What are you called at your setting?

[Conker]

No I don't mean behind your back!!!

 

I'm starting at a new setting and previously I have always been known by Mrs Surname as it was felt childen get used to this before they go to school and most teachers are known by their surnames.

However at this new setting the staff are known by their christian names. I know it sounds friendlier but......

 

So what do I do? First proper day tomorrow. I dont want to be the only member of staff being formal as it were or do I insist all the other staff are known by their surnames, should I ask the parents what they think or let this lot go to school and start from September. Is it all just too confusing and I should just go with the flow.........

Hmm decisions decisions!!

 

would welcome your views :1b

[dreamgirl]

Boss

[Fredbear]

To go with the friendly home from home approach of our setting and caring for very young children from 2.5 to 5 years we are called Auntie........ and Uncle.........

Our parents really like this style and even call us this long after their children have left.

[finleysmaid]

Just first names for us. Only problem we have is when i go to school and the children are told to call me MRS X ...they haven't a clue who the teachers are talking about :rolleyes:

[sunnyday]

First names too! :1b

[narnia]

first name............

[JacquieL]

First names as that seems more informal and friendly. The children wikl soon adapt at school when they need to.

[Beau]

In the setting I ran we used first names, later I worked in a different setting and it was Mrs........ I really hated that! Why so formal for young children? To them it is just a name so it seems a bit daft to make it more of a mouthful than it needs to be.

[Stargrower]

First names for us. I don't really understand the 'getting ready for school' thing. It seems to be applied to so many things these days. When children start school, they just adapt to the new environment, the new routine, new children, new adults etc. It may take some longer than others but I just feel we can't prepare them for everything. Going to school is about new experiences.

Sorry, turned into a rant on another subject really. We had several children 'poached' by our local school nursery class this term and their parents were told that it was crucial they came 'to get them used to coming to school'... :huh:

[Inge]

First names...

 

also hated the auntie tag, which the setting had when I took over... .. I am not a relative an will never be their aunt... so I was called by my first name and others aunt... never phased the children, as the new ones came in and new staff then we dropped the aunt.

 

and as for getting ready for school, my soap box time too.... we are not there to get children ready for next stage, but a stage in its own right... do year 1 keep getting them ready for year 2 all the time? So why should we be getting them ready for what is to follow... ( actually some of our children went on to a reception class where the teacher was known by her first name too... so not all schools insist on the 'miss' etc either. )

[twinthinguk]

first names in our setting, we had a little boy who came to us from another setting who kept calling me aunty... took me ages to work out why!

[thumperrabbit]

First names for us too.

When my daughter started at Pre-school the leader was called Mrs... The rest of the staff were first name.

[SueFinanceManager]

First names where I worked too although I was double barrelled 'Silly-Sue' :P

[Guest SamG]

At my old setting we were called Auntie, but this caused problems when my niece attended the setting and asked me why everyone else was Auntie when I was her Auntie!!

Now I have my setting and we use first names only (still causes problems as there are 2 of us called Sam!)

[Conker]

Thank you all so much :1b

 

I have had a lovely first day with the children, they spent a long time showing me 'their' playgroup and making sure I didn't get lost!

It takes a bit of used to getting called by my first name all the time, but then again it was nice being introduced to the parents as 'the manager' ooh just hope I can be everything they want me to be!

I think the 'getting ready for school' bit comes from the parents, this setting seems to pick a lot of children up for the last couple of terms as we feed into the village school. I am hopefully going to see the new headteacher soon for a visit.

 

Thank you all again

X

[Guest]

To go with the friendly home from home approach of our setting and caring for very young children from 2.5 to 5 years we are called Auntie........ and Uncle.........

Our parents really like this style and even call us this long after their children have left.

 

I am in a nursery unit (maintained - so it has to be full names i.e. Mrs/Miss ...), which I feel comfortable with.

In response to the use of 'Auntie' I recently received the following 'safeguarding' alert!

 

 

Dear Colleague

 

Professional boundaries

 

All adults working with children should be aware of the importance of keeping professional boundaries. Adults are in a position of trust and need to be aware of the vulnerabilities of children. They need to avoid situations which may blur the boundaries. This is particularly important where children themselves may find it difficult to differentiate between the various types of relationships they have with other people. It is therefore important that adults working with children avoid and discourage the use of terms which may further blur the boundaries.

 

We have received clear direction from Children’s Social Care that the use of ‘family’ type prefixes in an early years setting is not acceptable. For example, using the term ‘aunty’ or ‘nanny’ before a practitioner’s name. This may be the usual way a child addresses all adults outside the family, often encouraged by the parent to be respectful; it may be a term used more widely in a setting to address all adults and has historically been the case. In both circumstances, the use of family terms should be avoided.

 

The use of such terms presents a number of issues:

• A sense of over-familiarity
• A lack of, and a blurring of professional boundaries making staff (and volunteers) vulnerable
• Confusion for the child and mixed messages
• Difficulties for statutory services when undertaking an assessment of a child in understanding relationships inside and outside of the family.

 

Children’s Social Care has asked that all settings review this practice (should it apply), whether for an individual child or for all children.

 

Adults working with children in an early years setting are professionals doing a job. Inevitably this will be a caring relationship but it must be distinguished from a family relationship where there will be different boundaries and different levels of acceptability.

 

This may be a difficult message for children and parents to understand, but it is an important one. Please feel free to share this communication with parents and carers if necessary.

 

Hope this is useful!

[apple]

I sometimes get called 'Mummy' but this is usually just a slip of the tongue!

I am in a maintained nursery and it is the more formal Miss/Mrs/Mr

I would much prefer Christian names though. DevonMaid thank you for the above - can you supply the source please?

[Guest]

I sometimes get called 'Mummy' but this is usually just a slip of the tongue!

I am in a maintained nursery and it is the more formal Miss/Mrs/Mr

I would much prefer Christian names though. DevonMaid thank you for the above - can you supply the source please?

 

It was an email from Plymouth City Council - I don't think I am out of order to state the source ... ... am I?! :huh: If so, would some kind FSF person please advise/remove? Thank you. :1b

[JacquieL]

On the contrary, the source is something that should be acknowleged.

[Guest]

On the contrary, the source is something that should be acknowleged.

 

Jacquie - thank you for your prompt reply - it's SO reassuring to know that we have someone 'overseeing' our posts (no, I am not being sarcastic!) - it can sometimes be a 'worry' when you have posted something, but not 'quite' sure if it is 'acceptable'!

Thanks again!

x

[laura]

I'm Mrs XXX and Laura as I'm mainly in the baby room but I also teach in the local primary school so to the older ones I'm Mrs as they will come to me later on. However this is only our first year as day care, after many as pre-school, so over the next couple of years I don't know how they'll handle the transition from Laura to Mrs XXX. the staff in the baby and toddler rooms are first names, but the next 2 rooms are Mrs or Miss.

[Guest]

We always used to be known by our first names in preschool, and the move to school was more traumatic for me than it seems to have ever been for children. Everytime a child in the school with the same first name as myself had their name called out my head whipped round! I've also had the slip of the tongue 'mummy' which just makes me feel the children are comfortable with me. But I did draw the line when one child last term called me 'grandma' - I had to stop him and ask if I was that old or did my hair just need doing!

 

Edited to say I've just remembered one of my TAs is Mrs X in class but called by her first name in the school after school club. Even the youngest children just adapt according to the situation and manage to use both names in the correct contexts.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Guest

[lashes2508]

At my previous setting we were Mrs xxxx - thought it too formal but could see the benefits too - was confusing when one member of staff got married - at my setting now we are all first names and i have a terrible habit of nicknaming or adding on names to staff and children but do check with parents ! for instance the children call me JoJo - Nina Ribena , Michelle my bell - who was called belle by one little girl and children hannah bannaah , will- i - am - children love it and helps with rhyming !!

[beth1]

Work in a primary school so know has Miss T or even Mrs T. Although I've also been called Miss K or Mrs D (other staff). Which in response I look around and say I can't see Miss X around here, then they said my name. Slip of the tongue of mum or gran!!! Lol

[Hoolahoney]

Just to add to the confusion re: Auntie, We are called Auntie in our setting and were recently praised for this!!

Our EYA pointed out that in line with attachment theory with three levels, level 1 being immediate family (Mum, Dad, etc) level 2 being extended family (Aunts, uncles etc) level 3 being aquaintances, we should be forming a bond that is as close as an extended family member level 2. She obviously understood that it is a professional bond not a family bond but was very impressed with the Auntie tag, saying how well it showed that we are forming bonds with the children to the same level as a real Aunty.

We don't insist on being called Auntie and if a child doesn't know my name I just say my name not "Auntie xxx" but it is something that has filtered down over the years and the parents can either use the term or not, we don't mind either way.