This post’s title is a quote that has be laughing. Perhaps it’s because there is a lot of organising in my life these days and I’d like to believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the excessive busyness in my life.
Don’t get me wrong, I love participating and contributing to my community and even having the extra daily purpose in my life. It’s been a lot of fun to work on many of the projects together with my family and friends but we’re heading into the fall which means focusing more on the “school” year.
Lily and I are continuing to learn french with our Rosetta Stone program and both kids are signing up for yoga and swimming lessons. This is Leif’s first school year and has already been giving a lot of thought on how he’d like to spend his “school money”. This school money is the $900 learning investment the kids get through the online school we are enrolled with.
The school year isn’t starting as smoothly as I would have liked. The online school we are signed up with, Self Design, continues to struggle with it’s ability to manage itself. Despite re enrolling on time with the promise of our learning investment arriving as the year begins, it’s unclear if we’ll actually receive it until the signing up for classes has already passed. This means we either have to pay out of pocket for lessons (which we can’t really afford) or lose out until January.
Worst of all, Self Design seems incapable of taking even an inkling of responsibility or adding even the vaguest of apologies when they handle things poorly. People who share complaints or concerns and sometimes even questions that might shine a negative light on the school are blatantly told to think more positively and that administrators are working “very hard” to fix the problems with their service. I’ve been hearing this same party line for the five years we’ve been with them and still no change. It’s terribly frustrating working with them and yet we persevere because of our amazing learning consultant and the learning investment we receive.
Along with focusing on the “school” year, I’m organising the Kaien Island Craft Fair again this year. The fair doesn’t take place until November but I’ve already started organising the event and participants are eager to receive applications at the beginning of September. I’m anticipating an easier go of organising this year thanks to last year’s experience. Hopefully all will go as smoothly and successfully this year.
This week friends and a professional photographer are coming over for a salmon feast! We’re cooking a number of salmon recipes so the photographer can capture some images of the making and final products for a local cookbook being made by the Prince Rupert Environmental Society. Can’t wait to cook with friends and perhaps learn a thing or two from the photographer.
Last week we helped welcome Kim Slater to Prince Rupert as she ran the last of her 1170 km run. She ran from the BC/Alberta border along the highway through the communities along the Northern Gateway Enbridge pipeline’s proposed route. My family joined the group that either ran or road bikes next to Kim as she ran into town and the reception was delightful with good conversation and delicious food.
i’m sorry you are feeling the struggle with selfdesign … transitions are not easy on either end. i am hopeful that as fall begins some letting go and accepting and self empathy may play a part in shifting that balance for you. i remember one year when my communications with SD were challenging, the year my brother died, and it took some time to let things shift. i still struggle a bit with it, but try to embrace what is working, and all that i am grateful for that you eluded to in your post. i have heard alot of postive, sincere authentic posting lately from the admin, maybe you have too? i heard you mention an apology, does the apology help you to internalize the feelings and needs you’d wished were met initially? i wonder if a letter to kathleen or river ( the two more sensitive in my experience there) might help to highlight exactly to them what specifically you are hoping will provide closure? sometimes people are busy and assuming they are meeting needs for empathetic response, but are totally missing it … i suspect that they would be open to a heart-to-heart personal dialogue. i have felt tremendous relief when emailing and communicating river directly. for what it’s worth…
salmon recipes and photographers-yum! hope your summer is winding down beautifully over there…
~erin xo
I hope that SD can be successful as a business and treat enrolled families better- more professionally. It is tiresome to keep hearing that they are trying hard without personally seeing results. I guess I wonder how they think not responding to me or reaching out when I ask questions or concerns will help resolve those problems or make me a happier customer?
I’m not sure I need an apology exactly but it would be easier to take news that they made a mistake or didn’t handle things the best they could if they would simply admit it. “Oops, we should have written in the email that a response was time sensitive so families wouldn’t miss out on getting their learning investment on time! We realise that failing to write that is now causing a lot of heartache for families worried about paying for activities at the beginning of the school year.”
There have been so many threads now where I personally have talked about what exactly would have made my experience better and they simply haven’t been responded to. These have been read by admin publicly and privately and I’m not the only one struggling to have admin show some care about our experience. This is why their service is so unsatisfactory.
I’ll keep trying and hoping that something gets better.
We had the salmon feast last night and it was so much fun. A lot of food, good company and everything went smoothly. I hope the pictures turn out as well as it all tasted!