When work ended today, two days of parent-teacher conferences also came to a close, though these were different for two reasons. These were called, student-led conferences, meaning the student takes their work and explains to their parent(s) why they received the grades that they did, and the teachers sit around and chat. The second reason is the more important one. After a particular student had his conference, his mother stopped by the table where I was talking with another teacher. She proceeded to spend several minutes lavishing with more compliments than I have ever received in my professional career. She overwhelmed me to the point that her comments barely sunk in. Instead they rolled off my back and onto the floor. This woman and her wonderful child. She told me I was the first teacher who challenged her son, the first who made him apply the things in class to other times in his life. She told me that after we studied propaganda techniques, he'd pick out the advertising strategies on the commercials they saw on television at home. This glorious woman who raised her kids in a supportive, intelligent, moral home told me I was a dynamic teacher, that I shouldn't worry or change a thing, but keep doing the things that I do in class with the kids. Her son has never been so excited about learning, she says, and he goes on about the discussions we have in class and letting the students debate the issues. She said my head should be huge and I should pat myself on the back. Then she told another teacher on my team that if she could afford it, she'd fly us all to Hawaii and write Oprah about our team of teachers.

And what did I say to this woman? Not much. I thanked her profusely. I smiled faintly, more in shock. I marveled at her son and wished every student had what he has. I'm still waiting to let myself dwell on this and feel good about it. We always remember such negative things, we always spend time on the missing parts. I want to remember this one. Things like this certainly don't come my way often, to anyone in my field really. For a shining moment, I can know with absolute certainty that I made a difference in a young person's life. Two students from last year let me know what my class meant to them. I rode those compliments for awhile. This has been a more difficult year than last year, so I need to ride these compliments a bit more, until June.