Friday, November 20, 2009

Actual Conversation

The Matron is the unfortunate and complicated situation of selecting both a Junior High School for next year's seventh-grader (Scarlett) and a High School for the He Who Remains Invisible and Nameless otherwise known as HWRIN, pronounced RIN.

Scarlett requires a special path be paved and she has had several, mostly satisfying, conversations with school principals who promise theatrical support.

But she recently experienced this special conversation while phoning Como Senior High School.

Matron: "Hello! I'm calling to see if there are any tours of the school planned."

Secretary (?): "We're not scheduling those until February."

Matron: "February! The forms are due in February! Other schools are already doing tours."

Secretary: "No, they're not."

Matron: "Yes, they are!"

Secretary: "No, other schools are not doing tours. We're not doing tours until February. No schools are doing tours, period."

Matron: "Yes, they are!"

Secretary: "Like which school?"

Matron: "Ramsey Junior High school tours start on December 9 and run every Thursday through February."

Secretary: "No, they don't."

Matron (!!): "Yes, they do! Call them and find out! Go to the web site. It's right on there!!"

Secretary: "They're a junior high. That's different."

Matron: "Great River Senior High school is currently also doing Thursday tours."

Secretary: "No, they're not."

Matron: "Yes, they are! Again, the web or phone will confirm."

Secretary: "They're a charter school. That's different. We're a district Senior High School and those aren't having tours or meetings until February."

Small beat while the Matron rips out all of her hair, throws the phone and screams while shaking the skin off Satan's Familiar.

Matron: "Actually, another regular District Senior High school that is an EXACT MATCH with your school, Central Senior High School, has an informational meeting for parents on Thursday November 19."

Secretary: "No, they don't."

Matron !!!: "Really, call them. It's true."

Secretary: "You're wrong. They don't have a meeting."

Matron (wondering why she herself was SO invested in this bloodletting): "YES THEY DO!!! I'M GOING TO THE MEETING THEY ARE ACTUALLY HAVING!!"

Secretary: "But they have an International Baccalaureate program so that makes them the only school doing tours."

Matron: "I just can't believe we can't visit Como High School until February. It seems strange."

Secretary: "Actually, we have a tour scheduled for prospective parents and students on Friday morning, November 20 at 9 in the morning."

Here, the Matron wonders what kind of orbit this woman lives in and if one is required to arm-wrestle for envelopes instead of simply asking.

Matron: "Thank you."

Universe to Matron: Do you want to deal with this woman or people who tolerate this behavior for the next four years? Guess who hadn't the stomach for the tour, if it truly existed.

Got a special customer service nightmare to share?

15 comments:

unmitigated me said...

Oh, I think you want to avoid that one like the plague. Sheesh! Call it an 'early-warning-system.'

Anonymous said...

Oh yes - the Phone Company in Sweden....It used to be a monopoly until about 10 years ago, but some of their staff (and services) are just the same as if they would be the only game in town. I wrote a post about it about 1½ years ago - but I need to translate it from Swedish...

Minnesota Matron said...

and dont' forget Tiffany and Taneesha!
http://minnesotamatron.blogspot.com/2009/10/when-life-hands-you-lemon-make-blog.html

~annie said...

Good Lord, what was wrong with that woman? I think I would just scratch that school off my list. Being able to choose your schools is novel to me - we only have one public school choice. Can't decide if I should maybe be thankful for that.

MidLifeMama said...

I am envisioning the office she works in, with her on the phone arguing with you, and just as she is saying that other school is the only school offering tours this early, someone who has overheard her end of the conversation is putting a note in front of her that says "Parents and prosp. stu tour Friday Nov. 20th, 9am".

Minnesota Matron said...

Midlife - I like to think this! I hope so.

Philip said...

Actually, are you sure this woman, to demonstrate her school's support for theater arts, wasn't doing an rendition of Monty Python's "Argument Clinic" sketch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM

Minnesota Matron said...

Philip: Oh I am dying! That is SO funny!

Maureen@IslandRoar said...

OMG, I wanted to throttle her for you! She needs a "snap out of it" slap in the face.

another mary said...

I wonder if one of the students was "covering" in the office... and now a subliminal chant: Great River, Great River, Great River

Unknown said...

I went to Alexander Ramsey High School, now Roseville Sr. High....it's not to far from Como High, why don't you try that one.

Peter Hoh said...

Open School has an active theater group, putting on two plays per year. Often, one of the two is Shakespeare. They are performing The Tempest next week.

And if they don't want to give you a tour, I'll give you a tour, or I'll get one of the theater kids to do it.

Anonymous said...

Someone just pointed out this blog entry to me.

I am Dan Mesick, Principal at Como Park Senior High. Although I understand the confusion around this subject (up until this year CPSHS and other SPPS High Schools have not offered school tours until February). We just added earlier tours to accomadate requests from parents like yourself.

That being said, the communication you received was unclear and confusing and we need to do a better job. I apologize for the miscommunication.

Daniel Mesick
Principal, CPSHS

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the typos in my earlier post. It should read:

Someone just pointed out this blog entry to me.

I am Dan Mesick, Principal at Como Park Senior High. I understand the confusion around this subject (up until this year CPSHS and other SPPS High Schools have not offered school tours until February). We just added earlier tours to accomodate requests from parents like yourself.

That being said, the communication you received was unclear and confusing and we need to do a better job. I apologize for the miscommunication.

Daniel Mesick
Principal, CPSHS

Tanya Johnson said...

Picture me, in labour, entering the hospital to check in. There is the sign-in desk, two windows. There is also a little rope divider to keep the non-existant two lines separate. I approach the first window, closest to me, the one with the lady sitting in front of the window..."Hello, I'm here to have a baby." to which the lady says to me, "Oh! Well you have to go to the next window over." pointing to the vacant seat beside here. I waddle around the rope barrier, having a contraction on the way, and approach the window. I wait for a moment...at which point the lady in the first window stands up, pushes her chair in, walks two steps to her right, pulls out her chair, sits down in the seat facing the second window at which I am standing, and looks up expectantly...I actually had to repeat my first statement. Gotta love bureaucracies!