Whats The Most Mind Boggling Thing You've Heard In Ey

[Rea]

In light of the different advice we're given regarding plasters and the post by Sam2368 about tarpaulins I wondered what the most silliest or mind boggling thing you've been told in Early years is.

 

The silliest thing I was ever told was that the bikes with pedals were only to be ridden by children who knew how to pedal, as the ones who didnt know yet, would catch their ankles on the pedals. They were only to go on the push-alongs.

 

 

I have loads more but that one caused me to stand in thought for longer than any other.

[eyfs1966]

Love it!!!!!!! Mine was the early years advisor who told us that we needed to use tongs for the children to dish out the fruit as they had germs on their hands (even tho hands had just been washed).....until i pointed out that the germs would then go on the tongs and then still x contaminate!! His next suggestion....every child should have own set of tongs!! Whatever next!

[louby loo]

I was once told I should start making 'X' use a tray to carry his snack and drink back to his table - as this would beneficial as part of his transition to school.

All good so far...................only this child had SEN and couldn't walk unaided in the first place- and this advice was given by the area SENco advisor!!

[juliewilk]

I was told 2weeks ago by an ofsted inspector that I should have hazard signs wrapped round the 2 thistle plants in our garden. (We'd left the plants deliberately to teach children what they look like/ manage their own safety/risks etc.) I pointed out that thistles in the 'outside world' don't have signs on them...

[HappyMaz]

Oh dear! Mrs Ofsted would have had a purple fit if she'd been out in the woods with us today then!

 

I've told this story before, but during a support visit, my LA advisor tapped the vase which held the snack table flowers. She leaned towards me and almost whispered "they are available in plastic, you know". I referred her to one of our LA early years luminaries and her theories about teaching children the safe way to handle real materials such as glass and trusting them to assess and manage their own risk.

[liberty]

Not really advice, but I once joined a nursery where when I asked why the children were told they could not get in the huge outdoor sandpit they had, I was told 'because they would get sand in their shoes' ! ! Doh

[Scarlettangel]

We had a child with behaviour and communication issues who was (is!) prone to flinging himself backwards onto the floor when he doesnt get his way.

 

When we spoke to an advisor on how to handle this without someone doing their back in and to try and save him from hurting himself and she said

(and we needed to do this in a millisecond as he threw himself back and before he hit the floor)

 

we had to get the children trained up so that we could clap our hands 2 times and children would rush with pillows to put on the floor before said child hit the deck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT THAT STUPID WOMAN AND HER STUPID SOLUTIONS TO OUR PROBLEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SueFinanceManager]

I always thought the need to microwave egg boxes quite extreme to reduce the risk of salmonella and I think we were once advised we couldn't use loo roll middles....doh, these are the main stay of preschool craft activities across the world surely!

[Rea]

The best one...I've probably told this one but its a classic.

On an Equal Ops training day.

100+ people in the room 2 of which are men.

Four trainers each taking turns to tell some aspect of Equal ops.

On the subject of books, making sure they reflect the wider community and dont contain stereotypical images or text.

 

Trainer: Just choose someone to go through the books in your library. It doesn't matter who it is, you might have one male member of staff. Lets call him Tom. Tom wont want to sit in the staff room listening to women's talk, so give him the job.

Me, sitting next to one of the two men in room, felt 'Tom' flinch.

 

To this day I wish I'd challenged the comment.

[HappyMaz]

Someone told me that if I continually updated my skills, studied for a degree and achieved EYPS then I would be bound to get a job earning much more money, and the respect that my professionalism deserves.

 

Good job I didn't do it for any of those reasons then.

[Rea]

I think you win Maz!!

[HappyMaz]

I think you win Maz!!

Ooh is there a prize?

[Rea]

Yes, you get to sit on the grass playing with egg boxes and loo rolls

[liberty]

and conkers and rope and you may even be allowed to climb trees !

[purplewednesday1]

I was told as I was getting frustrated with the paperwork involved submitting my final EYP assessement tasks that "If I worked hard I could qualify to be a 'proper teacher' within five years"

... bad enough

 

...I qualified to be a teacher 20 years ago!! I also have a Masters in Education

 

- when I said this to my 'Mentor' she laughed and said "Oooh you're probably more qualified to do this than I am"

 

Exactly I thought!!

 

Duh!

 

Hurumph ... pw x

[Guest]

When I asked the manager of a day nursery why there weren't many books in the toddler room (ages 18 months - 2 years) I was told 'Because they can't look after them'

Edited July 17, 2011 by Guest

[catma]

Every practitioner that's ever told me they have done the EYFSP without having or referring to a copy of the handbook. It's just baffling!!

[Guest]

if this thread teaches us anything it is that Early YEars advisors are just that ADVISORS and we the people who actually do the job can choose to take the advice or not. do not treat them like ofsted or gods they are not, they like HVs are often those who cant hack it at the coal face!

[Rea]

HV's have caused me some moments of head shaking too.

One told me, when I said my 2 year old son didnt like vegetables, that he would eat sprouts because he was too young to know the difference between that and a sweet!!

 

I think not!

[HappyMaz]

For the odd bit of advice or guidance given by Early Years advisers that might be wide of the mark I would contend that the vast majority offer a lot of much needed support for settings and individual practitioners to improve their practice, often in the face of resistance and reluctance to change. I would hate to see them all tarred with the same brush, just as I would hate see the actions of practitioners whose practice is unsafe or inappropriate being used to stigmatise that of knowledgeable and conscientious early years workers.

 

None of us has the monopoly on wisdom and thoughtful approaches to our work and from time to time even the best of us slip up or make ourselves look just a bit foolish. Or is that just me?

[Rea]

Nope! Me too Maz

[catma]

if this thread teaches us anything it is that Early YEars advisors are just that ADVISORS and we the people who actually do the job can choose to take the advice or not. do not treat them like ofsted or gods they are not, they like HVs are often those who cant hack it at the coal face!

 

Well I know my settings see me as a goddess of common sense and useful information!!!! As for hacking it at the coal face - 20+ years of inner city teaching in EYFS does make me believe I am pretty good at what I do. (Being judged outstanding by Ofsted helps too.)

 

Cx

[SueFinanceManager]

Well I know my settings see me as a goddess of common sense and useful information!!!! As for hacking it at the coal face - 20+ years of inner city teaching in EYFS does make me believe I am pretty good at what I do. (Being judged outstanding by Ofsted helps too.)

 

Cx

 

I think Catma makes a really valid point, you always trust a professional who has worked in the field more than one who has just got the certificate if that makes sense. I had a HV who had no children and couldn't relate to me sitting in my PJ's at 2pm looking dazed and confused having been up all night with a colicky baby and she would say the most aggravating things but HV no 2 had 5 children of her own, one with Downs and she'd come in and put the kettle on and within moments I felt I could do the whole baby thing and hung on her every word.

 

Like all professions there are good and bad and sometimes you are unlucky enough to get a duff one

[louby loo]

Like all professions there are good and bad and sometimes you are unlucky enough to get a duff one

 

I totally agree with this, which is why I think it is very important to fill out the evalution sheets honestly - I aways used to be very soft, but now I am 100% honest. (tackfully if need be though!)

[Guest]

My main memory of my HV is her coming round and asking if my son was eating solid food yet. Not that unusual apart from the fact that he was scooting round the room in his walker with a piece of toast in each hand, munching away on it. When I pointed this out she quickly changed the subject to tell me that babies who use baby walkers are ALWAYS late walkers. I chose to ignore this gem of information because he loved his walker and I wasn't particularly bothered how old he would be when he walked... he walked at 9 months old...

[HappyMaz]

he walked at 9 months old...

that late, eh?

 

I still haven't forgiven my health visitor, who told me if I breast fed my son for a year I'd have a flat stomach. I fed him for almost three years (yes, that's right) and he's 14 now and I'm still waiting for the flat stomach to arrive...

[Rea]

I read a baby book while pregnant with my first son that said 'by 6 weeks your baby will be sleeping through the night'. Well, he woke up every night until he started school. I'm not quite sure how he survived

[Beatrice]

Some years ago , following my OFSTED inspection as a Childminder, the Inspector put in my report what I considered an unfair comment. As parents would be seeing the report, I decided to try to challenge the comment.

 

After being sent to half a dozen different people, I was finally floored by a woman who listened to my concern, then said kindly, "Don't you think you are taking this inspection a little too personally?"

 

I was a Childminder. There WAS only me. How else was I going to take it? I gave up at that point and trusted that my parents knew me and would judge for themselves.