Parent-Teacher Conferences

The third quarter came to a close on the first Friday of April, followed by parent-student conferences the week after. Even the experienced teachers were dreading them. Don't worry, they said, we all hate them. Well, that's exactly why I'm worried, I said back.

Surprisingly, the conferences actually turned out well! It was exhausting but really nice to meet the parents. Seeing where my students come from brings me better understanding of their personalities.

I was dreading the conferences mostly because all except one of my students' families speak Spanish. Sure, I understand pretty fluently and can say everything I want to in Spanish, but the cordiality conventions are a different story-- especially when it comes to such a sensitive subject. How can I, a new teacher who barely knows the correct education vocabulary in English, voice my concerns about Johnny's inability to read without offending his parents? That's what was going through my head, but everything was fine. I came prepared with notes of strengths and weaknesses, student work, and a little story about each student complimented by a cute picture of him or her in class. Luckily, I only have 10 students, they're all great, and their parents are too.

 We had fun together!

The best part of the conferences was actually the thing I was worried about. The principal Naty (a parent of one of my students herself) sat at my table with me as a translator, which was a big help for the gentle phrasing of concerns and reassuring voice intonation, but it also gave me confidence. Her sitting there gave me more authority.  My boss was backing me up and I saw myself as a real teacher because the parents did. They held onto every little word and it was pretty mind-blowing-- really opened my eyes to how much parents trust teachers to be responsible for their children's cognitive, emotional, and social growth. I can't get over what a great experience this job is!

Also, it showed me that my Spanish is more advanced than I sometimes think. Because I'm shy or nervous, I sometimes freeze up, but I understood perfectly everything Naty and the parents said. And every time they asked me a question I could answer directly. A long day, but it came and went and I'm better because of it.

My first quarter: finished!