It's been a while since my last post---at least for me---but this week has been parent-teacher conference week. That mean long days, late nights, so when I get home, I collapse.
At the beginning of the week, I was despondent. One of my student's parent was is quite upset with me. They have not observed me teaching (not even for five minutes) they are disregarding their child's perceptions (the student knows I care about him) and they wanted their youngster out of my classroom. Unfortunately, the other 3rd grade classroom is maxed out (capacity-wise) which means the parent---if they really are unhappy with their child's placement---will have to drive to another school every day. (Tomorrow is the conference with this parent. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can smooth feathers...)
Being judged without having the chance to "prove" myself as a concerned, rigorous, and imaginative teacher really caused me to wonder what else was I qualified to do...If they don't change the guidelines, I have 6 more years until I can retire; if I'm going to make parents miserable, I need to make a career change.
This is what I found I can do when I retire next year (after jotting down my skills):
- radar-gun tester (Hey, I do speed
sometimes most of the time, so perhaps I could find employment with the police, where I race along the highway, and they see if their radar guns are calibrated correctly...)
- unrhythmic, anti-stripper (I have no dancing ability, but I could be paid to put clothes back on...)
- earplug tester (If the sounds of my snoring do not penetrate the earplugs, they are highly effective.)
- Nutella spokesperson (It's heaven on a spoon. Or, if you want to eat it in a more socially acceptable way, put some on a croissant.)
However, tonight I met some parental jewels. They are the type of parents teachers dream about. They were supportive, funny, involved, and had great attitudes about life and childrearing. They made me want to not give up...
Thanks!
