I was scheduled to teach a class this past weekend as part of a museum exhibit. On Friday I sent an email to my contact and she confirmed that I was on the schedule for Saturday. However, I was not given any information as to how many students I was going to be teaching, or where to go, or what time I should arrive to get set up. Even without this information, I had most everything I needed in order to teach this class, So, I packed up all the teaching supplies and drove up to the venue.
I went to the front desk and they had no information about a class that day. There was nothing on the schedule. There was nothing on their computer. In fact, there was nothing on their website about any classes.
The clerk at the front desk called someone in the office. They had the clerk relay a message to me. The class had been cancelled. No explanation. No apology.
Since I hadn't heard anything to the contrary and since the email from the day before confirmed that I was scheduled, I assumed that I was going to be teaching.
I was wrong.
I had been in communication with my contact at the museum and thought that everything was in place.
The problem was that I did not ask specific questions well in advance. I didn't confirm that they were holding up their end of the deal. It turns out that the museum never even publicized my class. Hard to get students when no one knows the class is taking place.
I am still not clear as to what is appropriate in this case. Was I solely responsible for publicizing this class? Somehow that seems wrong. They invited me to teach at their venue. It seems like they should be responsible for bringing in the students.
However, more important is the fact that they cancelled the class without informing me. I spent my own money buying supplies for this class. I spent time putting it together. I spent time and gas driving to and from the venue. I got a confirmation the day before that I was scheduled. Yet, when I arrived, I was told via a relayed message that the class was cancelled. (The person in charge didn't even deign to talk to me.) This all just feels wrong to me.
There are two problems now. First, how do I deal with them not informing me that my class was cancelled? And second, I am scheduled to teach two more classes. Do I decline or work harder to make sure this doesn't happen again?
I really don't like having to deal with this kind of thing. And being an introvert doesn't help. What should I do?
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