I'm staring down one of the longest days of the year.  You all know it as Back to School Night.  For a bunch of people who talk in front of large-ish groups all day long, doing little ten minute presentations for mostly amenable groups of parents should be fine.

And it is FINE, and I'm actually pretty good at it.

But, man, it turns me into a sweaty, blotchy mess.

What really rattles me is if my jokes fall flat or if no one is smiling and nodding.  I generally try to identify a smiler as the parents walk in and then repeatedly make eye contact with this cheerleader throughout the presentation.

If I don't have a smiler-nodder, I go to the worst case scenario. "They're hating it," I think to myself, which accelerates the blotchy.  This year, I'm smart and I'm wearing a button-up shirt buttoned all the way to the top button.  The worst is if you wear a scoop neck, and the parents can watch the red rise all the way from your shirt line after that first lame attempt at humor.  Even worse if you get hives, which has happened to me before.

So, I'm going to close with some advice.  If you're attending a Back to School night tonight or any night, identify yourself as a supporter with a firm handshake, a big smile, and a "My child LOVES your class," on the way in.  Say it loud enough for other parents to hear.  Who cares if it's really entirely true.  Just help that poor literacy educator get through the next ten minutes.