The best phone call

The day that started out mediocre has turned into one of my best nights thus far at institute.

Tonight I decided to call my very first parent. The parents of Angel L. The well-behaved, always smiling, always helpful, always paying attention Angel who sits in the back. The absolute gift to Ms. Chen's English 2A class in Room 204. May not be the smartest, but tries hard. Really hard.

So I decided to call Angel’s parents first. My first call. I quickly wrote down a few key points – they were short. Angel had listed another number on his student survey (rather than the contact number on the school’s list), so I called his parents.

What ensued was possibly the best phone call of my life.

Essentially, I explained to Angel's mom that I just wanted to introduce myself, that I was just Angel’s teacher for the summer but that I just wanted to tell her what a bright son she had and how much potential he had to go far in life. I told her how hard he worked, how he’s so helpful, and how he’s just wonderful to have in my class.

In heavily accented English (for which she unnecessarily apologized profusely for), I got an emotional thanks from his mother. She seemed unsure of what to say, but seemed (as far as I could tell through the phone) positively glowing with this praise of her son. She said no teacher had ever called her before, and she had never been told of Angel’s potential. Basically, she told me that Angel had gotten into trouble in Florida, and was now in Houston with his aunt – but she worries that his aunt doesn’t go to school or take involvement in Angel's education. Thus, she was extremely grateful I took the time to call and let her know how he was doing. Especially charming – she said Angel always tells her about the As he gets in school, and with my call, she now believes him! She also never seemed to realize that Angel has so much potential after high school – it seemed like she only wished hard for him to graduate high school. I could hear her motherly concern perfectly as she confessed to me her worries about drugs, and Angel getting into bad things. I continued to stress to her that if Angel continues his hard work, he can go far in life.

Then she asked how long I would be his teacher. And asked if she could meet me.

So when she comes to Houston to pick Angel up for a Florida vacation, I’m meeting my first parent!