Student Led Conferences

We were off of school again this week for two days (same as last week - it's no wonder we don't get out of school until the 1st of July).  This time it was for student led conferences and we were all a bit excited about them.  The girls had been working hard for the past few weeks making sure that they had picked out just the right things to show me and tell me about their class.  They are limited to 20 minutes so they had to be selective and make sure the work was still representative of their learning.  Quite a feat for them to reduce 3 months of work into such a short presentation but they both did it.  And did it fabulously.

I am so proud of these two girls.  They have shown resilience and adaptability beyond even my understanding.  They have switched schools (for the 3rd time!) and have had to make an entirely new group of friends while adapting to new ways of teaching and a new language (their 4th - yikes) all without a single word of complaint.  And if their conferences were any indication they are doing it all spectacularly well.

B wasn't able to come to our conferences as he was traveling but it allowed me to snap a few pictures of the work the girls are doing...I give you a peek into what 2nd and 3rd grade are like here in Germany (at least at our International school).

Stinkerbell was first (and with back to back conferences it also meant she got a little less time) and she was so proud of her work.  First she showed me her reflections on 2nd grade so far...

She then took me on a tour of their library and what they were working on in terms of Non Fiction books.  She described to me the different features in the book and even told me what the difference between labels and captions was.

We moved on to her maths and she showed me a bit of her work with the larger numbers...

And then she showed me how proud she was of her spelling...

The 20 minutes flew by and I would have loved to stay for a bit longer but MadHatter had her conference right next door at that moment and they were waiting for us.  So I dropped Stinkerbell at the childcare area and picked MadHatter up for her to show me around her classroom.

She began by showing me the class rules.  The kids decided these themselves on the very first week of school and pledged to follow them.  Her teacher assures me that she is doing great in this respect!

Next, we saw the wall that shows where each of the kids comes from and a little about themselves and their traditions.  MadHatter picked Chile for this assignment as her teacher told her that because she was the only one that had lived outside their home county longer than in it she should be able to pick what culture she connected with most.

With only 12 kids in her class they still have a very diverse classroom.

 We moved into what they were currently studying...

And what her class was doing to help the community and the world...

Created by MadHatter and her friend N.

Our tour of the classroom finished, we down and let her share her successes, knowledge and creativity.  And then she told me her challenges and what she needed to put more effort into.  Her presentation was well thought out and her insights into what she needed to work on were spot on.

What she has been working on - taking risks.

Her proudest achievement is her progress in maths.

Another challenge...

And another success.  I love that the school is still teaching cursive.

 The time flew by once again and we were late for our meeting with their German teachers but I got a quick meeting and a snap or two of what they were working on.  It is pretty basic at this point but I am so proud of them for trying (and for wanting to learn more).  I just have to keep in mind that this is language 4 for them and they are only 7 and 8.  

 Finally, we hit up the PE and music rooms and finally the library.  I love that their librarian is making the kids self-sufficient by allowing them to earn badges in shelving, checking out and cataloging.  As a former library worker (and current volunteer) this makes my heart happy.  Both girls are working towards their check out badge!

And that is a wrap on conferences.  Once again, so proud of my girls and happy to hear the enthusiasm in their voices and the spring in their steps when it comes to learning and going to school.