OK, so today has not been the best of days (except for the fact that I got to clean my cages). This is kind of long, so please bear with me!
I'm a seventh grade English teacher at a school in Southern Indiana. I coach, and I chaperone dances. I have regular contact with both students and parents both inside the school building and outside. I have received many compliments regarding how polite, caring, and nice I am from administrators, parents, coworkers, and even my students and players. I'm not trying to brag on myself, but I feel that I am a very polite person who gets along well with my coworkers, students, and their parents.
Now, to supplement my income (and to give me something to do during the summer) I picked up a part time job at a liquor store (don't worry, it's nowhere NEAR the school where I work). For the first 6 months I worked there, I had no problems with anyone, and as far as I could tell, no one had any problems with me. Today I got a phone call, and my boss said he had to let me go because of the amount of complaints he had received about my being rude. I was shocked. I always smile, say "yes, ma'am, no sir", and offer to help them. I joke with them, laugh with them, and I always tell them "thank you, and have a good day." Apparently, according to the store owner, something about me just makes people view me as rude and abrasive.
Here is my question: how can I get such opposing opinions? On the one hand, I have people telling me I'm very nice and polite, and on the other I have people saying they won't even come into the store when I'm there.
What the heck is going on?! I know that I'm not perfect; I'm aware that I can be rude just like any other person can, but I'm aware of the fact that I'm being rude. I don't understand what I'm doing to upset people so much, especially since they always seem happy with me when they are in the store. I do have one theory, and that is the fact that I'm not always dealing with the most educated or wealthiest people. I'm also not from this area, and quite frankly, my central Indiana accent makes me stick out like a sore thumb down here. Could some customers be mistaking my natural speech as my being stuck up or snobby? I naturally use a more complex vocabulary, so could people feel like I'm trying to make them feel dumb? Could someone mistake my laughing WITH them as laughing AT them? I'm just very concerned, and my former boss really won't be specific about anything (which is another thing that is upsetting). I know that most of you don't know me well, but have I ever been rude on here? Please be honest, this is really bothering me, and the last thing I want to be is rude to anyone.
Please Help!!
I'm a seventh grade English teacher at a school in Southern Indiana. I coach, and I chaperone dances. I have regular contact with both students and parents both inside the school building and outside. I have received many compliments regarding how polite, caring, and nice I am from administrators, parents, coworkers, and even my students and players. I'm not trying to brag on myself, but I feel that I am a very polite person who gets along well with my coworkers, students, and their parents.
Now, to supplement my income (and to give me something to do during the summer) I picked up a part time job at a liquor store (don't worry, it's nowhere NEAR the school where I work). For the first 6 months I worked there, I had no problems with anyone, and as far as I could tell, no one had any problems with me. Today I got a phone call, and my boss said he had to let me go because of the amount of complaints he had received about my being rude. I was shocked. I always smile, say "yes, ma'am, no sir", and offer to help them. I joke with them, laugh with them, and I always tell them "thank you, and have a good day." Apparently, according to the store owner, something about me just makes people view me as rude and abrasive.
Here is my question: how can I get such opposing opinions? On the one hand, I have people telling me I'm very nice and polite, and on the other I have people saying they won't even come into the store when I'm there.
What the heck is going on?! I know that I'm not perfect; I'm aware that I can be rude just like any other person can, but I'm aware of the fact that I'm being rude. I don't understand what I'm doing to upset people so much, especially since they always seem happy with me when they are in the store. I do have one theory, and that is the fact that I'm not always dealing with the most educated or wealthiest people. I'm also not from this area, and quite frankly, my central Indiana accent makes me stick out like a sore thumb down here. Could some customers be mistaking my natural speech as my being stuck up or snobby? I naturally use a more complex vocabulary, so could people feel like I'm trying to make them feel dumb? Could someone mistake my laughing WITH them as laughing AT them? I'm just very concerned, and my former boss really won't be specific about anything (which is another thing that is upsetting). I know that most of you don't know me well, but have I ever been rude on here? Please be honest, this is really bothering me, and the last thing I want to be is rude to anyone.
Please Help!!