Tutor Called 'Desperate For Money' By Student's Mother After Asking For Payment
"Owe money but unwilling to pay money."
By Wayne Garreth — 06 Oct 2022, 03:58 PM
Children are often taught to respect their elders, especially their educators when they go to school or attend extra tuition classes.
However, can the same be said about parents who preach this to their children?
A conversation between a tutor and a parent in Singapore went from civil to hostile in the span of minutes when a disagreement over the payment for the tuition teacher's classes was blown into verbal smithereens.
An anonymous tutor, who goes by the name Mary, shared a few screenshots with Singaporean media publication, Stomp, of a mother whom's child she taught in the form of extra tuition classes.
In a conversation with Stomp, Mary decided to tell her story as a means of warning other potential tutors of this nightmare parent. "I would like to caution other private tutors about her unreasonable and absurd behaviour," she began. "Owe money, but unwilling to pay money."
The conversation begins with Mary sending a list, mapping out the complete payment for the tuition classes in September
After three hours of no response from the mother, the tutor decided to send a subsequent message in case she missed the initial request.
"Due to your busy schedule, you may have overlooked this message. Would appreciate an acknowledgement if you received this. Thank you," Mary wrote.
Four minutes later, the mother responds to Mary — and let's just say that things take a MAJOR turn
"I'm still working," she began. If I had time to acknowledge your message, then I would have [PayNow] by now," she said in reference to the cash transfer app, PayNow.
Almost immediately, the mother then informs Mary that she has paid the outstanding amount she sent. Adding a passive-aggressive undertone to the conversation, the mother ends it sarcastically with, "Since it's very urgent [for you]."
At that point, Mary had enough and responded to the mother accordingly.
"If I could read your mind then I would not have asked you. How would I know you are still working if you did not inform me?" she said. "Most of [my] students' parents all these years will acknowledge [it]. So I thought you overlooked it."
Intending to bring the boil down to a cool simmer, Mary tries to be diplomatic about the matter of urgency referenced by the mother. "It's not a matter of urgency. It's just a courtesy to acknowledge so that the sender will know, right?"
But with that, the mother immediately asks to discontinue the tuition classes from the following weeks onwards.
Agreeing to discontinue the class, Mary attempts to end the conversation with the mother there and then, until she comes back with another swing
Addressing Mary's dig at 'reading the mother's' mind', the mother then proceeds to lash out at Mary.
"I do not need to inform you that I'm working, since you're so desperate for money," she writes.
Shocked by her response, Mary tells the mother how she's never met any parent as rude and as confrontational as her. The mother proceeds to return serve to Mary on the same grounds. "As if you're so great." The conversation effectively ends there.
