HelenaWaterworth Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Just to pick a few brains.... We welcome students from our local college undertaking various levels of Early Years courses. It does bring with it some degree of work for us, but we appreciate we were all there once and without these opportunities we would not be where we are now! Anyway, just wondered what other settings ask of their students? Are they expected to help with everything our job entails? I sometimes see their faces drop if they are asked to help with tidying or cleaning up tasks. I feel maybe we are a bit soft! your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreamay Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 our students are asked to do everything but not given responsiblity of a group or individual child or toileting unless they are police checked at the end they would be expected to do some tidying before they went and if they are just standing around first thing i send them to brew up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublinbay Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 We expect our students to tidy up along with everyone else. They have always in the past been willing to do this. After all it is part and parcel of the job. It's not like the old days perhaps when the office juniors made the tea and did all the grunt work. They see us doing it and so cant really say they are being 'victimised' by being made to get their hands dirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Students need to develop a good understanding of everything that working in an early years setting entails and therefore I would expect them to undertake the whole range of duties and tasks that a member of staff undertakes in a day - subject to the normal restrictions concerning CRB checks, appropriate supervision, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazzam Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 student_guidelines.doc we give out guidelines like these so they sort of know what is expected, i must update ours its a bit out of date now we're more child initiated so routine is different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 We expect our students to do whatever the job entails including tidying up afterwards. At the moment we have three students two who are brilliant and are always looking for another job at the end of the day and the third................well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazzam Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 noticed spelling mistakes too, thats good isn't it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 we have 4 students at the moment.......2 x student teachers , 1 x NVQ level 2 , 1 x Cache diploma (1st yr) They are expected to do whatever other members of staff do.........'yes even outside play' as I had to tell one of them!!!! 'but it's too cold outside' she said!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 We have 2 high school students attend our setting, they are great & do every thing i ask. I always say to the students that will be expected to sweep up and clean the paint pots etc just as i do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 students i have are a nightmare - going to stop having them!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I have 4 at the moment. they have to do everything that the staff do. In fact if it means clearing up to working with the children then the staff are with the children and the students clear up. they only get to work with the children if everything else is done. They don't do paperwork or toilet runs. You get good and bad, and I often take the ones that our local school don't know where to put them. They are a bit more needy but on the whole itr works well. it gives them an idea of working in a team and not being told what to do and having to show initiative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Same here Hali. We have stopped having students now due to the fact that they seem to think we work for them! We had one who came and told us she was having the day off, rather than asking if she could. Why was she having the day off - to go to the clothes show. Was this a collage outing I asked - no she replied, i'm just going. I rang her collage tutor and told her that we would not authorise this absense and that we would put it on her record, she agreed. Student never returned! Another one came and asked for mornings off so that she could go for interviews. Excellent we thought, don't want to stand in the way of her getting a career. Oooh no, these were interviews for evening waitress jobs. Wouldn't have minded, but she only worked with us 9-12pm. So had all afternoon to arrange interviews. She never came back either. Have spoken with local collage and told them due to the attitudes of previous students we are now not prepared to take any more. Harse I know but we have enough to do without wasting time on students who aren't fully committed. Oooooh that feels better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I think that your experience is an all too familiar one , Brenda and Hali! It's a shame for the students who do actually show commitment and work hard...and I do know that there are plenty out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 We have had a mixed bunch but on the whole they are showing less initiative now. I hope many of them go on to find another career other than childcare because they do NOT have basic common sense. I find that the 15 year olds are better than the college students. Last year on the day that we had visiting prospective parents the college student fell asleep at the dough table. I was furious and asked her to leave us. Our present one took a child to the toilet last week, sat in the home-corner being really silly and winding the children up untill they were hysterical and falling over. Hmnnnn I may have to reconsider as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I lost the whole point of the post here. Yes they are expected to clear up and tidy up during the session when necessary!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Our students have to clear up and tidy away. At the moment we have a fantastic student but have had our share of problem students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie-pops Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 It really is pot luck when it comes to students. Has anyone else had the students who just sit at a table and think it s okay to colour in a picture all morning!! We've also had students who have had personal issues and we end up looking after them as if they were another child! That said we had two high school students on work appreciation this year who were really good.One of those was apparently lucky to have been allowed on placement as her behaviour at school left a bit to be desired - which we were really surprised to learn and it was nice to be able to give really positive feedback to her, and to her school's placement co ordinator and to see how gobsmacked the teacher looked! Oh - yes - our students have to tidy up too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 We had a student who spent all morning colouring in a picture...at the end of the session, the head said "That's a lovely picture, let's put your name on it and you can take it home to show your Mum!" She didn't do that again...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenaWaterworth Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 It really is pot luck when it comes to students. Has anyone else had the students who just sit at a table and think it s okay to colour in a picture all morning!! We've also had students who have had personal issues and we end up looking after them as if they were another child! That said we had two high school students on work appreciation this year who were really good.One of those was apparently lucky to have been allowed on placement as her behaviour at school left a bit to be desired - which we were really surprised to learn and it was nice to be able to give really positive feedback to her, and to her school's placement co ordinator and to see how gobsmacked the teacher looked! Oh - yes - our students have to tidy up too! Annie pop it all sounds very familiar! Very worringly it seems initiative is going out of fashion. Thanks to you all for your thoughts and experiences. Maybe I should print the thread and put it up on our notice board in staff room!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Thanks Wolfie for that idea. We have lots of students who like to colour. I just wondered if they weren't allowed to do this when they were young or are just bored? I always remember the student that burst into tears all the time but found out later that she was pregnant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 One of our students paints/collages/prints/draws pictures and puts her name on AND takes it home! I had visions of them on her mums fridge but discovered she is putting them in her college file as examples of children's work at HER activity !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie-pops Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Ooh, Marion, that's shocking isn't it!(But it is also quite funny!!) It never ceases to amaze me some of the strange people who turn up on placements! " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I'd like every careers advice officer or whatever they are called these days to do a week in a nursery/playgroup setting.I think to many young girls think its a 'soft option' and this is supported by their careers advisors.It's hard work and they don't appreciate it.They push girls towards it when really its not suitable for them.I think some also think 'it will do' to fill in the gap between school and having children.Very sweeping statement I know but had too many students who just should not be in there. I expect all levels of students to do all routine jobs in nursery including outside play and toilet cleaning!.I have yet another ex-pupil coming tomorrow for a 3 week placement It sure makes you feel old when ex-pupils come as students and even older when ex-pupils bring their own children to nursery and worse still when old school friends are bringing grandchildren!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 We had a 16 year old student at our setting a couple of months ago. I tried chatting to her to make her feel at ease but she totally blanked me. More importantly, she had no interest in the children. If a child went up to the table where she was sitting, she got up and sat at another table. I got the distinct impression that child care wasn't her idea of fun and that she was there because she had to be. She did absolutely nothing for the week she was there and after that disappeared without trace. Just to add that I was at the time also a student (do I qualify as a student at 43?) at the playgroup. From the start, I always helped with tidying up, clearing away, washing paint brushes and mopping the floor. But maybe that's more to do with the fact that I have 4 children of my own and I just get on and do what needs doing. Sally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Our students are indeed expected to do everything we do - except take children to the toilet, and pack away without supervision. We currently have a student on placement from her full-time level 2 course and I've been reading our placement handbook. Under health and safety it mentions that the setting must ensure that students must have full access to protective clothing - including gloves to change nappies etc. I wondered if this was appropriate - aren't people without enhanced CRBs prohibited from providing intimate care for children? This got me confused - I wondered perhaps whether it was ok if they were supervised or something? Not that this would be an issue for us - we just wouldn't ask a student to do this anyway. My daughter has since decided to stay on at sixth form and do her 'A' levels but when she was considering enrolling on a childcare course at one of our local colleges she was told that she was too intelligent to work in childcare... What does that say about how a career in childcare is viewed - especially sad that this comment was by a childcare tutor... Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 (edited) That's a very sad comment Maz. Many moons ago, when I'd just taken my A levels, I went to a careers advice place and asked where I could enrol to do the NNEB - I was also told that I was "too intelligent" and was pushed towards a teaching degree, which I ended up doing. I don't regret doing the degree at all but have often thought and said that for the direction in which I wanted my career to take, the NNEB was in many ways more appropriate. I also know that I learnt as much from the NNEB that I worked with during my first two years of teaching, about child development, how to create a stimulating environment for children and how to relate effectively to children, etc. as I did from four years at college. Edited November 12, 2007 by Wolfie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie-pops Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Spookily we had a phone call today from a local college to say that a student who was to come to us on placement has left her course and, therefore, will not be taking up her placement!! Maybe she sensed bad vibes from me !! Wolfie, I totally agree with you about the low expectations those offering careers advice must have about child care! Why would you send your most dysfunctional individuals to look after something so precious! I think they have special labels which they stick on hopeless students and these say childcare and hairdressing!! I don't know about you lot but I'd like my children to be looked after by someone with at least one brain cell and when someone is poking around my head with a pair of scissors I'd like them to have an iota of common sense!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 I am so angry.... like I said in my previous post we have 4 students......one in particular has been 'a pain' if not for a better word. She only has to do 2 days with us a week and a block week every now and then. She started of quite good, used her initiative and interacted well with the children.......1 week later things started to go pear shape & I just got this feeling she was going to be a problem. She never turned up for one week and I didn't get a phone call from her...so I rang the college to tell them to be told that she hadn't informed them either and they would contact her They also said and I quote "we have had concerns about ......... so we will get her in for an emergency meeting", "thank you for letting us know". Had a call from .......to ask if she could pop in to do some observations which she needed to get done I thought how cheeky...can't come in to do her 2 days but can pop in when it suits she didn't turn up anyway!!!! She turned up last week mon, tues, wed & thurs.....no show friday. Should have been in today...no...and tomorrow, who knows??? I'm getting very and am thinking about calling the college again and telling them that we don't want her anymore. Is this a bit harsh???? We always make students welcome and do everything we can to help them with there course and I feel we are being treated unfairly. The more I think about it or write here I can feel I'm very more & more annoyed. mrsb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie-pops Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Gosh - I think we've had her twin! I think a lot of students lack the basic work ethic and social skills. As you have exemplified Mrsb it doesn't matter how nice or clever they are if they can't even be bothered to turn up! We've had to explain to them before that particularly in something like childcare, it is simply unacceptable ( Ooh I sound like Supernanny!) to not turn up and then phone mid morning. It is not good enough as a student and it would be intolerable if they managed to get as far as being employed. Mrsb you are not alone, let's all have a glass of "virtual" wine. Aah - that's better! We had a student who had a special "poorly voice" for phoning in and it was grotty job of the week to take her phone call as trying not to laugh was physically painful!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie-pops Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Oh no I accidentally finished the bottle of "virtual wine" I think I am virtually drunk!! Burp, hic.. !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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