Final conferences. They can be scary, especially when you don't know what to expect. They can go really well, or they can be pretty unpleasant. You sit down and talk to your facilitators about your semester project and your semester.
My first semester conference was pretty bad. I hadn't had the best semester, knew this, and then had my facilitators tell me this. I was frustrated with myself, and the conference didn't help. Not to mention I'd been feeling lonely, homesick, and stressed. I'll admit it. I cried.
But don't think for a moment that conferences are frightening. I just had a bad one. It happens sometimes, I suppose. But this semester, I got to see the other side of the coin. My conference was amazing!
I wrote short stories for my semester project. I get nervous sharing my writing with people and talking about it with them. I've had some bad experiences in the share-your-writing department. This wasn't one of them. David and Harold liked my stories. They asked me some questions, and gave me helpful feedback. I kept wanting to grin as my nervousness melted into pride. I'd worked really hard to make those stories good, and I'd done it!
And then the talk turned to my semester. Sure, I still need to work on the talking thing some more. I know this. Still working on the confidence thing, after all. And I found myself assured that I was doing okay, and given suggestions that could help increase my class participation next semester.
And when it was all over... I felt great! I have a feeling that this is what most conferences are like, but I couldn't stop grinning because it was such a contrast to the previous semester's conference. I worked harder this semester, and instead of ending it frustrated and with tears, I pulled through with a grin and a huge confidence boost.
And I like that. I like how, if you really try your hardest, your facilitators notice, and you have a great conference. It's like magic! Yay! The semester's over, my class participation has improved, and I look forward to the fall. Sure, I'm in for a boatload of Natural Sciences, but I'm pretty confident I'll do even better than I did this semester.
Improvement is a wonderful thing, and I totally found it this semester.
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