| | Kiss today good-bye
Well, my current temporary employers have given me two-weeks notice. This is unusually fair and I commend them on this. Yes, it is in their best interest to have me hang around and make a smooth transition to their new permanent employee, but they could have waited to tell me until he showed up at my desk one day and kicked me out. All in all, I consider that honorable.
I come from a family where unemployment means that you are lazy, and for a long time, possibly still, my parents considered it was always your fault if a job didn't go well. This was particularly trying when I was working for a dance studio called "DanceSport." The two owners of the studio are ridiculous in their expectations. Staff only get paid when they are teaching, even though they are required to be at the studio for hours at a time and sit there just in case. In fact, DanceSport would often expect teachers to come in on whatever free time they had and create spectacular show numbers, rehearse them, and then perform them. All of this, for free.
There is a certain type of person for whom you like doing things. You're happy to give up a portion of your free time to go above and beyond the call of duty. Eleny Fotinos is not one of those people. Neither, really, is Paul Pellicoro. I rarely interacted with Paul, however, so most of my beef was with Eleny. Eleny made it clear that she was unhappy with me from the very beginning. I took time to create and rehearse routines for every show that the studio produced during my first year as a teacher there. There were even shows where I was in four of the numbers showcased. I got paid for none of this and my teaching hourly rate was well below anyone else at the studio. When I went to discuss this with Eleny, she informed that I wasn't involved enough in the studio and that was my problem. She put my job on the line whenever I wanted to do anything outside of the studio, like perform for acutal money, compete in dance events, or promote myself (and therefore the studio). She put students money above my safety, and told me I had a bad attitude.
There is a part of my parents, I'm sure, that still doubts my decision to leave the studio. Well, I have had a little time and distance to start to peel away at the Huxley-esque conditioning. I no longer feel guilty about not being able to do the impossible. I no longer feel guilty about not sacrifising my life for people who would run me over sooner than waste gas by hitting the brake. But it's hard. I have to remind myself every time. Sunshineboy, I say, it's not your fault. Not everyone is going to like you, and that's okay.
And more or less, it is okay. |
