Slice of Life: Parent-Teacher Conferences 3/13

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I just arrived home after two long days of teaching followed by parent-teacher conferences.  On Wednesday and Thursday, we had a thirty minute break after school and then had to be there for conferences until 8pm.  I am beyond exhausted after the two long days and so glad we have Friday off.  

Conferences are always a mixed bag.  I wish every conference could be a glowing report of how each student is excelling and making great effort at school.  I care so much about my students and I wish they all cared about school and doing well.  Most conferences are good ones, because I choose to focus on the positive while bringing up things to work on.  However, I sometimes need to crack down and roll out the barest truth so that a parent understands exactly what is happening. I am still positive with these cases, but I want the students to understand their part in moving forward.  

Tonight, I had one of these conferences.  A student, who is in danger of being held back in 8th grade because of the strict standards in our district, needed to hear the dire truth.  He needed me to tell him that as of right now, he is not passing 8th grade.  He needed his mom to tell him that it is all up to him.  He is an intelligent boy that is capable of so much.  I hope that he heard our message and will start to put forth effort. I will cross my fingers and see how things go on Monday.  

For now, it is time to curl up with a good book and forget about school for a while.  There will be plenty of time this weekend for planning and working.  Now, it is time to relax.