Obviously

Obviously parent conferences make me nervous. I'm really not all that sure of why. I'm pretty outgoing~not all that shy, but I've been dreading this process for several weeks now. I feel competent, most days. I'm more than qualified. I know all of that, but I still get nervous when it comes to laying all of that on the table for a parent and explaining to them what I am seeing from their child at school. Perhaps if I were a parent and had sat on the other side of the table before, I would be a bit more relaxed about it? I don't know. I just feel so young. I feel too young to do it, or at least I did until today.

Conference began by me telling the parent how much I truly enjoy her children(twins) that I have gotten to know over the past few months. I pointed out some of their individual qualities and then began to dive into the meat of what needed to be said. I showed her pictures and work that the children had completed, and explained to her how I collect what I collect. For each work sample that I showed her I pointed out why it was significant. The further I went in, the more clearly I could see that this parent was throughly enjoying the fact that I was basically showing her a portrait of her child's development. As I rounded it all up and asked if there were questions, she sat there with a smile on her face. She expressed to me how much her children love me and how they come home everyday with some story of an exciting thing that they did at school that day. She said that they often ask each other, "I wonder what Ms.Michelle would think of this?"

Perhaps twenty, four and five year olds are my biggest fans. Maybe I matter to them way more than I often stop to think about. Of course they are important to me, they're my passion. Giving them what they need is my passion, but perhaps their love for school has been set on fire because of some experience that I've provided them with. It feels good to see the fruits of my labor. And today was the day that I NEEDED to see it.