My First Seminar

Life is full of firsts. First steps, first word, first day of school, first graduation...
There's even a first time for my mother to use the word "pro" (that was two seconds ago) ... ...

At the end of 12 years of schooling, and after many prolonged conversations with some of my students' parents, I decided that the time has come for yet another first: my first seminar.

As a first generation student in America, and the first child to survive the entire schooling process from Kindergarten Day 1 through High School Graduation, I have a lot of stories and experiences to share. As a teacher, I have gathered even more stories and observations on the minds and emotions of children/students.
What I noticed, particularly, was the confusion that my mom and I felt with parts of the entire process. We had to figure out a lot of things for ourselves, often times at the last minute. Many times, things can turn out ok. But with something as big as our future on the line, it's scary to think about all the "what ifs" that can result if we didn't make that deadline, or didn't find out about a certain event.

After my JHU acceptance came, I realized that I didn't want other parents and students to be plagued with the same confusion and worrying I experienced. I wanted to make the process as smooth as possible, clear up questions, and provide insight into the child and student's point of view on the whole matter of education and parenting. The things that worked for me, the things that were a pain, the things that were a complete waste of time -- I told all.

I do have to say that the seminar was quite a success (despite the one father who came, took pictures of all my slides, and left without saying even a "thank you" or "goodbye"). The parents seemed to like it, and I liked the fact that they were so interested and open in listening to a college student's words and input. In part, I would like to thank them for being a great first audience.

Will there be more? Of course. In life, as long as there is a first, there will be more to follow. Life is all about breaking ground, and tonight, I added yet another first to my life.