Last quarter, Dee Dee participated in a Musical Theater, after school program.  It sounded fairly slapdash and flimsy by Dee Dee’s reports.  But they seemed to be doing musical theater when they got together.  She was in a performance at the end of the quarter, and it ended on a good note.  The school offered Musical Theater again this quarter, but Dee Dee wasn’t interested.  She was interested in the Future Scientists program, though! 

I talked with a parent of one of the girls who was in the Future Scientists program last quarter and she said that her daughter liked the program, but about half the days were canceled because they didn’t have an instructor.  Some days, kids were sent home.  Other days, kids joined other after school classes and did whatever they were doing.  But eventually they got a teacher halfway through the quarter. 

Dee Dee seemed interested, and I assumed that there was little to no chance of there being a staffing issue since they had the issue the previous quarter and got it settled.  But before we signed her up I wanted a bit more reassurance.  I spoke on the phone with the woman who ran the after school programs.  She assured me that there was a teacher lined up for the Future Scientists program.  So, as soon as I got off the phone with her we signed Dee Dee up for the course.  That was on a Thursday.  Then, the next day we received an email from the school letting us know that the woman I spoke with about the program had retired.  That Friday was her last day. 

From the time we told Dee Dee we’d signed her up for the Future Scientists program, right up to the morning of the first day of the course, she was buzzing with excitement about it.  In the middle of the day, on the first day Dee Dee was supposed to stay after school for the class, I received a phone call from the school letting me know that the school did not have a teacher lined up for the course, after all.  And the guy wanted to know how my daughter would get home from school.  I advised him that I would pick her up.  Bad news about the course.  But this meant that I would only have to walk over to the school once, for both girls.  Otherwise, I’d be walking over to get Audio and then back home.  And then going back to the school with Audio to get Dee Dee and walk her home a couple hours later. 

I wanted to find out more information about how there had been such confusion over whether or not the course had an instructor, but I assumed that all the answers disappeared with the lady who retired.  When I picked up the girls, Dee Dee said that towards the end of the day, the principal got on the loudspeaker and announced that there would not be a Future Scientists class after school.  Dee Dee said it made her sad.  I asked and she admitted that she cried a little.     

The next week, we were sent an email from the school with a subject line that read, “Future Scientists Class will resume tomorrow (Feb 8)!” and an apology for the previous week, and a “hope that we won’t experience that issue again in the future.”  Things looked better.  I told Dee Dee the good news.  But when Audio and I picked her up the next day she let us know that there was no teacher and that the kids were shown a movie and then they played with Legos.  I asked if it made her sad to have gotten her hopes up only to have another disappointment.  She said that it did make her sad. 

We didn’t hear anything before the day of the next Future Scientists class.  When Dee Dee reported that the teacher had been there, I was excited.  But when I asked how it went Dee Dee looked more disappointed about having done the class than when they didn’t have a teacher.  It took a while to get it out of her, but apparently the couple hours that they were there were spent closing their eyes while the teacher hid things around the room, and then they were told to see if they could find the things according to where they heard her walking.  Then, they were told that they could do whatever they wanted at the sinks.  When I asked Dee Dee what sort of things they had to work with around the sink she said, “Soap.  Paper towels.  Water.”  When I asked what she could do with those things, Dee Dee told me that she put soap on a paper towel and then held it under water.  After that, I let Dee Dee know that she was done and that I’d be asked for a refund for the Future Scientists program. 

During that night, I realized that Dee Dee doesn’t care what the after school class does, she just likes the idea of hanging out with her school mates without having to do school.  I verified this with her in the morning and told her that she could remain in the Future Scientists class, no matter what they did when they met.  She appeared pleased but didn’t say anything. 

After I dropped the girls off, I bumped into a parent of a kid in the Future Scientists program whose reports to his parents corroborated Dee Dee’s story.  Before I got home, I also learned that the instructor for the after school basketball course didn’t show up because he had a game of his own that he had to play.  When I got home, I wrote an email.  Then, I wrote a more polite email and sent it to the woman who runs the after school programs: 

Our daughter, Dee Dee is enrolled in the Future Scientists after school program.  Dee Dee was disappointed when the first week was canceled because there was no instructor.  She was then disappointed and confused when she was told to join a different group the second week because once again, there was no instructor.  But she was most upset and disappointed after yesterday’s class, at which an instructor was present! 

When Dee Dee told us that yesterday’s class consisted of talking and undirected play, it seemed difficult to believe.  However, after having an opportunity this morning to speak with other parents who have a child in the Future Scientists program, it appears that the experience was just as bad as Dee Dee reported.  Other parents were slightly encouraged but mostly just amused when I told them that, according to Dee Dee, the course instructor told the group at the end of the class that, “Next week we’ll probably, actually do something sciency.”  That is not good enough. 

My wife and I would appreciate it if you could please help us understand why this course has been failing to live up to its description* and tell us what the plan is for making the remaining sessions a success. 

Thank you for your time,  

*The description for Future Scientists on the flyer sent home reads, “Do innovative and exciting science experiments with Athletes Global.  Create fun, interactive science experiments, while improving critical, creative thinking and problem-solving skills.”   

I’m looking forward to finding out what sort of response I receive.