The Parent-Teacher Meeting

Leila had been nervous about the parent-teacher meeting all week. Her son Omar was in Grade 4 at a school in Winnipeg, and this was her first meeting with his teacher. She was worried that her English was not good enough, and that the teacher would tell her Omar was having problems. She wrote her questions on a piece of paper and practised them in the kitchen. "How is Omar doing in reading? Does he have friends? How can I help him at home?" On Thursday evening, she walked into the classroom with her paper in her hand. Ms. Kowalski, the teacher, smiled and shook her hand. "Omar talks about you all the time," she said. "He told me you make the best soup in the world." Leila laughed, and some of her nervousness disappeared. Ms. Kowalski showed her Omar's work. His reading was improving quickly, and he had two good friends, Ben and Lucas. "He sometimes doesn't ask for help when he needs it," the teacher said. "He's a bit shy, like many new students." Leila asked her last question: how could she help at home? "Read with him for fifteen minutes every evening," Ms. Kowalski said. "In English or in your own language. Both are good for him." Leila was surprised. She had thought she should only speak English at home. On the way out, she folded her paper and put it in her pocket. She had not needed to read from it after the first question.