“Do you have a minute?”
As the mom walked closer, I wanted to say , “No… no, I don’t have a minute.” and make a run for it. Little did she know that her husband had confided to mine the night before that A. had been accepted into the public academic magnet school. My heart sank.
After making the appointment to conference, A.’s teacher and I lamented over his loss to the classroom community. Neither us us rested peacefully that evening.
As Mom and Dad both thanked us for our time together with A. it was difficult to stay in the present. Objectively, we shared our understanding of A.’s learning style, his academic readiness, and his contributions within his peer group. We discussed the pros and cons of A. finishing out his Kindergarten year within our small, private school setting knowing that to do so, the family may be giving up their chance to join the magnet school at a later date.
We parted with hugs while the parents weighed in over the weekend to reach a final decision. The email arrived late Sunday night.
I couldn’t wait to share the news- A. was staying! I was both elated and terrified.
Would we live up to their expectations?
Over the next few months, parent became friend. Whether she knows it or not, I often look to her for inspiration as I balance parenting thee children of my own. Sometimes, though, I wonder- is she fully happy with their decision?
And then, as if she had sensed my worry, this appeared in my feed in response to a school posting…
Our program is structured for deep and long standing relationships, each child filling a space with whom without, would be a void. Having a parent’s appreciation to this part of a child’s school experience , investing in that outcome, sharing in the pride- priceless.
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