This year my daughter started elementary school and the next thing I knew it was time for my first parent-teacher conference. WHOA! How did that happen so quickly? I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous. I guess that is not surprising, but what was surprising to me was that at first I was nervous for myself, not my kid. What the heck does one wear to a parent-teacher conference that conveys, I'm a responsible parent with a sense of style who isn't trying too hard? Heck if I know, honestly I can't even tell you what I wore because I don't remember. But I do remember how terrifying I found the experience.
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The week of the conferences all the kids at the school got out an hour early, but on the day of your conference you had the option of having your child stay at school until your appointed time. I took that option. I'm rarely if ever late, but of course that day the city decided to put road blocks in my way, I barely got there in time and then when I ran to my daughter's classroom no one was there. No teacher, no daughter! I FREAKED. Then I found out that the teacher was running late, so I waited.
When the actual conference started, I sat in a chair designed for a very small child and my knees grazed my chin. We went over the report card, which made absolutely no sense to me because although they still teach the ABCs, that's not how they grade anymore. I had to keep looking at some weird deciphering chart to figure out what anything meant. In the end, I can't tell you what my daughter's grades are 'cause I don't really get it. I can tell you she's doing fine, maybe not genius level, but fine.
What troubles me about the conference is that my daughter's reticence in engaging with other students was brought up. She's shy, self-contained, and doesn't initiate interactions with other kids. This worries me. I know it is silly and I know that many kids go through this and it is also something I already knew about my child, but I wanted with my whole heart for the teacher to tell me that it would be fine, that my baby would figure it out, that I hadn't done anything wrong as a parent, that she wouldn't suffer socially, that no one would ever break her heart, that she is perfect just the way she is, but I guess that's not what teacher-parent conferences are for. Sigh. I hope I at least wore the right thing even though I can't remember.
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