Our politeness policy
or: “The customer is not always right”
A fact of owning a small business: while 99% of customers are friendly, kind, and generous, every so often, some people are real jerks!
These few customers end up costing us the majority of our energy. (As if it wasn’t already hard enough to run a company!)
So we’ve decided to be the change we wish to see in the world, and institute our “don’t be rude” policy.
Here it is:
Don’t be rude.
We’ll be kind.
Q: Is this about how kids behave in class?
Oh, kids are rude all the time! Training them to be polite — even when they’re frustrated — is part of teaching. This policy isn’t about kids — it’s about adults over email.
Q: What should I do if I’m rude?
Apologize, probably.
Q: What will you do if I’m rude?
Point out this policy. And if you continue to be rude, not work with your family. (We’ll help find a way to keep your kid learning science they love.)
Q: What happens if you, Science is WEIRD, is rude?
We’ll apologize. We also invite you to share any rudeness from us with people that you know, warning them that we were unpleasant for you to work with. Gossip can be bad — but it can also hold people accountable!
Q: Isn’t this policy sort of a jerky move?
If that’s how you see it, then, yeah, sure. But we spend a lot of energy on helping kids become adults, valuing kids for who they are, practicing inclusivity, and promoting human flourishing. And we try to be ridiculously generous.
Frankly, we only have so much energy — and we think it wiser to lavish it on people who’ll appreciate what we do!
Q: Gah, I’m nervous about this.
If so, you almost certainly have nothing to worry about! Feel free to write us if you have any anxieties about this, and we can chat with you.