Trepidation was in the air.
The tension was palpable. I knew this day would come. It finally did. My teacher tells me everything is ready and yet I can feel the weight of expectations on me. My mom and my dad sitting around me and my teacher just kind of hovering about with a permasmile. What am I doing here? Oh yeah, sharing my learning. Something about growth I think. Hmmm. I wonder if my friends are on the playground yet?
Then my mom says “So … ” which really means “Let’s get on with it.” I look at her. Then my eyes shift over to my Dad. I look at all the papers in front of me but all I can feel is the thumping of my heart in my throat. My teacher never said anything about it being this stressful. Reluctantly I start talking. “So this piece of writing shows that before I … but now …” Duh. Calling Captain Obvious … And so on and so forth.
After an agonizing half hour it all miraculously ends. At least my Mom and Dad were paying attention and seemed like they were listening. I hope they were proud of me. Some of the other parents in the room were just checking their phones the whole time while their kids were talking. One parent even got up and left. That can’t make you feel good. I mean I know we are all busy but … really?
Actually now that I think about it I love Student Led Conferences! Just realized that I get to go home and take the rest of the day off! PS-4 here I come! Wait, what? What goal Mom? Oh, the one we just wrote down. I thought that was because my teacher just wanted me to write something on the paper so that we could leave. You mean I really do have to do my 30 minutes of reading every day? Dang. I hate Student Led Conferences!
Ok, gotta do, I can hear my friends screaming on the playground. Bye!
THE END
Alex Lancia 
March 9, 2018 at 10:34 pm
Sometimes I think it is less stressful when a student is involved in a conference. I try to include students in all parent conversations so they know exactly what is being discussed (some exceptions). This lets them know that they have a say in their life and education.
March 9, 2018 at 11:24 pm
This is so perfect! Really like how you told it from the student’s perspective. Our SLCs are in 2 weeks. 🙂
March 10, 2018 at 3:16 am
This is fantastic! I felt like I was sneaking in on a memory from long ago….I could feel the tension and then the relief at the end….must be how our students feel when they lead conferences….kind of like I felt before an observation! Great Slice!
March 10, 2018 at 9:25 am
This captures it so completely! I am going to share it with my third graders so that they see summary vs storytelling again.
March 10, 2018 at 2:51 pm
The tension. The engagement / lack of engagement. The love / hate of doing. You have captured it all. Gotta love the teacher’s “permasmile.”