<HTML>In a message dated 7/19/2002 11:59:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time, pianobuilders@olynet.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Subj:Re: Saying "No" (was Convention is focused) Date:7/19/2002 11:59:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time From:<A HREF="mailto:pianobuilders@olynet.com">pianobuilders@olynet.com</A> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> To:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> Sent from the Internet ----- Original Message ----- From: <A440A@AOL.COM> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: July 19, 2002 11:40 AM Subject: Saying "No" (was Convention is focused) .      Del </BLOCKQUOTE>          Thanks for the very lucid thoughts in this entire post but especially the following paragraphs. At times it is amzing that often I don't have the time or clarity to state a case like this clearly and then some one else does it ands it's like they were reading your mind better than you were yourself. comments interspersed            Del wrote <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">We speak of the warm fuzzies we get from giving--and there is some truth to that--but think what we are really saying. We are going to give our instructors the honor of sharing their hard-earned knowledge with us so that we can better compete against them in the free and open marketplace. We tell them we owe them nothing, or at least very little, for thier efforts; the experience of teaching will make them better known and will help them generate more business. So, in addition to equipping the rest of us better compete against them, they are now expected to take even more time away from family and friends and work even harder to pay for the privilage. While we're all off enjoying the fruits of their knowledge and labor. Kind of lopsided thinking, it seems to me.</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">>>>>>>>>>>>Indeed ></BLOCKQUOTE> I personally know of two instructors that presented work-changing classes <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">(for me), that no longer teach because of the cost.  There are probably > others, as well.  What quality are we missing because of this? There probably are. I know it is an issue for me every year as I try to justify the sometimes considerable time and expense to my wife and to my business partner. </BLOCKQUOTE> I taught my first class at a (in <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> those days we called it 'the National') convention in 1972. I've long ago lost track of how many conventions, conferences and one-day events I've done. And it is still not a natural thing for me--I rely heavily on the good will of the folks attending to pull one of these classes off successfully.</BLOCKQUOTE>                                            Del <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">.      >>>>>>>>>>I thought I was the only one. I don't ever sleep well the night before. When a class goes well it's great and when the jet lag takes over it's the pits                                     Dale Erwin</BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>