Bridge Instruction Norma Sands

I took Beginning Bridge at the NS Studio a few years ago. The class consisted of almost all delightful senior citizens. The classroom was comfortable if not fancy.
The first day of class, I became lost trying to find the place, so I phoned to get help. Norma herself answered and was very rude to me, interrupting me and scolding me. I almost turned around and went home because there’s something to be concerned about with someone that quick to scold a grown adult.
I wish I could say the classes themselves included better behavior on Norma’s part. I witnessed her berate and ridicule adults, senior citizens, who were paying to take the class. She is snide and bossy and heaven help you if you asked a question she considered «stupid». I came to detest her over the course of the several weeks. At my table, of the four of us, two of us found her behavior absolutely unacceptable, and two found it amusing. No one found it proper.
I will say that on occasion Norma was funny. She is also very very smart and I thought she was a pretty good teacher. Good at explaining the concepts. I had played quite a bit of (really bad, unskilled) bridge earlier in my life, so I had a grounding in the subject. I think others who were starting from scratch may not have as positive of things to say about her teaching method, and indeed some of them were taking this Beginner’s course for the second or third time.
If you’re the kind of person who laughs at bad manners and a shrill nasty demeanor, I’d say go ahead. But if you’re a person who expects to be treated respectfully, I would recommend passing.