--- DeAnna Pearl <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>I have had this happen more then once, especially when I have back to back
groups. I have learned to flex the program, not my time, to accomodate
tardyness. Stick to your guns on time frames and make sure the visiting
group knows that ahead of time.
I can't stress this enough. Teachers can get slack about times because we let
them. As a former teacher and sub that has done a fair amount of school trips,
it never failed to irk me that teachers have little sense of time nor impose
that on their kids. We all know about traffic, delays, how long it takes to get
kids on and off the bus and other things but yet we can't get kids from point A
to point B in a timely fashion or even plan for contingencies.
For example, buses are usually only available between a certain time frame
because they are used for all schools in a district. But yet teachers will
schedule buses to the wire and then get behind when the buses are late because
they were late dropping kids off of school. Then they get irked when they have
to leave early to get the buses back so they can start afternoon pickups. It
makes me want to strangle them. But yet if we cut a program because they were
late, we get the flack for it.
Plus it's rare for a trip to be canceled at the last minute. Most likely, the
school canceled the trip a while ago and didn't have the common curtesey to
notify you. That is complete inexcusable to me.
>>A nice letter stating your dissapointment and sorry that you missed them kind
of thing would do the trick. Then ask what you could do for them in a future
visit indicating to them your wanting for them to come back.
See, I wouldn't even be nice because schools have been doing field trips since
the beginning of time and should know better. I would be blunt and send a
letter to the teacher(s) of the school group, the principal and the school
board. Simply state that while you understand that emergencies come up and
delays happen, you have a tight schedule and need notification of cancelations
or late arrivals, preferably a week in advance. Also state that you had
specifically hired extra people to work with the school group and not only were
you inconvienced, but your employees' time was also wasted as well. If you
really want to be bitchy, you can send them a bill or at least an example of
how much it cost for the staff you hired and didn't work because of their lack
of notification of the cancelation. Also mention that because they didn't
contact you, other students were deprived of seeing the museum that could have
taken their spot.
Yes it's harsh and laying a guilt trip on people but schools will continue to
cancel and blow museums off without notice until we put our feet down, esp. if
we don't charge for visits. Plus there is no excuse for not contacting the
museum about a canceled trip. I'd also put in a policy that if school groups
don't contact you in a specified time period, you'll charge them a missed tour
fee. Again, bitchy but if people know that money is at stake, they'll be more
likely to come or at least cancel with enough notice. This is a common practice
everywhere, doctor's offices, mechanics, theater, etc. so people shouldn't
gripe about it.
The rationale for this is that you are paying for staff to cover school visits
so it ulitmately costs you for cancelations. Since you don't want to start
charging or raise your prices because of cancelations, putting in a fee will
keep the cost down for groups who actually do show up.
Deb
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