What Do You Call Yourself?

[Rea]

A post on the U5 site asked what people call themselves i.e. Nursery nurse. The poster didnt like the term Nursery Nurse, and I have to admit to not liking it either. What name do you use for the job you do?

[Helen]

Hi Rea,

I use the term "nursery practitioner"; don't particularly like it, but I haven't come across anything better!

[Gezabel]

Not too keen on nursery nurse either ( maybe because of the medical insinuation with the nurse part??!)

 

Now I say 'Early Years Practitioner' but not too keen on that either!!

 

Not alot of help really!!

[Sue R]

Same here, Helen!

 

A Nursery Practitioner ( ) friend of mine has recently moved to a maintained school where she is based in Reception. She was disappointed to see the pigeonhole allocated to her in the staff room labelled 'Teaching Assistant', she told me "I'm no one's assistant, I worked hard for my qualifications and I'm proud of what I've achieved!" She spoke to the school secretary, who changed it to 'Nursery Nurse'! My friend has decided to quit while she's ahead, she doesn't want to be labelled a troublemaker so soon!

 

Sue

[Guest]

On our notice boards etc my staff are called "Early Years Practitioners".

 

The children and parents call the staff by their first names. When I first bought the preschool all the previous staff were called Aunty......., I soon changed this because an "Aunty" is a special person to her Niece/Nephews, in the context the name should be used.

 

As for me, I go by quite a few names ( be careful now ) I am "Owner", "Proprietor", "Manager", or Peggy, some of the children like to call me "Teacher" or "Teacher Peggy". My staff call me........that's for them to know, and for me to not want to know

 

There was a time when the term "Educarer" was in the media, but this name never really took off.

 

Peggy ( I think )

[Rea]

I havent got a title as such. Someone from early years phoned me last week, they're doing a census. Anyway I told him I was the playleader, I had a deputy, and a qualified and an unqualified. He asked if they were NN'S but I felt it was the wrong word so he put assistants. Not sure if this is right either. If people ask what I do I say I work with U5's, but my friend tells people I'm a teacher. She said it's easier than trying to give me a name I've tried calling myself an 'early years practioner' but it's a mouthfull.

Oh well, come July I'll be 'unemployed'

[hali]

Hi i call myself either a nursery supervisor or nursery manager as i do both really....

[Inge]

We still use Playleader, and play assistant for unqualified. i am known as the pre-school manager. all that have completed courses recently are told to call themselves "Early Years Practitioners", a mouthfull and never found on any data base so causes confusion . (Try an internet insurance quote. you cannot find it there. )

 

we too were called auntie when I started working here, even the parents refered to us as auntie. I objected but had to go with the flow as the others were all keen. I never used the title for myself or when refering to others though and children soon realised not to call me auntie!!

 

when I took over we quickly lost this 'title' and all call us by our first names but recently i was in contact with last playleader and she commented it was a shame to not use it!! (I have same feelings as Peggy over this.)

 

Inge

[Beau]

We too use playleader and play assistant. I quite like that as I think 'teacher' or educator is too formal and practitioner a bit of a mouthful! I also like to keep the link with playing as I think this is so important. All the children and parents call me by my first name though. At the nursery they have to call the adults Mrs ..... - some of the names are quite difficult and I think it is a shame for the younger children (they take them from 3) as they struggle to remember the names.

[Sue R]

Inge - I recently went to a Financial Adviser to open a new equity ISA, he couldn't even find 'nursery nurse' on his software, so for his purposes I am a nurse!!

 

Sue

[Guest]

I'm Early Years Teacher (must admit I do like having the term teacher in the title but wouldn't mind term Early Years Practitioner)

 

We have Nursery Officers (qualified NNEBs) and Nursery Assistants (working towards NVQ Level 3). Nursery Officers get paid more than NA. NA do not have carry files, not keyworkers.

 

Our Resource Manager works within the community and leads/supports groups in the centre. She is qualified NNEB.

 

This is in an LEA Early Years Centre.

[Guest]

I am Louise to all the children and parents. We don't use formal Miss/Mrs like in nursery classes in schools.

[Sue R]

I have (briefly) worked in a setting where some of the NNs were called 'Co-ordinator' and 'Senior Co-ordinator', but all the boundaries between them and NN, NA etc were so smudgy, nothing meant anything!! I was an Underline Manager, if you're interested - Deputy Manager, if you're as unsure as I was about the title at first!!!!!

 

Sue

[Guest]

Hi everybody

 

I have been know as axuillary when i was unqualified, then practitioner when i became qualified and people thought i was a doctor or along those lines. Then i became a keyworker, now i am teaching assistant/ Lsa in Reception/ FS2. My foundation co ordinator won't let us be known as early years practitioners as it will mix us up with the teachers if parents ask who is who. But i think really my name should be general dogs body lol.

I never know what to call myself so i also just say i work with the under fives bless them.

 

Bluebelle.

[Guest]

I usually call myself "Preschool manager" (or co-manager as we job-share), and on our paperwork we call those who work for us "preschool assistants".

 

The children call us by our first names, or sometimes "teacher" but we try and discourage that as we feel it makes preschool sound too much like school.

 

Carolyn

[Guest]

On paperwork I tend to put pre-school owner/manager and that is what is on my name badge. But I tell people I own a pre-school. I have a deputy manager, a senior assistant and then pre-school assistants.

We don't use first names for children to call us-I don't know why it's just how it has always been. In some ways that's just as well at the moment as I have 3 members of staff called Julie, which leads to a lot of confusion amongst the adults never mind the children!!

Linda

[catma]

I was Ms to the school, first name to the nursery children, but sometimes auntie, which an african child would use as a term of respect for an adult who was older and female and whose name they didn't know or had forgotten. Teacher is also used sometimes as a term of respect because your position is seen as an important one in other cultures, so I never worried. Sometimes I was even called mum!

[Guest]

My label: "play assistant" (although I am level 4 qualified - no career progression here, unfortunately!).

 

I call myself "an early years practitioner". I like to be looked upon in the setting as a "knowledgeable play assistant". With about 40 children on the roll, and no key-worker system, I like to think that some children/families find me useful (informally, of course).

 

All in the setting know me as "Diane" ..... except those children who call all staff by the same forename!!

 

Diane.