Misconceptions

[Guest]

Hello again, Jacqui here. I am still gathering evidence for my staff meeting on the Misconceptions of Early Years Education. I have subheaded it into 4 sections. The misconceptions of parents, teachers and other professionals, misconceptions of play and staffing ratios. I have been delighted with some of the my research has discovered and wondered if anyone had any experiences that I could include. One teacher in KS2 actually said at a staff meeting ... ' it's only nursery it doesn't really count', ... another fellow professional asked a EY colleague if she was starting at nursery and working her way up? Others have even admitted they felt they had little if no status within their setting whilst working in FS. I would love to hear from you so I can include any misconceptions you have experienced within any of these categories. One parent has actually asked me not to give her 3 year old a book to take home as she can't read yet! Another refused to work at home with her child stating educating her was my job!

 

Looking forward to hearing from you

 

Jacqui x

[Guest]

I have 20 Year R children with only part time TA support, and was told by my head that the other staff had questioned why I was being given 'an easy time' when they had 30 children (with full-time TA support I might add).

[Guest]

I have 20 Year R children with only part time TA support, and was told by my head that the other staff had questioned why I was being given 'an easy time' when they had 30 children (with full-time TA support I might add).

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Hi Gail, what planet are these people on?!!! They need to experience it to even begin to know what they are talking about. Easy time my a***!

 

 

Jacqui x

[Guest]

I remember a caretaker congratulating me on my 'promotion' when I moved from Reception into Year 1 Goodness knows how he viewed my colleague - she was 'still in reception' when she celebrated her 50th birthday! I discovered a few years later he thought she had been demoted when she went from Y1 to reception a couple of years previously.

 

I am now a teacher in a nursery in Scotland where occasionally we can suggest a child's first year in primary is deferred. One of the teachers in another nursery suggested this to a parent, giving all the beneficial reasons but the parent wouldn't have it at all - until she went to see the 'real teacher in P1 who persuaded her to defer her child. Needless to say the nursery teacher was a little put out - why do parents not view us the same as a primary teacher

[Guest]

Forgot to add - I had a deputy Head who thought reception teachers were paid far too much for an 'easy life' and 'just playing all day'. He taught year 5 so I persuaded him to swap for a week - he got to the end of the week absolutely cream crackered and from then on in many every staff meeting he would slip in some comment about the value of reception, play and the teachers who 'deserved every penny they got and more'. What a complete turn around - all cynics should have a week in there, it worked in my school

[AnonyMouse_3307]

I was the DH and when I moved to the nursery over the playground many parents asked me if I still was the deputy too!!!

 

However, if any of you have also been one of "these people" and taught through KS2, as I have, with 30 children, generally no additional adult support and that little I had earmarked for intervention programmes, children with equally time consuming challenging behaviour, except they are bigger, more defiant, more devious and know their "rights" it can also be very demanding and exhausting. Each phase presents it's own challenges and we should appreciate them for each other - otherwise it turns into a tit for tat scenario. YES many people do underestimate the value and importance of the pedagogy of the early years and it is good to share this and create a mutual understanding of roles, but to a hard pressed Y6 teacher, trying to engage some difficult children,and to get more level 5's than before, someone in the nursery garden "just" walking around with a clip board and being able to engage in a 1-1 way all the time, may really look just like an "easy time". So do try and see it from both perspectives. Perhaps everyone should swop around and try teaching different phases to appreciate the different pressures and challenges equally faced???

 

 

Cx

[Guest]

Quite agree Catma - my week in Y5 was no doddle either. I have taught classes from Nursery to Y3 and all those year groups have their pressures. As a DH I had to work in classes up to Y6 which was an eye opener for me. I also feel that while teachers have their strengths (and mine is in early years) everyone should experience some time in other year groups if only to see where the children are coming from/going to.

[Guest]

Quite agree Catma - my week in Y5 was no doddle either. I have taught classes from Nursery to Y3 and all those year groups have their pressures. As a DH I had to work in classes up to Y6 which was an eye opener for me. I also feel that while teachers have their strengths (and mine is in early years) everyone should experience some time in other year groups if only to see where the children are coming from/going to.

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I totally agree with all your comments and feel that time spent in other year groups can only be of benefit to both the professional and the children.

 

Jacqui X