The big day

I was ready for the conference.  I had my laptop, charger, internet piece and crossed fingers.  On Tuesday, I had told my principal what was going to go down and he was so excited.  He asked if he could be invited.  I explained that it would basically look like me speaking English into my computer screen but that he was more than welcome.

I show up to school with Guille, as usual, at 8 am Wednesday.  I get to the computer room and plug everything up hoping for a connection.  Just once.  Just one day.  I needed the connection this day.  I had semi-success.  I had internet and could do type chatting.

Next thing I know, about 6 men and women dressed in all white file into the computer room followed by the principal.  I go into a minor panic attack.  Doesn't he remember that we had reserved this space yesterday and he wanted to even be a part of it?! 

Maybe they're just here for a minute.  Be calm.  Be patient.  Deal with it.

Five minutes later I was too jittery.  I went to ask the principal what was up and he answered matter-of-factly that they were doing school-wide urine and blood samples today.

Right.

Of course. 

Why hadn't I thought of that obvious answer myself?!

I take a deep breath.  I make sure my face is not portraying what my insides are feeling.

"Are they going to be in here all day?"

"Yep."  He barely does me the courtesy of looking me in the face as he answers.  I begin to wonder what I've done wrong in the past 20 hours to change him from excitement to indifference/annoyance.

"So... about my conference."

"Yeah, I don't know."

"I can't do it in here?  There's no other place they can go?"

"No."

Hmmmm.

Get it together.  Don't cry.  Don't fret.  Deal.

"May I use your office?" 

"Of course."

That's not as simple a solution as it seems.  A few weeks before, I had been in the habit of taking my laptop to school because there was no internet on the school computers.  While I could typically get a connection from the computer room (either from my broadband or from tapping into a neighborhood house), I would lose it if I went into the office.  Just what Bewley needed- to present my PowerPoint with my notes minus Señorita.  Just what I needed- to have tried so hard for this to be perfect and for it to be a disaster instead.

I packed everything up, sucked it up, and headed to the office.  Fingers crossed for the second time this day.

I wasn't going to "waste" a call (though I don't think internet connections really work that way), or at least waste my luck, but we did it anyway.  The call worked.  Bewley let me go and gathered up her kids and the rest of the first grade to head to the auditorium.  The next time we spoke would be show time.

The conference was amazing!  Bewley had told me both when she received the slides and again when she got my notes that it was perfecto.  That it was just what she was hoping for and that it would be great.  Again, I thought it was average, but my response of course was, "What do you expect from a Fulbright teacher?!"  If only I had believed that!

At first, we did a quick video introduction.  I must give the kids mad props for being able to say, "Buenos días, Señorita Klapheke," on the first shot.  Klapheke is hard for people who have had practice.  We hung up after that and then did just a voice call so we wouldn't have as much as a delay.  Besides, they had the presentation to look at.  I narrated via voice chat until about slide 6.  I lost them for one slide, but called back and caught up with slide 7.  When we finished, we did one more video to say Adiós.  I ended the call with lots of energy and pride.  I felt I had succeeded.  It was a great 30 minutes!  I later got an email from Bewley saying it was great and that the kids had asked to do it again next year!  I think being able to see me made it meaningful.  Also, there was a personal connection even though they've never met me, they know I'm Mrs. Harrison's friend.  By the next morning, I had an email from one of the other first grade teachers thanking me as well.  Mission completed.