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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Orthodoxy in the Workplace
The student was not treated well by our staff person.
The parent was outraged. The mother left a voicemail for me after hours. I could tell she was REALLY trying to be calm. "I will call you in the morning," she said. The father was the "contact parent" on the roster.
I talked to the Admin. person responsible for the offending party. They said they would deal with it.
I decided to make a pre-emptive apology. I called the Mom and then the Dad... I apologized every way I knew how for the "School's behavior". Damage control accomplished, relationship restored.
In cubicles sound carries over the 5 foot walls.
When I was done, the people around me gathered and said, "We've NEVER heard anyone grovel and apologize so eloquently and sincerely... that was AMAZING!"
I told them, "Obviously you have not offended as many priests, bishops and monks as I have."
Orthodoxy works in the real world.
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14 comments:
All that offending had to be good for something!
:-)
I'm glad you've managed to find time for your blog outreach, at least. I miss your podcasts, and the ones with you and Bill, and I have gotten a lot out of them.
From the American Orthodox guy in Russia you once sent a New Testament to.
heh, heh...
hats off to you!
he he
Very funny. Welcome back.
One of the many things about you I like, Steve....you are an equal opportunity offender, and know what to do about it.
We shall make you an honorary babushka and gift you a brolly. :)
Good on you for offending people. How boring the world would be if we went around never offending people. oh wait nevermind!
I once asked Bishop Antoun why he smoked so much. I then explained that it was killing him. Sure I was a 2nd grader at the time, but might as well start offending early.
He usually doesn't TRY to offend. There's a difference between giving offense and taking offense. The guys with the hats win.
s> "We've NEVER heard anyone grovel and apologize so eloquently and sincerely... that was AMAZING!"
Congratulations. You now have an "Orthodox Super power". Use it well.
Makes perfect sense to me. We put a LOT of emphasis on honesty (offending more in the process) and also on humility.
But I like the idea of it being a superpower.
Thanks for posting this! As someone who has taught in public schools, I am praying that your school appreciates the way you've handled this situation. It does sound like God is with you -- the rest of the world doesn't usually recognize a good apology and to be complimented on it means that God has opened eyes!!!
If you think that worked well with parents, just wait for the Judgement Seat.
You might get an Oscar on Forgiveness Sunday!
Tom
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