Parent/Teacher Conferences

-->

NOTE: I wrote this during our district training the week following parent/teacher conferences (what we call Family Advocacy Day). Our job was to use a mentor text to duplicate style, tone or content. The mentor text I used was "Why Daddy Can't Write" from the Sports Illustrated archive. 

Family Advocacy Day was last week, so I took my laptop and my student work samples to school. Because who doesn’t want to stay at school until 7:00pm?

Maybe I thought that parents would be lined up at my door, desperate to talk to me about how to improve little Johnny’s grade.

Uh, nope.

It was a lot of conversations like this:

JOHNNY’S MOM: My son is failing your class.

ME: Yes, he is.

JOHNNY’S MOM: My little sugar-bear tells me that he never has homework, so when he’s playing his X-Box I check on his School Loop and see all the zeros and I’m so confused.

ME: I only give homework when a student doesn’t finish their work in class.

JOHNNY’S MOM; So you never give homework? I always had homework when I was a kid! I don’t understand why you wouldn’t give him homework!

ME: We generally complete assignments in class, but when a child doesn’t do the assignment, they must complete it at home.

JOHNNY’S MOM: So you don’t give homework? Then why is my angel failing your class? You should give more homework!

ME: Mrs. Johnny, your son does not complete his work in class, so his job is to finish it at home. This is homework.

JOHNNY’S MOM: I thought you said you didn't give homework?

ME: I said students may have to finish assignments at home if they don’t complete it in class.

JOHNNY’S MOM: Is that the same as homework?

ME: Yes

JOHNNY’S MOM: So you do give homework?

ME: Yes ma’am.

JOHNNY’S MOM; So why is my darling dumpling failing your class?

Thinking About My Dad

I've been thinking about my relationship with my father. He is one of the most influential people in my life and has taught me so much but I miss hearing those three little words from him. I worked on this poem yesterday about how I felt.

-->

Three Little Words: Dedicated to my Father

by: Amelia Grissom

2/7/2013

Three little words,

You share them with

that big, slobbery Basset hound,

wiping her chin gently with the

handkerchief you always have

in your back pocket.

Three little words,

I see them in the way

you dig out each individual dandelion,

on your hands and knees

in the Navy pants you’ve been wearing

for 27 years.

Three little words,

I feel them in your eyes

when you talk about helping those

who can’t help themselves

as a pastor, as a social worker, as a mentor

for as long as I’ve known you.

Three little words

Three powerful words,

Your father never said to you,

But meant.

Your mother never said to you,

But didn’t.

Three little words,

They surround everything

You say and do,

Why, when I say

Those three little words,

Can’t you?