Support from Beyond

I had my last night of parent-teacher conferences tonight.  So glad that they're over.  It's just one event of many that every teacher checks off the list as September, October, and November whiz by.  At this point, I have report cards to write and a couple of other activities to attend to, but the bulk of my "extracurricular" fall events have passed.  I'm so glad.

However, one thing I love about conferences is watching the interaction between the parents and their child.  I choose to have the students at my conferences because it helps to make everyone present accountable for the goals that are set.  It's interesting seeing how near the apple falls from the tree.  After conferences, I can understand how the dynamics of the family work, and I have a better idea about how to navigate through this dynamic.

This time it's been interesting how parents have responded to my news.  I have been close to tears at a couple conferences because of the kind words of parents.  One conference that needed the student as a translator between the mom and me, ended with her saying, "I hope you feel better."  Each word was spoken carefully and softly.  I turned to my student teacher as they left the room, and said, "Wow.  She can barely speak English, yet she felt it so important to say that to me."  A little while later, a parent said, "You are in my prayers.  You will be okay."  Many others said the same thing.  With the variety of cultures and nationalities that are represented in my classroom, I am being prayed about in a bunch of different languages to a bunch of different gods.  How humbling.