“Are we ready for the evening?” S. asked, looking at her neatly typed notes.
“Not as ready as we have been for the teacher workshops. The slide show is almost finished. I just need one more picture. We know the sequence, and we know who is responsible for each slide.” I opened my laptop to show the almost finished slide show.
“Have you practiced your part?” S. wondered.
“Kind of. I have the key words on the post-its. I know what I wish to say and which examples I am going to use, but I haven’t timed myself minute-to-minute.“
“We will be fine. With the think-pair-share, slides, showing the books and games, and allowing questions, we will fill the hour and half just fine. We are a great team and supplement each other perfectly.”
“I am still little nervous.”
“So am I. The parents who will come tonight are the parents who already know and do a lot to help their children to become readers. What is it we can offer them?”
“I thought that may-be the introduction should include something like this: “We hope that we can give you assurance that you are doing a lot already, you will have a few “a-ha“ moments, and you will get some ideas to take home with you.” What do you think?”
“ It sounded perfect. You’ll say that.”
“Fine. Do we have everything we need?”
“I have the various games and I have collected books for different reading abilities. I even brought some baby books from home. “
“Will you also bring some of the writing that your children have done at home?”
“No. It doesn’t look good.”
I could tell she knew what she had said even before she had finished. She hid her face in her hands and shook her head.
“I know, I know, I know. I shouldn’t have said or thought this. I am a reading nest mentor and an experienced teacher, a big part of the workshop is trying to make the parents understand to not look for the perfection but notice what the children can do. It just slipped out. I will bring what my kids have done at home. “
It's hard, isn't it? That separating of teacher mind and parent mind. We know all the right things as a teacher, but when it is our own child we expect so much more....
ReplyDeleteLove that you wrote this as conversation. It makes it all come alive....
You showed so well that real nervousness that we all feel on parent night, no matter how many times we've done it, or how many preparations we've made. And the parent thing, always the same. No one can be neutral about their children, that's all. I agree with Deb; the writing of the conversation worked great.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I was eavesdropping in on a private conversation. This was great. I'm sure your night went well.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you and S are a great team! You were very honest when you wrote the last lines of your post. You understand what parents will be thinking and that makes what you have to say to them very authentic. Hope you have/had a successful night. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is a gift when we remember to bring our parent selves to our teacher selves.
ReplyDelete