Conferring Walk-Aways Practice, Practice, Practice

I always tell myself that I need to have patience along this journey of classroom improvement. I know that implementing new ideas and the process of continual improvement always takes time; however, it is easy to still have those creeping thoughts of wanting to get there a little bit faster. Ironically, when having conversations with a new teacher at my school, I often mention that she needs to remember that everything will not fall into place and be perfect all at once and to not be too hard on herself. Yet, I sometimes fall into the temporary trap of feeling overwhelmed with all I want to do.

It is nice to have seasoned teachers such as Allen who have more than 20 years experience working on refining and improving say it is okay to work through the process. Even though I already know that and have read it in various other books, it is still refreshing to hear it one more time. Throughout Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop Allen has recurring comments about the patience, practice, and time it takes to be a good conferrer.

From the beginning he commented on a common reaction he has with teachers who feel like they could not confer like he does, "Yes, you can. Take it slowly. Experiment. Get your hands dirty. Strengthen your foundation" (13). This reminder helps put it into perspective for me to celebrate the beginning of my journey and that I have started the process of building a foundation, rather than worrying too much on how far I have to go until I too am a master conferrer.

The following are more quotes from the book that I will revisit often, especially any time that I feel myself forgetting to focus on those small celebrations:

"Conferring takes time to explore, time to practice, and time to reflect upon as a conferrer [...] but when you spend time and intention on an instructional practice the benefits are well worth the effort" (19).

"I don't specifically remember learning to confer. [...] I do know it has taken hard work, practice, and reflection" (29).

"So, it is through hard work and practice that we get better at conferring--managing our time, gathering information about readers, knowing which path a conference will take--and doing it well" (180).

Keeping Allen's words of encouragement in mind, as well as his candid comments about his own beginnings with conferring, including ideas that did not work out too well, will help me maintain my focus on the spirit of being a life-long learner, always striving to improve. Most importantly, he reminded me that even though my earliest efforts are not where I eventually want to be, they are still valuable from his comment about his own early experiences, "What I saw on videotape was not horrible, but it was proof that my conferences today are much more engaging and certainly much more intimate than they were in the past" (149). Finally, Allen reminded me to never be afraid to try again, "And if need be... start again" (115).