Twice a year teachers meet with the parents of their students. Some conferences are a breeze. These are the ones where I tell the parents that their child is perfect. They do their assignments, they follow directions, they are responsible, and they have a great personality. Personally, these are the conferences I prefer.
Then there are the other conferences. The ones that you know will last long beyond the 20 minute time allotment. These are the conferences where you have to use phrases like, "Your child seems to have trouble focusing." When you really want to say, "Your child does nothing in my class, and all they want to do is draw or stare into space." Or "Your child has trouble getting along with other students." Again what I want to say is, "Your child is rude and mean to the sweet children in my class." I would like to tell some parents that their child tests me each and everyday. Sometimes I would really like to say that their child drives me crazy when they refuse to following directions. But the truth is that no matter how I feel on the inside, it is my professional responsibility to keep these comments in my head. After all, I am sure that the parent is thinking the same thing.
With all frustrations and kidding aside, I believe that all children deserve the fair chance to learn and be loved at school. No matter how frustrated I get with the behavior of my students, I know that in their hearts they are sweet and want to be loved. I became a teacher knowing that it is not easy work. I love the challenge that my students bring me each day and I could not see myself doing any other job.
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