Parent-Teacher Conferences. . .the good parts

“How is his English coming compared to the other kids? He never speaks English at home.” “Is she always so mandona (a Nica term for  bossy)?” “Why is he still crying when we drop him off?” “We saw his report card. Should we hire a private tutor?” These are a few questions I received from the moms and dads of my students.

Parent-Teacher Conferences. Three words that can leave a bad taste in the mouth of parents, students, and teachers alike—widely-believed to be the time for a teacher to give the parents the “bad news” about their kid. A few weeks ago, Nicaragua Christian Academy teachers spent two evenings meeting with the parents of their students. While I wasn’t looking forward to the long evenings tacked on to long days, I left the meetings feeling both affirmed and as one who affirmed.

Together, we prayed. Each meeting with parents begins with prayer, a prayer of thanksgiving for the child, for the family, and for the way we’re both already seeing God work in the life of the student. As a public school teacher for 9 years before coming to NCA, the gift to pray with parents is truly amazing.

Together, we were amazed at how the students are already growing. I love pulling out student work from August and putting it side-by-side work from October. Students who could barely hold a pencil are forming their names. Students unable to cut on a line with a scissors without help are now independent. While “paper-pencil” tasks aren’t the focus of our program, it is still exciting to see the rapid development of these little learners!

Together, we affirmed one another. I let parents know that YES—your child IS on track and developing. NO—you don’t need a private tutor for a 4-year old.  YES—you are a good parent and it is normal for your child to do this or that. Parents let me know that YES—they hear their kid running around their home singing songs from school and naming objects in English. YES—their child loves coming to school (despite the occasional tears!) and Mr. Ippel is a regular household name. YES—they are already so excited about the long-term NCA journey of their preschool child.

I love teaching at a school where I can look forward to parent meetings . . . where we share the common belief that each child is created in God’s image, and that God is in ultimate control of their child’s life and development. We’re on this journey together. Nicaragua Christian Academy’s mission is to equip students with the tools . . . to impact society. . .and through this process, I believe we’re equipping parents to do the same.