distracting your daughter and/or the teacher.

As far as shorting the following student when a lesson runs over, it too seems odd, but maybe it all evens out in the long run. If it frequently impacts you daughter's lesson, that would be an issue.

Confrontaion is a skill that you can learn, btw.

[TheSecondHalf]

My daughter also does violin lessons, half an hour, around the same price. I feel like I'm getting a steal on the price so when there are interruptions, I let it go. She and the teacher really get each other and the teacher really motivates her to push herself and practice and feel good about her progress, so I put up with a bit of maybe less professional stuff than I would if I were paying much more.

My daughter's teacher is VERY good about getting people in and out on time. If I felt like the class before her was consistently running long and she was only ending up with twenty minutes, I would say something, unless generally all the classes were running the same amount of time behind and it evened out.

[Palestrina]

It sounds like the lessons are happening in a school since people are coming in and out. You have a right to request a full 30 minutes, Uninterrupted. The only thing holding you back is your inability to confront the issue. This may be the teachers fault for starting the behavior, but it is your fault for allowing it to continue. So confront yourself and speak to the teacher and/or the administration of the school. It is after all your money and you get to decide what happens with it.

I also want to say that I am a violin teacher myself. The price you are paying is painfully low, especially if the lessons are in a school and the teacher only gets to keep half of it. In this case I am afraid you get what you paid for, possibly an inexperienced teacher and a school environment that does not respect the value of your time/money.

Also 30 minutes for a 17 year old is a very short amount of time. I only gave 30min lessons to kids under 8yrd old. Now I teach high schoolers and adults and even teenage beginners take 45-60 minute lessons.