Roses for the Teacher: Parent conferences today...
Nervousness and tension,
like a fever,
grab hold
and crowd my sensibilities.
I find myself scrambling
at the last minute
for more...
Scraps and remnants,
grades and journals, reading logs
and a published piece or two.
What parents really want--
is not that...at all;
no papers, no data,
no curriculum-based
evidence.
A little slice,
a peek
into a window:
their child's school life,
and mine--
a chance to walk away
knowing
that I totally get
their child,
that I have hopes
and imaginings
too.
AND--
that I care
about their child
almost as much
as they do!
(Today, when I swung open the classroom door to invite my last parent in--she held the most beautiful array of red roses out to me. "From your husband," she said. And then she smiled, "He must love you an awful lot!")
Slice of Life Challenge:
For the month of March, I'm participating in a daily writing challenge, blogging, and posting, and reading other teachers' blogs. This challenge was started by two writing teachers, and can be found at their blog each day: www.twowritingteachers.wordpress.com. Feel free to join me! It's a great way to keep story threading throughout your brain each day.
3 comments:
Aw, what a sweet thing for your husband to do on a day when your nerves are frayed to say the least. He understands you and cares for you just as you do for your students.
How cool. I remember how stressful parent teacher conferences could be. I like that you said that what a parent really needs is to know that you understand their child. How true. Enjoy the roses!
I'm really enjoying your poetry, Gael :)
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