bitch owned.

As promised, today is Sunday, which also meant I owned the mum from the previous post left to right, inside out. I didn't exactly throw her out, per se, but I did show her then and there who's the teacher, and rightly so. Feeling super good now. Nothing like a good workout of my inner alpha male.

The first thing I said to her was, 'Did I say you can come in?' Turns out she'd arrived some 5 minutes early and decided to very self-servingly saunter into the classroom when I was still setting up. If she is the type who will bargain for every last minute of lesson time, then I'm not going to let her start even one minute early. Sorry.

After that, it was 'No, you will NOT look at the half-size cello!' when she asked yet again. Fortunately I did not have to unleash any more flak after explaining why oversize instruments are not just difficult to play, they are outright dangerous and she would end up paying more in medical bills than the money she saves by skipping sizes. My feathers were, however, infinitely ruffled by a snide comment she made which went something like 'But at home... still half a [sic] size...' If she goes ahead and buys an oversize instrument against my recommendation, I will so refuse to teach.

When I was teaching the girl to tighten the bow hair, the mum asked how one knew whether the bow hair was tight enough. She then felt the bow hair, to which I replied no, don't touch the hair, you go by sight - the space between the hair and the stick is about a stick's width, and then again there is, of course, a margin of error, no need to be exact. She then ignored my words, went to squeeze the hair again and said 'but must feel what', to which I replied 'No, you do NOT touch the hair!'

Today's lesson went pretty well, but sadly enough there were still the usual ignorant comments and style-cramping criticisms. I put up with her for a bit (though I did threaten to ask her to leave the room), but finally owned her again when I finally came to getting the girl to hold the bow. (For those in the know, I usually use the Essential Elements series for little kids, which starts off with pizzicato first and then bowing later.) The mum said 'Good, this is what I want.' Rage built up in me and I retaliated with:

'No, this is what -I- want! Who gives a damn what YOU want? Who's the teacher, you or me?'

She said I was 'too serious'. I say she talks too much and constantly undermines my authority.

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Verses for next week:

'When it comes to cello lessons, Mdm. is not the final authority, I AM. If you think you can get the boss to override me, you can jolly well think again.'

'If you dare to get a half-size instrument against my recommendation, I will refuse to teach and you can say bye-bye to your fees.'

'When I say one, I will not have anyone saying 1.1. You can only agree with me 100%; if you dare to contradict me in the slightest, then you will leave the classroom.'

Not very in the style of a teacher, I know. But then again a teacher must demonstrate an ability to be fierce when the situation calls for it. And to stop parents from climbing (or jumping) on top of your head.

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On another note, I submitted my resignation today, and to my surprise, they begged me to stay. How nice...? They said they were aware of the problems and were getting in a new admin soon to solve them. I told them I wouldn't promise anything.