Occasionally We May Need to Cancel...
by Jeanna Lurie
It’s not unusual at this time of the year for colds to go around like horses on a carousel. Unfortunately, one third of our small teaching staff is on this not-so-fun ride today. It’s an opportune time to share our values when it comes to substitute teachers.
If you feel yucky, stay home and do this. ^^^
We are committed to always serving you with the quality practice you deserve. Hillary and I chose the Lotus Blossom teaching staff because each of these ladies brings a high level of training, commitment, and dedication to their teaching. Our team is also very supportive of each other- when one of us gets sick or can’t teach for whatever reason, the others are quick to pick up the class or even make adjustments to their personal schedules to make sure we can show up for you.
Of course, life is not always that simple. Sometimes despite considerable effort and best intentions, nobody on our staff can cover. In this case, we will cancel class. I have had experiences with yoga studios, both as a member of a teaching staff and as a yoga student, in which the policy was to do anything but cancel. This meant that classes were often taught by very underqualified teachers. On a few occasions, I even witnessed people called in to teach who had no training- just a long-time yoga practice and a willingness to be in front of the group. This is unacceptable. When you walk into a yoga studio, you expect a certain level of expertise. We are committed to providing that for you 100% of the time.
I have also been witness to studios insisting the teacher show up even if she wasn’t feeling well because a sub could not be secured. This, too, is unacceptable. Putting students at risk (especially a vulnerable population like expectant moms and infants) is irresponsible. It is also disrespectful to the teacher who needs time to take care of herself. We will never intentionally put our community or our teachers at risk. Even if it means we need to cancel class.
Fortunately, this is not a situation that happens very often, but should we need to cancel due to illness and lack of an available, qualified sub, we will post as soon as we can on our website, send out an email, and contact anyone who is pre-registered for the class. We appreciate our community’s support on this, and hope you see it as a positive. Stay well, my friends!