Things I Learned at Parent/Teacher Conferences

I teach children in the fifth grade ("the very best grade" as I am so fond of saying). A couple of days prior to parent/teacher conferences, I give them a little form to fill out. They have to rate how the school year is going and explain why they chose that rating. They have to rate their organizational skills and again, explain. They have to choose an academic goal they'd like to work on as well as a social goal. The form is open-ended enough that you just never really know what you're going to get.

This time I got a lot of honesty and candor. "I always get all of my homework done and turn everything in!" "I never turn anything in." "I've had some ups and downs." "Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. (me too, buddy, me too)" "I just shove papers in my desk." "I feel completely confident!" "I'm planning on getting first place on the Honor Roll." "I've already said goodbye to my Xbox."

A couple of the social goals made me chuckle this time. "I need to stop being abusive to my classmates." "I'm never going to the principal's office again!" "My goal is to share myself evenly with my friends so that everyone gets equal time with me."

And then there are the conferences themselves. A boy, excited to show his parents our glacier (science experiment). A girl who fairly bounces in her seat while smiling and revealing to her dad, "I'm pretty chatty lately!" The family planning a trip, asking about all the history sites. Another boy, proudly indicating to his mother that he knew she would check his desk so he made sure it was whistle-clean ahead of time. Parents, stunned to know that their child started a club at recess called "The Includers" so that kids wouldn't be lonely on the playground (yes, those Bully-Blocker/Prevention Dimension lessons are getting through!). The spark in the boy who asked if he could do a math assignment all over again to improve his grade (he's starting to really care!). The girl with tears dripping down her face because her mother finally spilled the beans as to the poor dear's somber mood this week--her favorite chicken, Tweety, was dead in the hen house with no warning! The shock and trauma was too much even for her journal. I almost cried myself!

The parents who say "thank you." I love my job!!! It's all worth it!!!