Please Can Someone Help With My Anxiety?

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

 

I am feeling very anxious this term and can't seem to get a grip. This is my second year in Reception, 3rd year teaching, and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing - i did a GTP mostly in Year 4. I feel like I'm failing everyday. What I really struggle with is daily literacy and numeracy whole class activities.

 

The other Reception teacher and I decided to do 2 days literacy and 2 days numeracy, with daily phonics - so that means just 2 carpet sessions in the morning - either maths or numeracy and then phonics. my first carpet session finishes about 9.40am then my phonics is not until 11.30am. I try and get 2 focus groups done so they would run over 2 days. So there are 2 groups playing all morning effectivily without any adult input. What do you think of this?

 

Do you think I should go back and do a daily literacy and numeracy and phonics in the morning? If so, could someone let me have a look at their planning please? I'm okay with the first literacy lesson, but then struggle with the follwoing days?

 

Thank you very much!

Tash

[Guest]

Oh bless you. I can't help with the practical side, as I'm in a Preschool, but I can really empathise with that anxious feeling that gnaws away at you all the time. I'm sure you're not failing at all - that's the pressure talking. And I'm sure someone who can give you better reassurance than I can will be along soon!

[Guest]

I can't help either, sorry! Someone clever will be along soon to help - they're probably doing their literacy now!

 

 

Nona

[Guest]

Hi this is my first post - but I hope I can help !!!

I am a bit of a hybrid!!! I own and run my own pre-school but prior to this I was a reception and early years teacher for 13 years - till I saw the light !

Firstly the pressures on you and these little people are huge - remember it is still the start of their big school adventure and maybe if you were to ease off and boldly ,with no apologies for it, say I am not attempting 2 carpet sessions a morning till they are all settled and happy and I feel it is a profitable use of my time to have them sitting on the carpet again . Then that will freee up some time for you to fully do your focus groups and address the things you want to then instead of at carpet time .

From my teaching days I remember bouncing from one thing to the next - assembly , numeracy, literacy, science........ Im exhausted just think ing about it !!!!!

Dont apologise for taking a step back and saying 2 carpet sessions ( at the moment ) is too much I need to find different ways to deliver the things I have planned for . I also think that it is totally acceptable for two reception teachers to work in totally different ways - as long as the planned intentions , aims are fully covered by both of you - its only a means to an end .

Hope this helps x

[Guest]

Welcome DizzyLizzie. Its one big family here and you are already helping someone out! Take care tho, this is all very addictive!

[Guest]

Thank you so much for your kind words! XXX

[HappyMaz]

Tash: I can't help you because I'm not a teacher. However I do recognise the anxiety you're talking about - the feeling that the sky is about to fall in and there's nothing you can do to stop it. DizzyLizzy has offered some advice that seems to make sense to me - but then I'm no expert.

 

Remember what Nona said - you're not failing but you are under extreme stress. I hope you get some support to make things easier for yourself at work - but don't ignore these anxiety symptoms because stress will make you ill if you don't sort it.

 

Take care!

 

Maz

 

PS Welcome aboard, DizzyLizzy! Not dizzy at all are you?

[Guest]

Hi,

I'm new to foundation, but not to KS1 literacy so might be able to help a little. I have a mixed age class, and my Y1s and Y2s do have literacy sessions - the Y1s are up for it now, but I only bring our YR children into the whole class sessions at the moment if I think the text is really appropriate and that they will enjoy it, and if they are in the mood, or if they want to join as one of their activities they can opt in (and it's lovely to see a few actually want to!). Don't forget that loads of CLL objectives can (and should) be addressed through play, too.

I try not to keep them any longer than 10 mins for those whole group sessions though, as we have 30 in the class, not much space, a fair few wrigglebums and worse in Y1/2, and a few YR who simply aren't ready yet to sit for much longer. They do have their daily phonics, at the moment with my TA, but I'm going to have a stint with them when they hit phase 3 and my TA will do my phase 5 group (we cross-phase across school). We try to make sure they have a daily story either in their year group, in pairs, or a small group, if they haven't joined in our Y1/2 stuff - so for example this week the Y1/2s are planning non-choronological report writing about bats - YR stayed to listen to the soundtrack of bat noises and watched a short video - but the text was too advanced and they would have lost interest quickly. Instead they had a lovely story about a baby bat, have made a cave, etc. so still feel part of the whole "Bats" topic, but are accessing it at their level. When we feel they are really ready for a daily literacy/numeracy session, they will be brought into those sessions more often - but remember it's not a literacy hour any more, or a numeracy hour - they are sessions, and there is nothing to stop you, even when your little ones are ready for a full block "lesson", chopping them into more manageable chunks - eg. a guided read here, a shared session there, some independent work somewhere else. A review of each session can be a good plenary.

 

Hope that's of a little help - and as for your anxiety - I reckon it's a sign of a good teacher

[mundia]

Hi Tash, sorry to hear that you are feeling anxious at the moment. I do agree with dizzylizzy(welcome by the way dizzylizzy and thanks for that first input)

 

It is still early days in reception and it sounds like yur first carpet session may be quite long if it runs from 9 to 9.40? (or are you attending assembly as well?). 15 mins is long enough to get the most out of the session. I would also look at the focus groups you are doing, again they should be fairly short, no more than 10 mins at this time of the year. So if I had 4 groups, I would work with one and have my TA (if you have one) suporting play with the other groups/free play. Or sometimes your TA can take a group and you play with the children.

Ans as Tracy said, much of your CLL will be covered through the children's play and thats why its important to have an adult engaging in that too.

 

I hope that makes sense.

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

 

I am feeling very anxious this term and can't seem to get a grip. This is my second year in Reception, 3rd year teaching, and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing - i did a GTP mostly in Year 4. I feel like I'm failing everyday. What I really struggle with is daily literacy and numeracy whole class activities.

 

The other Reception teacher and I decided to do 2 days literacy and 2 days numeracy, with daily phonics - so that means just 2 carpet sessions in the morning - either maths or numeracy and then phonics. my first carpet session finishes about 9.40am then my phonics is not until 11.30am. I try and get 2 focus groups done so they would run over 2 days. So there are 2 groups playing all morning effectivily without any adult input. What do you think of this?

 

Do you think I should go back and do a daily literacy and numeracy and phonics in the morning? If so, could someone let me have a look at their planning please? I'm okay with the first literacy lesson, but then struggle with the follwoing days?

 

Thank you very much!

Tash

[Guest]

Thank you so much everybody! I love this site!

I do feel much better! I hope you all have a great weekend XXX