Guest Posted September 7, 2004 Posted September 7, 2004 It's so strange, that the back-to-school dreams still continue for me even now I'm off the 'front line'. Last night I had a terrible dream that I had to teach two year 7 classes for the day, the room was a tip, I couldnt find anythng, the classroom assistant kept walking out the room and giving me evasive answers, as if I should know where things were (I'd never been in this classroom before, it was at the top of the school and had been mothballed for seven years.) Then I decided I'd teach art for the entire morning, and got out different materials, the children came in, and the lesson went terribly! They got unwashable paint all over the carpet in the hallway, I forgot to give the introduction to the lesson, at the end they rushed out ignoring my pleas to tidy up their materials..... then I told the assistant that I'd make a coffee and do it myself, and searched the entire room and found she'd removed every coffee cup so that I couldnt even get a coffee...........then the children walked (or bundled) back into the room, to the chaos, and I decided I"d have to just teach art all over again for the rest of the day.............. I was sooooo glad to wake up and realise it wasn't true!! Quote
AnonyMouse_79 Posted September 7, 2004 Posted September 7, 2004 OH dear Nicola! What a nightmare!! Quote
Guest Posted September 7, 2004 Posted September 7, 2004 It was!! I woke up sweating!! So weird that it was Year 7s too, and two classes of them with just me and one obstructive assistant. How weird is that?!! There were a few characters that I recognised from the past, including the ones who laughed when they spilled the bright pink paint on the carpet. Quote
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted September 7, 2004 Posted September 7, 2004 Oh No! Please dont tell me that the 'horrors' from the past come back. I can think of nothing worse, especially a bigger version of them! My first day went really really well. My poor aching feet though Quote
Guest Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Well today was my 2nd day back and I'm bloody knackered!!! Yesterday I had all my Y1s (19 of them, including a new boy I was told about at 4pm on monday!) oh and 1 of my reception kids turned up too! It was strange being back and seeing my old kids in another class and looking so much more grown up (only my 3rd year of teaching and was at another school for my NQT year). Today was the killer though. I had 5 of my 10 reception kids in and 1 of them drove me mad with her attention seeking screaming!! Ahh well, 3 more reception in tomorrow and full quota by friday! Roll on the weekend! Quote
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 3rd day back for me... new little 2 1/2 yr old on doorstep requiring a place, both parents just arrived from france, filled in medical forms, paid fees and then said that thier child spoke nor understood any english and told him in French there is the toilet... this is alison... good bye... I was astonished bless him he put his thumb in his mouth clung to my leg and stayed there till mum came back to pick him up. My deputy and i spent all afternoon racking our brains to put sentances together in french for him...... (not good i have to say) Borrowing my sons french book for Friday... Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Monday was the first day back for us. I had moved my pre-school to other premises where a pre-school had recently shut down. I had agreed to take on all of the existing children together with my pre-school children.All the children, staff and all parents but 1 have been brilliant. The supervisor has agreed to stay for 2 weeks and is then available as and when I need her.It must be hard for her as I have spent 6 weeks throwing out most of her very old equipment.Last year I managed to get funding for £2000 to spend on new equipment.Also I spend a lot of the NEG funding on new equipment.She is very supportive.This one parent just complains about everything including staff ratios down to the different room plan and the fact that I don't have painting on an easil in a specific place everyday. I tried to explain to her that I provide a balanced very varied curriculum that the children just love and learn from and which Ofsted are happy with and I intend to continue.Her reply was I don't care a ......... .......... about that but i want my child to bring home 3 paintings each day. This continued with her taking up so much of my time each morning when I was supposed to be talking to new parents and children that I had to ask her to decide whether she felt that my provision is meeting her needs by the end of the week. Her child seems very settled and happy and has not produced any artwork this week. We have had collage materials,painting sticks,stencils,felt tips and hand painting. I have phoned the early years they have offered to come down and speak to her.I will sort it out tomorrow when I see her next. Quote
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Oh Bubble, what a way to start a term. Some people could have the FS branded onto their forehead and still not understand it's worth. A quota on the number of paintings???!!! I must havebe given the best crop of parents around this year. All friendly, chatty, fun, prepared to let their children have a childhood. Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Yes Rea it was not a good start but I soon bounce back.The children have been so happy and both groups of children are playing together so thats more important than my feelings for this parent at the moment. I shall see what tomorrow brings but at the end of the day she either accepts that things have changed or she will have to find another setting for her child. Quote
AnonyMouse_79 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 hi Bubble, glad to hear everything is going well in spite of parents who dont like change. It'll be her loss if she decides to move eleswhere! Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Yes thanks Susan for your encouragement. It will be sad for the child though because she seems so happy at my pre-school how we she be able to tell her that she can't come any more? Quote
AnonyMouse_79 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Perhaps you need to point that out to mum! I cant imagine what she does with 3 paintings a day!! Good luck. Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Susan that wasn't the end of it after she swore at me and I asked her to not to speak to me like that she sat on the pavement in a crumpled heap and cried. Quote
AnonyMouse_64 Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 It's just one parent out of lots Bubble, so in the greater scheme of things it's not important. It sounds to me like she's got herself worked up over everything and probably knows shes not coped very well which is why she ended up in tears. Some people just don't like change - even if it's for the better and common sense tells them that it is. You'll probably find that once shes come round to your way of working she'll be your staunchest supporter! Perhaps she'll turn out to be a good knitter................................ . Quote
AnonyMouse_2732 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 Oh, bubble! What a rotten start, but I agree with Carol, perhaps she's just not coping very well. Hopefully carol is also right in that she'll come round and trumpet your own and your group's worth from the rooftops!! Sue Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 Yes Beau and Sue you are so right she came in eating humble pie this morning full of apologies saying that she often behaves like that if things don't go her way.!!!!!! Spoilt parent syndrome or does she have an underlying problem. I accepted her apology and all is forgotten. Wonder if she is a good knitter though Mnnnnnnn. When she came to my open day she wanted to know what I would be doing for her child so I thought fair enough and told her my plans for the forseeable future but she then asked me what I would be doing just for HER child. I should have judged her body language and told her that I didn't have a space. I would have been the loser because her child is very likable and has settled well. Quote
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 Glad she apoloised Bubblejack Quote
AnonyMouse_2732 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 you really should give the glass a rest!!!! Sue Quote
AnonyMouse_79 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 hI Bubble, if this child is as lovely and well settled as you say, then it sounds to me as if there is something else going on big time that is actually making this lady very unsettled and scratchy!? Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 Yes thats a bit worrying but the child appears to be unaffected if the parent has got problems. Quote
Guest Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 Hi Bubblejack, Your scenario is 'deja vu' for me. When I took over my preschool 3 yrs ago the previous owner had been there for 30 years and quite a few parents found the change difficult. My worse nightimare parent sounds very similar to yours ie: her son was bitten by a nother child and she phoned the police demanding he was (or his parents) charged with assault!!! The daily attention seeking behaviour over everything from ratio's to curriculum, to what her child did or did not do, to staff changes became quite difficult to manage. Her child however was a lovely popular boy, she was with me for a year but always found something to discuss or complain about, my 'friend' (in her terms) one day and then difficult the next. The reason I am telling you this is that In Easter 2003 she eventually left, an incident occured, a member of staff left for maternity leave which this parent didn't agree with (yet another staff change!!!!). She then daily said that her child was unhappy etc, one morning she bought him in crying ( I later found out from another parent that she had smacked him prior to entering preschool) "See, he doesn't want to come anymore" she said... I encouraged him to settle which he did at a puzzle, I then heard mum say to him, "What's the matter, what are you afraid of?" He then grizzled a bit so mum said right your going home, I spoke to her about him picking up on her anxiety ( I wanted to use the word attitude) which she replied saying it was not her fault and what a terrible preschool we are, I then politely suggested that if she wasn't happy, maybe she should consider taking her son to another preschool and to go away and think about it and let me know. THIS IS MY WARNING - Since that day she has held a 'hate' campain against the preschool- She complained to ofsted, but they wouldn't tell me in what context ( I recieved a non compliance order for not writing an Incident report EVERY time she had spoken to me over the previous year). Since Easter 2003 I have had one other malicious complaint made to ofsted that I had pulled a child by the hair ( local gossip informed me it was a from a friend of this parent) Ofsted investigated ( But didn't talk to the supposed victims parent!!!!) because of this I had 3 unnannounced visits from ofsted 1. one inspector. 2. two inspectors the 3. three inspectors 1st day of autumn term 2003. They went through my paperwork with a fine tooth comb, made compliance orders on staff not knowing how to set the heating!, out of 40 registration forms one was not signed, so standard 14 non compliance, staff had not signed accident record ( I now have 5 signatures on all my accident reports) etc etc. However inspectors spent little time observing interaction with children etc. LONG STORY SHORT PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COVER YOUR BACK, RECORD EVERYTHING AND LET THIS PARENT KNOW THAT THIS IS YOUR PROCEDURE. I may be overreacting but I have had 20 yrs experience, am educated to level 4, also have cert ed and this whole experience from just one 'unsettled, neurotic parent has nearly lost me my confidence, sanity and business. It was also a contributory factor to having an awful ofsted inspection last year. The inspectors ripped me to pieces ( after saying they knew there had been complaints but didn't have any details) On a jolly note I have had 99.9% of fantastic, wonderful, supportive, happy parents Best of luck. Peggy Quote
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 Oh Peggy, I'm just glad you had the strength to carry on. I only had a tiny bit of what you described and felt like going to stack shelves. And shame on ofsted, they should behave better than that and be regulated by somebody other than themselves. Bubble, I do think you should start a detail of when she speaks to you though, I still have correspondance from our 'mother from hell' and it gives me piece of mind. Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 Oh Peggy it has been awful for you. Did you have an early years development officer to help you.?. When I got home I phoned mine and they advised me to make a note of all conversations with this parent which I have been doing.A lot of the conversation from her consisted of swear words so the diary consists of lots of ............ This reminds me of an on-going incident I had for 10 years with a resident opposite my pre-school. She threatened parents even attacked one of them and has knocked down a little girl with her car door recently. She would try and burst in the pre-school if parents parked near her property. She is well known to all our town for different reasons!!!!! ????? and her language is foul. I kept my cool each time and phoned the police. When they eventually turned up they expected me to repeat all the bad language. What we have to put up with is unbelievable. Quote
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 going to change it this weekend Sue........... hello again peggy Quote
AnonyMouse_2127 Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Well, can you beat this. First week back and OFSTED arrived for a three day combined inspection. We had new 2 year olds starting and were obviously settling in the older ones. Although I can't say too much until the official report is out, all I can say is we had a very good feedback! Just look at these it might give you a clue As it is my own business I feel it is so important to be just right and I am soooo lucky to have such wonderfully dedicated staff that they think the same as me. After the inspector gave her feedback today and left us. we bounced around the hall just like 'children' (I hope she didn't look through the windows at us or she might have changed her mind about some of the things she said about us!!)) It has been an awfully long week for us and we are looking forward to next week! Sue J Quote
AnonyMouse_2127 Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Well, can you beat this. First week back and OFSTED arrived for a three day combined inspection. We had new 2 year olds starting and were obviously settling in the older ones. Although I can't say too much until the official report is out, all I can say is we had a very good feedback! Just look at these it might give you a clue As it is my own business I feel it is so important to be just right and I am soooo lucky to have such wonderfully dedicated staff that they think the same as me. After the inspector gave her feedback today and left us. we bounced around the hall just like 'children' (I hope she didn't look through the windows at us or she might have changed her mind about some of the things she said about us!!)) It has been an awfully long week for us and we are looking forward to next week! Sue J Quote
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Well done Sue at least its over now. Why did they take 3 days though? Quote
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Excellent news Sue its a fab feeling once its over and you got excellent feedback isnt it...hope you are celebrating 2nite...well done Quote
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