Yesterday, I attended the final parent-teacher conference for my youngest son. Generally, I didn’t attend these conferences when my other kids were in high school unless there was an issue to discuss. My children have all been good students, had excellent report cards, and the majority of the time, teachers only had good things to say about them as people. While I loved hearing it, I didn’t have much need to attend high school parent-teacher-student conferences.
After much deliberation last year, my son made the difficult choice to attend a new high school for his senior year. When he began high school, he attended a trade school which his sister was going to so it made sense to drive him there. Then Covid hit and he had to be at home for school, then attend part-time, and none of it was conducive to meeting friends or participating in activities.
His sister graduated the year before which meant he was now attending school on his own. He didn’t particularly have a group of friends he really clicked with either. To top it off, he became ill last year, and fell behind in one class, and as anyone knows, this can feel overwhelming when you’re not well, and then have so much work to catch up on. Eventually, he got on top of things, but I could tell that it had all taken an emotional toll on him. He didn’t particularly like that school, and wasn’t excited to be there.
As a parent, I could have told him to suck it up. I didn’t. How many times in our lives have we sacrificed our happiness because others tell us we have to? I wasn’t doing that to him, so instead, I asked him if he wanted to explore other trade school options. If it didn’t work out, he’d still have a school to go to. Either way, he would feel more empowered because he’d chosen to do something differently, rather than go along with things. And that’s what I’ve always taught my children.
We ended up finding a trade school that was only a short drive from our house. (Yay no more long drives!) It was a two-year program, but since he’d already done one year at his current school, he was allowed to transfer his credits. This meant he could finish high school at a place of his choosing. The new school was small and only let in a certain number of students. There are only 10-20 high school graduates from their programs every year.
This turned out to be an excellent fit for my son. He’s barely missed school this year, hasn’t been stressed out beyond the usual studying and finishing of assignments, and he’s made friends, even finding a girlfriend – a wonderful young lady we adore. His teachers love his work ethic, he loves his program, and at conference they only had nice things to say about him as a person. He’s done well academically this year too. I couldn’t be happier for him that he gets to finish grade school on such a high note!
As parents, it can be easier for us to follow the status quo. However, I knew my son wasn’t thriving in that environment, so I chose to help him explore new options. Even though I didn’t have to attend a parent-teacher conference yesterday, I realized it will be one of the last times I hear other people praise my children to me. I’ll never get a boss call me up and praise my sons or daughters for the wonderful job they do!
My son even came with me to the appointment when he realized it will be his last parent-teacher-student conference, not to mention my last one as a mom. It was a wonderful moment to enjoy together. And as we walked out of the school together and into the sunshine, I know there are more bright things in his future. And even more than ever, with how well he’s thrived this year, he feels more empowered to make future decisions for himself – ones that help him thrive in life! And I’m so happy to have been a part of that.
Kellective Creations 