Conferences are Here

 Ah... Parent/teacher conferences. What fun event to have.

Do not misunderstand me. I am all for reviewing students' performance on a regular basis other than at grading time. I really do prefer to see to issues as they occur rather than reacting to issues after they have happened.

My reluctance is not with the students. It is with some of the parents. It always seems as though there are a few parents that are not interested in helping their student to learn but to blame someone or something for why they are not. I find this most prevalent in advanced student families.

High achievers are usually performance driven. The driver can be the student themselves or an outside source like a parent. Both sources can be problematic. A student's drive is usually good unless they have unreasonably high or unforgiving standards for themselves. A parent is a different matter.

Parents tend to drive their student without realizing the undo pressure they are applying to them. They are not usually doing so maliciously though. They believe they are simply encouraging them to perform at their best. I get it. I do. Sometimes though, a student is only a “C” student where “A's” and “B's” are a rarity with no regard to how hard they work or how much they study. Some parents are not willing to accept that their student is “average.” That does not mean they are not at their best. Getting some parents to accept that is the challenge.

PT Conferences are not for showing what is wrong but to give a status report. They are for encouraging the student to work steadily and honestly while enlisting the parents in the education process by identifying the students strong and weak points and recognizing their student's performance levels. After all, stressing to a student they must achieve above average grades when their best is average only serves to discourage them and lower their performance, All parties must help them achieve their best whatever level that may be.

It is not all bad. ;-) Placing parents with their students helps me to understand the students better.

Well That Was Electrifying

I have had an interesting week. I have been in the hospital experiencing Atrial Flutter. What is that you ask? It is much like A Fib with the exception of it being on the top of the heart rather than the bottom. What causes it? In my case, it was medication, or more accurately more medication than was required.

I woke up three days ago feeling normal enough. My smart watch disagreed as it flashed three health alarms for a high heart rate. I do not trust a watch completely so I tried to find my pulse in my neck but could not. I set myself up with our BP cuff which confirmed a heart rate of 158bpm. Not good I thought yet I did not feel anything was wrong so I continued my morning, getting the children ready for school but had decided I would go to Urgent Care to have it checked.

After leaving Su at day care, I proceeded to Urgent Care. Did you know it is unnerving to have a nurse ask if I drive myself then saying never mind, she was going to call an ambulance? It seems A Flutter is more serious than I believed it to be.

I had time for one phone call before the ambulance arrived so I called Jared to let him know and to call the school right away to allow them time to get a sub to cover my classes. After laying there all day, the decision was made to do electrical cardioversion, otherwise known as stopping my heart and restarting it to return it normal rhythm. Can you say sore chest? I had less grogginess after they removed my thyroid.

The investigation into what caused this episode is too much thyroid medicine. It seem I ran out of my proper dose (132 mcg) and began taking a higher dose (175 mcg) without realizing it. In my defense, the pills are the same shape and color. Usually they change at least the color. Since I tend to be a creature of habit, I saw only color and shape. I will be paying closer attention for here on.

I can think of better ways to get a week off from work that do not involve getting stuck with a needle fifty times. All my inattention gained me was three more prescriptions and a thousand questions from co-workers and students that will be asked next week when I return to school.

It did get Jared a couple of extra days off of work though I am not sure it can be considered days off when one must care for children.