Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Update to "firing a student"

Well, as I suspected, I received no check in the mail.
When I contated mom, she was full of questions about the bill. AGAIN.

This time I politely said to her "If you and [daughter] aren't commited, then please let me know. I have a waiting list and would like to fill her spot. If I do not receive payment by Wednesday, I will not be able to offer [daughter] her lesson."

She responded with "busy...summer...forgot...blah..blah..."

I said, "well I'm sorry to see her go, enjoy your summer".

END of story!!

WHY does it have to get so UGLY sometimes??? I just want to get paid!! URGH Poor, poor little girl.

Since I will not be seeing her again, I am going to send her a nice note in the mail.

Thanks for all your support and ideas on handling this blankety-blank MOM!

Did she owe you for lessons past? if so I'd be mad, if she is paid up till now, good riddance. You have been very accomodating. Just don't send her out here to me
I had to fire someone today, too. They wanted to take the whole summer off and then some, not starting back up till after Labor Day.
We need to keep supporting each other here in PW, it does help to bounce ideas and issues off each other here, I always learn a lot.

Good for you E & I. I suspected the mom would play the "I forgot" game.

You did your best. You gave her lots of opportunities and were probably more flexible than some would have been. Take a deep breath...relax....and keep repeating.."I will not let her talk me into taking her back...I will not let her talk me into taking her back....I will not.....

I know it. I should have done it a long time ago, but my heart really breaks for this little girl, mom just doesn't know how much she is hurting her (she does not just do this to me!)

Yes, she owes me for one lesson. My bad for letting her always be in arrears

I just really want things to go smoothly, and when they don't I'm not good at getting what I need.



That is a FACT!!!

Oh and Barb, I'm pretty sure she said they were moving to Granite Bay lol.

I find these kinds of endings always sad. I have to call a mom today about a late payment. They know better, but it's really a form of disrespect.

We teachers know a lot more about each of our families than they suspect. We also learn, from various clues, about their finances and their commitment to keep responsibilities.

I am extremely flexible with parents who I know have a tight budget but are committed to their student's education. I have little sympathy for the ones who drive expensive cars, live in McMansions, and are late paying bills.

By the way, you can learn a lot about your students by visiting zillow and typing in their address. You'll see their house and it's value.

I had to do something like this this past year with a voice student. I would have loved to put her on "scholarship" but she couldn't show up for lessons half the time. I told her and her mother that this was disrespectful to me. I stopped lessons while they still owed me, but it was either that or continue lessons with no real hope of getting paid anything. It's best sometimes to just cut your losses.

Just curious as to exactly what you learn about students or families? Does it tell you how much they owe? Does it tell you if they're behind in their payments? Does it tell you that they own vs rent? Does it tell you if they inherited the house? Does it tell you if the parents had to take a 40% cut in pay? Does it tell you if a family member is ill?

I don't support what the parent in this case is doing. If they can't afford lessons, then they need to either try to adjust their finances, live with the fact that they simply can't afford lessons, or simply come clean to the OP and say that they can't afford lessons and try to work something out that's realistic. However, to make any type of judgments or evaluations based purely on the value of a home (or even the car they drive) seems quite misleading.

If a piano teacher lives in a $800000 home does that mean that they're rich? Does it mean that it's ok to be late on a payment or two because "they obviously don't need the money"? No, it has no bearing on anything at all with regards to the teacher/student or business relationship (unless of course you're planning on suing and are simply sizing up their assets ).

I have to agree. I can look at someone's house who I'm familiar with. It's worth is about $750K, but that doesn't tell you that they are both school teachers, bought the house in 1992 for about $150K, have 2 kids in college, etc.

I suppose it's anyone's right to go onto a free site to look up the value of my house, but that doesn't make it their business.

If there is a late payment, then that is the issue - not what kind of car they drive, or how much their house is worth.

Nice strawman, BW. I said, you can learn a lot; I didn't say you can learn everything!

Plus Zillo is just kinda fun! snoop, snoop.

The way I understand it is that it goes off your home tax, so if someone has a finished basement that isn't reported, then the site is not accurate.

Zillow isn't perfect, but it's good info to get free on the internet. You can go to the county courthouse and get the info, but it takes a little legwork.

Over history, my worst payers were those two income families with lots of toys. The ones who can't afford a piano, or to get theirs tuned, or pay on time, but have plenty of money for the 52" plasma tv or the new BMW. I have lots of good families in large homes, and some of the best ones have kids in private school. Right now, I'm blessed to have no problem payers at all.

I understood that, what I wasn't sure of is what "a lot" means? Other than an estimate of the market value of a home (and a few other misc details on the property), what other things are in your "a lot" related to the person living there?

Not completely off of your taxes. For instance, JvdB's house appraises at $262000 while Zillow estimates the value at $284000. Taxes can lag behind home values quite a bit in areas where values rise quickly as many taxing jurisdictions have limits on the amount that a valuation can increase in a years time (e.g. 10%). Zillow actually attempts to come closer to what a sales appraisal would be vs a tax appraisal.

I think they also use the recent sales of other homes in the immediate area along with the other info.

Bypass ALL the payment headaches by collecting payment for a full month in advance. Wow! Now there's a solution. No payment, no lessons. It doesn't get any simpler.

If you're really in a quandary, you can always purchase a credit report.

But the real answer is get a signed contract with payments due up front.

I'm not disagreeing with E&I's decision, that's up to her.

I disagree with this assessment. I also predicted this mom would not make the payment, but not because she's playing a game.

That mom is no more capable of making the next payment correctly than E&I is of being as assertive as John can. It's not in her makeup. People can change - but the basic personality of the adult is fairly stable. It could be financial hardship, more likely it's just a flakey disorganized personality. Either way you weren't going to get the check on time or in the right amount. Either way it was beyond the mom's control.

Making a harsh characterization like this adds emotional content that is unnecessary. It makes neither the decision, nor the implementation of the decision easier.

I do, problem with this one was that she never paid the RIGHT amount! Plus SHE didn't bring kid, I never had the nerve to tell daughter to go away (she was getting rides from various people), wasn't her fault...you know? I have learned to get tougher now, so I guess I owe mom a thank you for that.



Yup, do that too. Still an issue when student isn't brought by person paying bills. Student says "oh shoot I left the check on the piano" or such things...

Once or twice turns into several, then it gets worse. She would apologize and catch-up and it would start all over again.

I know this is my fault. I know I should have gotten firmer sooner. I always *hope* things will work out, plus I really liked the girl and she is/was a good student so I put up with way more than I should have.

*Lesson* (Ha ha get it?).... learned!!
Hard way once again