Working in the pizza shop at Wegmans was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. My co-workers were unlike any team of which I have ever been blessed to be a part. At Wegmans I was "Miss Donna", I was the mom of the shop, I was the late night driver of my teenage co-workers, into neighborhoods I never would have otherwise entered, so that they could avoid the bus. I found a part of me that had never before emerged, and has not emerged since. My time there was a unique experience that helped me to grow stronger and smarter in ways teaching could never do.
The lessons I learned while working the nighttime/closing shift after full days of teaching, were many. The physical work of wiping down the counters and washing all of the pans, dishes and prep bowls before closing down the department, no matter how drained I felt, taught me to persevere and push through my fatigue. Helping to develop department contests where each team member would create a unique pizza, taught me that I can be creative and help my co-workers have fun in an atmosphere that might otherwise be deemed tedious and mundane. (We would then watch to see whose creation sold out first, without divulging to customers the secret that we were in cutthroat competition.) And living the unwritten but universally understood customer service code of conduct, “The customer is always right.”, helped me to exercise that part of me that demands I always treat others with care, respect and kindness, even when I was convinced they did not deserve such courtesy.
It is on this last lesson that I wish to focus for the purposes of this entry. Customer service is one of the most integral aspects of a successful company. Whether or not a company is successful in selling or providing services depends upon retaining customers who are satisfied and likely to return. Customer service however, is not only imperative in the business world. With a closer look, we notice that effective customer service is a universal lesson, one that is rooted in being an other-centered society. And it is this lesson of always treating the person in front of me with respect, that when violated in the teaching field, is more egregious than any other offense.
A Customer Service Lesson
As in most stores and restaurants, Wegmans had its regulars. One in particular was a woman who came in with her granddaughter. As the child sat in the shopping cart, the woman would ask for a slice of pizza then proceed to eat the slice in front of the counter without paying for it. The first time it happened I let my manager know. He assured me that they were aware of her actions and I was not expected to address it with her. After a couple more Fridays passed, and she did the same thing each week, it became increasingly difficult for me to serve her with a smile. She had the means to pay for a slice of pizza and I could see no reason why she should get away with such a transgression. I went to my manager again and he told me that company policy is to not address payment for her pizza, since after eating the slice she was bound to spend hundreds of dollars in the store. Basically I was being told that my kindness toward her, as difficult as it was for me to give, was good for business. To be honest, even as I type this my blood boils a bit. For a plethora of reasons I never fully agreed with the concept laid out before me as this woman enjoyed her free slice. But it was not my job to agree or disagree. I was getting paid by the company to serve customers with a smile. I had to willingly and generously share my smile, the one I usually reserved for those I found deserving, with everyone who came to my counter.
How Did I Do Today?
Teaching is as much a profession of service as any job in retail or restaurant. If we as teachers were judged and retained for employment based on Customer Service, how would we fare? I am ridiculously reflective…to a fault. I won’t lie. I spend more time reflecting and ruminating on my day than is the norm. In that time, I go over conversations that occurred throughout my day; times when I was called to be mindful or present to a person or situation and aspects of my daily demeanor that I hope to improve. I often ask myself a version of the question stated above. In one form or another I ask myself, “If I were to be judged, hired or evaluated based on the way I spoke to my customers (students) today, how would I fare?” I challenge you right now to ask and answer the same question. Was there a student misbehaving today with whom you should have been more patient while interacting? Was there a colleague who needed your ear but you were not willing to go in that direction? Was there a parent who needed a positive note from you instead of the judgement you passed on them because their child arrived late to school…again? These situations are real. The manner in which we handle them is the customer service aspect of education. I believe if I had gone and spoken to that woman regardless of what I was instructed to do, I would have no longer been employed by Wegmans. Why are we not held to the same standards of customer service, if not stricter ones, in our schools? Ultimately the stakes are much higher.
As teachers, we are not called to only be kind and loving to those we believe deserve our respect at any given moment. We are called to be kind and caring at all times to all students. We are called to be the one that students can depend on to be standing in their corner, even when they have transgressed for the twentieth time. We are called to be the one that smiles at the prickly student whose self-control needs more practice. We are called to be the one who, with our actions and consistent kindness, conveys the message, “I respect you! I care about you! How can I help you today?”. Every...Single...Time. Our job might not depend on it, but so much more does.
