The thing I did right

I did something awesome at open house today.

A parent, who had not come for the required intake conference, walked in with his son to see the room and get the locker combination, etc.

In a flash of brilliance I asked him to stay because I wanted to speak to him, plopped him down at the table, and had my intake conference right then and there, with other parents waiting outside, etc. At the end he told me that he never came to a conference because his son did well, and I said I wanted that to change since it's important for parents to hear that their kid does well straight from my mouth. He nodded; I doubt he agreed, though, and left.

I was really proud of myself for thinking fast to ask him to do that, for acting like my made-up ideas were school expectations, for being the first one to have ever conferenced with this man, and for telling him what I wanted as a requirement, not a request. And I hope that his kid gets to actually get some attention this year.