Schedule Dilemma

Hi S.,
I have taught gymnnastics and dance for 15+ years In mutlple studios. We always promised to end and start on time. I would talk to the owner of the studio it could be a scheduling conflict. Do the classes start back to back? There should be a 10-15 minute interval between each class for instructors to talk to parents. Other wise the teacher should ask the parents to e-mail or call them with any concerns regarding their child. Good luck. Remeber it is a small buisness and any feedback they gat is helpful to them.
D.

i woudl speak to the owner pof the studio and then if you didn't get any results then the teacher personally that if she goes over you need to pull her out of the class.... K.

Hi S.,

You have a real dilemma here. Obviously, you have an obligation to pick up your friends child. Period. I would start by approaching the teacher with your concerns. If this is not successful then you only have three options: continue to remove your daughter from the class early, cancel altogether or have your friend find other arrangements.

J. L.

Is ther anyway to pick up the other child before dance class? or would the child miss out on school? maybe another parent could keep an eye on your daughter whil you go pick up the preschooler? or maybe anothet parent could drop your child off after class? If talking to the teacher doesn't help.

I would talk to the teacher about it. Classes should not consistently begin and end that late. You are a paying customer, and there are schedules for a reason. You might not be the only one in that situation. She needs to be made aware that her chattiness and lack of punctuality is not professional.

I totally agree with you. Classes should start on time and end on time. Maybe you could explain the situation to the teacher and tell het that you really need to have your daughter leave on time because you have to be somewhere at a certain time. And I'ld just say that you don't want your daughter to lose out on class time. You could always play "dumb" and ask what time the class started because you noticed it starting later that you thought and that if that's the case(it starting later) that you'll have to get a refund because you can't fit the class inot your schedule.
My son had Early Intervention and the teacher was always late which drove me nuts. I would rush home to be there on time and then it would go into his nap time I even said to her once when she was 15 minutes late(after scheduling it later) that he was very upset that he had to wait for so long.

HI S., I am positive you are not the only parent with this concern. Are you comfortable enough to take the teacher aside and just explain to her that you have a schedule to maintain and that this lateness is interferring? I'll bet she is just oblivious to this. If you would rather not talk to her face to face ... make a phone call. If you get no where with that, is there a director of the program? Go to her.. if all else fails I would look into anther studio or just pop in and grab your child and state that you have to go to pick up another child. Good luck.
P.

Have you talked to the teacher about this?

Definitely speak to the instructor.
she's not a mind reader. Let her know you need to be somewhere else and when the class run late, you're late to pick up another child.

now if this doesn't work then I would show up at the correct pick up time and pull your daughter out of the class and let the director of the dance program know whats going on.

Wow, how rude of the teacher AND the other parents. I think there should be a rule that all discussions should be made after the class unless the parent makes the effort to show up 15 min early with the concern they might have. My daughter's dance school doesn't run late like that, and they shouldn't. A couple minutes one way or another is not a big deal, but 10-15 minutes is completely unreasonable. I would talk to her either in person, by phone or email and just let her know of your bind. Maybe you can even say something like, if you didn't have this other obligation, you wouldn't mind the laid back nature of the times, but unfortunately you don't have that option for flexibility and another parent is relying on you. If things don't change, then you'll have to search for other options in the area (tell the teacher this)... I'm sure they don't want to lose your business or have your word of mouth ruining their reputation. I think you are totally reasonable thinking things should begin and end within the 5 minute window... more than reasonable!

Dance classes typically do run a few minutes over at the dance studio where I work, but it generally isn't the teacher's fault. Parents seem to inevitably hold their questions until they *think* the instructor(s) have a free moment and then they all congregate at once. Have you spoken with the teacher about this? If you have not, I recommend that you do so at once. If it is a small studio, she may be concerned about ill feeling if she does *not* attend to the other parents' questions/comments/etc. right away. Lord knows that does happen. Also, if she does not have a large clientele, or a large staff, she may see the parental Q&A time as an opportunity to review what their expectations are. My boss does this on a regular basis. I am sure that, if you speak to the teacher directly (going on the supposition that you have not already done so), in a friendly and non-confrontational way, you will get the results you want. Going on my personal experience, the dance teacher is just as anxious to move things along as you are. :)

S.,

I am a dance teacher and very aware of how important it is to start and end class on time to manage busy schedules. I certainly understand your frustration. I would talk to the teacher about it. Just let her know how the time change has affected your schedule and that you may have to pull your daughter out if the class is going to consistently start and end 10 minutes later than advertised. If a parent told me that, I'd be very aware of the time. Don't be afraid to bring it up, especially if your daughter really likes the class and wants to stick with it. If the teacher is not the studio owner, or the teacher isn't willing to budge for some reason, talk to the director and I'm sure she'll be happy to help you.

T.

i would simply tell the teacher that your daughter needs to be out of class at a certian time and explain why. i would tell her that if the class isnt over, than you will be interrupting the class to get your daughter so you wont be late. who knows, maybe she will get the hint to stop talking! and, if not, maybe she will be annoyed that you are getting her out of class "early" and will start when she is supposed to! good luck!

maybe a few parents (who don't join in on the chatter)could quietly let the teacher know that they have time constraints and other obligations after dance class, and that the timing is critical. Don't those parents have other kids or a husband waiting for them? I'm sure you're not the only one who this is impacting. If things don't improve after talking to her, you might have to just leave when you have to leave. If enough of you leave on time, she should get the hint. I know that hurts when it's something you've paid for, and you want her to get all the benefit out of it. The other option, which might not be practical for you, is to dash out and get that other child before your daughter's dance class ends. Are you required to stay there while she's having class, or do some parents leave and come back at pick up time? Just my 2 cents.

Speak with the instructor or if she's not the owner of the studio then speak with the owner. Let them know what's going on and that you'll need to find another studio who's schedule fits more with yours if these classes aren't going to start and end at the published times. I'm sure they are completely unaware that it is causing anyone stress since no one seems to have said anything about it. I'm also sure you can't be the only one frustrated with this. If the classes are going to start and end at different times then those should be the published times.

speak to the teacher. If things still don't change then speak with the owner.Although I hate to tell you that is how most dance studios are start late end late. I danced for 12 years and classes always always ran late.

Can you leave your daughter at the class, run and get your friend's child from preschool a couple minutes early, and go back and get your daughter? I know it's not ideal because of the extra driving, but that might make everyone happiest. I would guess that many of the parents like the chance to chat with the teacher, but you could also check with other parents to see if they are annoyed by the late start/end times and see if you could ask the teacher to be more punctual.

Just stating the obvious, speak to the instructor. Is there a reason why you are asking the mom here rather than being direct? If that doesn't work, look at your watch when class is supposed to start, and comment on it. If that doesn't work, take your daughter when you have to go. Those three should get your point across. This isn't a scheduling problem, it is a professionalism problem, and a shyness problem it sounds like. What is the worst she can do, say tough? Try addressing it directly, perhaps call her when it isn't class time if you find it intimidating to speak with her in front of others or just in general. She isn't embarassed and defensive that way either.
Good luck,
D.