The day I met the students for the first time, I told them that the semester was going to fly by. They didn't believe me then, preoccupied with the immediate challenge of having to find 20 extra hours in their weeks.
Tonight their daily efforts and successes crystallize in a massage session they give to one of the instructors. Starting next semester, they will work in our busy and popular student clinic, offering massage to general public. This is our chance to tell them what it feels like to be on their table, in their care and in their hands, literally.
This examination process is not about the numbers or scores. It is about the time we spend after the session, discussing our experience and offering feedback. Paying clients rarely take the time to discuss the details of their experience. They either come back or they don't, refer their friends or they don't, get better or they don't. Many of these things are not within our control, but there are always details we can improve upon in our work. That's the area of focus for the instructors and the students tonight.
Overall, the class does really well. A couple of students surprise us with truly magical, inspired performances, while two or three others do just well enough to pass. We understand - dress rehearsals often go better than opening nights. There will be many more performances to standing ovations. Tonight they all go home knowing they can create a client based massage session and execute it in a room full of people, on instructors who observe, discuss and grade their every move. 40 more weeks - and I will be proud to call them "colleagues".
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