Guest Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 just got back form holiday (lovely time in venice even though there was a thunderstorm one evening) my NN told me one of my parents had been bitching about me to her, so shocked as she is as nice as anything to my face and thought we had a good relationship. basically as u may have read before im not into the oxford reading tree books but they were in place when i started my current role and some parents are fixed on them, due to my aversion to the ort i have not been changing reading books or doing specific indidividual reading with the children (prefering to follow their lead in play, having a group stroy time and reading one on one if they ask for a story, rather then stopping them to go through the ort books) before hol i did go thorugh this childs book with him as he had asked to read it, usually if i offfer to read any books to him he refuses point blank, thus i end up telling mum that he wasnt interested and that i prefer to follow his lead. while i was away mum sarcastically said to NN about me "oh shes finally read with him has she, and she tells me he doesnt like it, oh and shes changed the book" some people make me so mad!!!!! then it started the debate between me and nn again about whether we should even be using these books. me adament that some of these children are only 3 and we are not preparing them for school we are a stage in our own right, giving them the skills they will need, not preparing them for school routines, but yet again it comes up that "oh such and such, who is 4.5, going to school in sept, needs to get used to taking books home. arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! am i getting things totally wrong or is it everyone around me???? also had an arsey parent last week complaining the air con wasnt on cool enough!! parents huh!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Unfortunately, northernbird the parents are the clients and any radical change is bound to upset someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Oh nothernbird tell the parent to let them be children. poor little devil there he is trying to einstein before he's 4 bless him. they have years to read. can't believe they want you to make them read at their ages. Where is the fun in reading if they don't want to. you will probably put them off reading for life. Its like the things you remember from school like soggy cabagge being made to eat it. You can imagine that little boy saying when he's older " Yeh I remember being made to sit and look at books when I wanted to play with the cars" Stick to your guns and don't give in. Maybe your NN should have defended you by saying that things have changed for the better and we now do it this way!!!!!!! Good luck don't let them wear you down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmajess Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I teach reception and have a 3 and a half year old daughter and I would be really sad if she was spnding her time at nursery reading ORT. They are horrid, soulless books that don't inspire a love of reading. The pre-reading skills that children of this age need can be gained from fantastic picture books - all the talking about the stories, looking really carefully at the pics etc, and as for early reading skills, the reason they're called High Frequency words is because they're very common, so you can spot them all over the place! Could you chat with your NN and parents about the reading behaviours and skills the childrenare learning in your nursery and the different ways you teach them that don't involve children with stupid names like Biff and Chip? All the environmental print, children recognising their names on their coat pegs etc, reading labels and pictures on the boxes of toys etc they choose to play with, signs on toilet doors..... Maybe you could just really flag up to them all the different kind of reading situations you provide for the children and focus on the benefits of these things rather than why you are stopping the ORT, bookchanging stuff. Why what you want to do is great rather than the bad things about what has gone before? Hope you don't mind me joining you in your rant!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 tell your parents thier lucky to have air conditioning!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 here here to the air con if we want it cooler we have to open the window a little wider!!! try to ride the storm northernbird is this child starting school in Sept? if so i find some parents, at this stage in the game, get a little nervous about their child starting school and end up taking it out on the people that can help them ie US!, it's like they suppenly panic that little johhny down the road can read and write when thieir child can't, they never realise that little johnny hasn't actually become the brain of britain but his mum wants every one to believe he is (don't they/we all!!!) would it be a compromise to keep the books as they are untill Sept and introduce a scheme that you are comfortable with then, there is no point in you trying to work with tools that you don't feel fit the role, it's not fair on you to try to do something that your heart dosen't feel is right if you have the power to change it, change it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyjenkinz Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 HI Northernbird! I was just reading the comments here...the one from emmajess got me thinking...I very recently held a workshop for parents about reading with children and made a (lengthy) handout. I will try and attach it and if you like it/bits of it then feel free to use it! I also printed off some posters from the literacy trust and a leaflet from somewhere else...can't remember where at the mo! I'll attach the handout (really it was ideas to talk through with the parents, but as the responce was so high I couldn't do the informal chat/workshop i'd planned and had to briefly go through the handout and then pass on to parentes to read at their leisure!) Please PM me later in the week to remind me about the other booklet and posters (i'll try and make a link) if you are interested. unfortunatly i'm in the middle of an assignment so i can't go hunting around right now (I wouldn't know where to start looking! ATM)...but by friday i should be free again! Also, has your NN had recent training on what pre-reading skills are? Perhaps she is feeling the top-down pressure from the school. Stick to your guns...you'll get there eventually (with out the likes of Biff and blooming Chip!) booklet_2.doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Hi Do you use Letters and Sounds? That may be what you can guide the parent to look at. Jenny thank you for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 is this child starting school in Sept? the child of the parent in question is not 4 until december so is not starting school any time soon. the parent is a training teaching assisstant with yr 1 i think so probably doesot understand how the FS differs. NN has also worked in schools, so again knowledge of pre reading in FS may be limited. i will be using the letters and sounds but have not got round to getting myself soterd with the activities yet, and as has been said i need to train NN on it and explain to parents. we send a monthly news letter so i will put information on pre reading skills next month or send a seperate handout. thank you for the info jenny and fro everyones replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Hi -Northernbird I recently sent a letter out to all parents re-letters and sounds and commented on the Rose report research and findings. I think all settings have parents who are "wanting kids to run before they can walk" so for those parents, I have given them the information on how they can get a copy of it and know how they can help their children at home from phase 1. Just think back to that lovely holiday...................Dot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyjenkinz Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 NO problem...happy to help...there's no point in re-inventing the wheel is there?!!! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 and love of reading and books Inge Want a laugh --Apples and snakes worth a look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyjenkinz Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Oh dear inge...I have just spent an hour surfing you tube looking at nonsense when I should be writing my assignment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreamay Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 (edited) Im the same just doing anything but my assignment!! Should we swop assignments? !!! Edited June 17, 2008 by Andreamay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Oh dear inge...I have just spent an hour surfing you tube looking at nonsense when I should be writing my assignment! Sorry, but did think it relevant to the thread... and found the other by accident.. (then I went onto Little Rabbit foo foo, actually I have not read this one , how did i miss it, some of the films a bit graphic!! ) Hope you got the assignment done.. will try not to distract anyone again.. Inge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyjenkinz Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Im the same just doing anything but my assignment!! Should we swop assignments? !!! Andreamay perhaps we should! thanks again for your help the other day...I have finally got going...but rather slowly! I just keep telling myself...slow and steady wins the race!..... Inge, don't worry...it was really interesting...will definatly go back and have a proper surf later, when i've got this assignment out of the way...even the housework is a worthy distraction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Andreamay, get off this thread and get on with your assignment. (my cross do as you are told face ) Did that work? Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Hi I went on a course the other day and one of the 'quotes' I thought was really apt for this discusson was 'EARLY YEARS IS NOT A WAITING ROOM FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyjenkinz Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Listening to stories and fairy tales is ‘one of the most important planks of the platform on which literacy is built’. Gordon Wells (1985) Stick to your guns. Guide your NN to further reading to get her on board as it will be much easier with her support. Take what the parent is reported to have said with a pinch of salt. Maybe have a parents meeting to introduce Letters and Sounds and explain the importance of speaking and listening skills. I could not envisage having ORT in our Pre-School. Good luck, take a deep breath, smile sweetly and continue your journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Hi I went on a course the other day and one of the 'quotes' I thought was really apt for this discusson was 'EARLY YEARS IS NOT A WAITING ROOM FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION' LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 scared me Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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