Many adults experience similar feelings when they hear the words “Parent-Teacher Conferences.” For some, those words may catapult them back in time, waiting for their parents to return home late at night, only to hear that while they were smart and academically thriving, they just couldn’t seem to sit still, stay quiet, or raise their hand before speaking. For others, those words might bring back feelings of anxiety or stress as they remember the conversations that took place before and after...

Growing up, I always felt particularly excited for the first day of school. Perhaps it was the opportunity to see my friends again, meet my teachers, or perhaps it was simply that I was always excited to learn. Education has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. When asked, I would always say, “I want to be a teacher when I grow up,” and that passion and excitement has never wavered. Similarly, once I graduated and got my first teaching job, I always looked forward to...