Grab Life

Today we had parent/teacher conferences…

… which made me feel so official! Although, I don’t think I’ve been so nervous in a while. It’s one thing to teach kids— you know they’re judging you and you expect them to, because it’s only fair, seeing as it’s also your job to evaluate them. You also know that kids give second chances; make a mistake one day, and they’ll hate you for a few hours. When they wake up the next morning, you’re their all-time favorite again.

With the parents, I was scared because I felt I would only get one shot. Not only that, but they’re all older than me (even if it’s, sadly, only by a few years), and I am not just representing myself and, in part, their daughter and her performance, but also the school (what is Esperanza doing hiring this college student who’s barely halfway through a degree she hasn’t even decided on yet?).

Luckily, Laurie (the headmaster of the school) assigned me to only six students, all 8th graders who I know and love, and who are high-achieving— which means I won’t get an earful from the parents about why their kid is getting a C-, because in general the grades are As. Also, all the students she assigned me to had English-speaking parents, which was also nice that I didn’t have to use their children as translators and could speak openly and directly with both the parents and students at once (the students come with the students so that they can help explain themselves, get feedback from teachers, ask questions, and, if need be, help translate). So the interviews actually went really well! The parents were proud of their girls, and despite them asking some unexpected questions, I felt surprisingly prepared and confident giving my answers.

There is a girl I met with today who is extremely eager to apply to good high schools, and is devoted to her secondary school ambitions. After talking about her outstanding grades, her mother asked, “So do you think she is ready for the SSATs?” I’m not sure why, but this question always makes me a little bit sad, since I feel that tests say so much less (almost nothing!) about a person, especially on applications where essays and interviews are so much more indicative of the the individual!

“Well, judging by her grades it certainly looks that way.” I asked the girl if she had taken standardized tests, and she has scored in the high 70th percentile on all of her practice SSATs. “I know that at Exeter they value the application and the interview almost more than the tests, and I’m sure you’ll certainly shine there— your writing is outstanding and you’re poised and outgoing, which will make for a really wonderful and interesting interview.” I just read some of her writing for an English assignment today. It was poignant, mature, insightful, and poetic. I was blown away. This girl is applying to Exeter and is very excited about it, as is her mother. We chatted a bit more about Exeter, and then as she and her mother got up to leave, I told her to keep up the good work and told her mother that it was great to meet her.

“It was wonderful to meet you, too,” her mother said. “She speaks extremely highly of you.”

Prior to the interviews, I was on the verge of panic. After a few successful meetings, I was starting to gain confidence and by the time my last one rolled around I was almost actually feeling good! After shaking hands with the last parent and hearing that even one of my students was telling her mom about me in a good light, it was all I could do to keep from bursting into song :o)