Those were the first words I heard on my first day of parent-teacher conferences. As I took a deep breath and swallowed that comment, flashes of all I had been through so far during student teaching replayed in my mind. I thought I had done a pretty good job with the students. They seemed to like me and I definitely liked all of them, but this mom’s comment cut right through all of that and the smile on my face had never been faker.

     I remained calm through the longest five seconds of my life and had to keep reminding myself that this was the mother of a student. They will always want the best for their children and who can blame them? My parents want the best for me and I will someday do the same for my own children.

     Consequently, that lesson was the biggest thing I learned through my very first set of parent-teacher conferences. Not only do parents want what’s best for their children, but no one knows the students better than they do. I cannot count on one hand the number of parents who came in and told Mrs. Giovanetto and I something we would have never gotten out of the students themselves. Although each of the stories had a significant effect on the student, there is no way that we would ever convince a student to admit to any problems occurring outside of the classroom.

      For example, if a family is going through something tragic or overwhelming, a student may not want to open up to us teachers, with how they are feeling. They may just push it all aside and simply settle with doing poorly in class in order to feel like they don’t have to deal with it.

     Or maybe a student is going through something on his or her own. Adolescent years are known for the heartbreak, moodiness and roller coaster ride of emotions. If a student experiences something that personally affects his or her performance, a teacher is usually the last person he or she would want to confide in.

     That would be where the parents step in. The parents are the ones that see the students outside of the classroom. I, as the teacher, only see the student for a mere 85 minutes every other day; that is not nearly enough time to analyze the problems of each individual. With the parents sharing stories and issues about each student, Mrs. Giovanetto and I started to easily pinpoint what was causing some of the problems for the students in the classroom. It was like the parent was the missing puzzle piece that finally helped make all of the confusion make sense.

     With each extra piece, Mrs. Giovanetto and I could move forward and work to help these students. We could give them the understanding and helpful hands they direly needed. Instead of dismissing these issues as laziness and lack of organization, we could now blame it on personal and out-of-the-classroom issues.

     These students would never have let us know they were suffering in some way or another. They just let their parents see it and because of that, it becomes the parent’s duty and responsibility to relay the message to the teachers so that they can understand the student that much more.

     However, what the parents taught me about their teens was not all negative. In fact, I learned some students even refuse to express their liking of a classroom and teacher.

     After the longest five seconds of my life, the mother that sat across from me on my first ever day of parent teacher conferences looked me in the eye and finished the first words I’d heard from a parent by saying, "…but I have been proven wrong. Whatever you’re doing is working. Eddie really likes you." After sighing and turning that fake smile into the unavoidable and ever-shiny grin that everyone loves to share, I took a deep breath and said, "Thank you!"

     And boy did I mean that.

     Parent teacher conferences were definitely one of the most nerve-wracking experiences thus far in my student teaching experience. However, as the nerves were rampant, I can honestly admit that it was one of the most educational and beneficial experiences I’ve had as well. Through my students’ parents, I learned how I can help understand the ones struggling the most and also keep the ones that are thriving happy.

     As scary as some parents can be, I definitely have to say I learned so much from them on those two days. I learned more about the students than I think I could ever learn from the student themselves and that is something that I will always be thankful for.