Don’t you dislike it when people go on vacation and come back and tell you EVERYTHING that they did? Yeah, so do I.
Too bad.
As I type this, my family has arrived back in Minnesota from a week in Orlando, Florida. My sister Angie and her family went, as well as my mom and dad.
I could tell you about all the great things (the kids completing Jedi training, meeting Marvel super heroes at Universal, breakfast with the Disney characters) and the not-so-great things (Jayna breaking her arm two days before we left, my mom forgetting her ID at home and having to drive back to New Ulm to get it and take a later flight, Michelle being at the top of a ride when the skies opened up), but I won’t. Oh wait…
Instead I want to tell you about the people in Florida. I love people watching. Rides and theme parks, not so much, but the people!
But this is not just about strange and unique people I saw. No, instead it’s about the niceness of almost everyone! Some time ago, I wrote about how customer service seems to be on the decline. Not in Florida, especially not at the theme parks!
We talk about Minnesota Nice all the time. I swear, I saw more of it during a week in Florida than I have in a year here. I can’t recall one person at the Disney parks who was not kind and courteous and seemed to be enjoying his or her job, whether it was taking tickets or sweeping up trash.
As we waited in line to get in the Magic Kingdom, I struck up a conversation with Roger, an employee with Disney, who happened to be taking his family to the park on his day off. How many of us can say we do that with our jobs?
I asked Roger about this nice factor that I saw everywhere. I speculated that it would be tough, day in and day out, to be that way. We all have bad days or have disagreeable things happen at work, but I never saw it at Disney.
He told me it’s all about how you’re treated. The Disney folks treat their employees with respect and like human beings. They preach the Disney Way of doing things, and if you can’t, there are other people who want your job. Roger also said that most people he knew there really did enjoy their jobs, even though most don’t make a tremendous amount of money.
I thought about that a little bit on the flight home. I love my job, but it’s no secret that morale has been down in our district the last number of years under our former superintendent. We were not treated like Disney employees. Respect was missing quite often.
There is great hope with our new superintendent that things will turn around. I’ve only met Dr. Goodwin once, but I was immediately struck by his genuine interest in me as a person, not just an employee. He seems like the type to listen and not just dismiss an idea because it was not his own. Others who have met him have said the same thing.
It’s good to be home; I get antsy after about two days away, but Jayna and Anton had an unforgettable time, and that’s what it’s all about – the kids. They were treated well everywhere we went, especially Jayna with her cast. Hopefully, they’ve taken in some of that Florida Nice and will turn it into the Minnesota Nice we all know and love!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is erudite, which means having or showing knowledge, as in, “The tourist impressed the Marvel super heroes at Universal with his erudite facts about their powers.” A special bonus offer this week to any sharp-eyed readers who have caught the connection among my last five words of the week! Be the first to e-mail me at my school address or message me on Facebook (or I suppose you could call me too), and you’ll get a special shout-out next week! Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!