How many of you have had 'That moment'

[Foreveryoung]

How many times in one term can you feel that you can't take no more! Run up to Christmas and in a minefield of trying to invoke disciplinary... think I'm getting close to edge. Is everyone having such a hard term???

[louby loo]

One word - YES !!!!

xx

[finleysmaid]

we all have bad days...mine all seem to be personal today ...car broke down at a pre-school event on friday cost me £1500! to repair. Then superglued my fingers to the tube! add to this the death of two parents this term and a member of staff who's struggling.....i can only empathise with you! :huh:

[louby loo]

Although to be fair, it's not actually the children :1b :1b :1b

and it's reeeeealy the staff....

[tish501]

We seem to have an unbelievably high ratio of boys this term....more than 3 days of each week...with 23 children... it is 19 boys and 4 girls...never happened in 10 years of trading.....but also the discipline and manners are non existent in these mainly 3 year olds...and also lots of the boys still in nappies......definitely a trying term.....xx

[louby loo]

We had that last year Tish501.... in fact I have heard (and I think it may be true) that one school has actually added 'female' to its admission criteria for next Sept.

[Foreveryoung]

My kids are fantastic ? parents well I'm not doing bad this year ? same here more boys to girls. It's the staff, I'm now expected to also be a talking diary, sole nativity organiser etc etc etc then one member who I don't trust

The superglue incident finleysmaid I know I shouldn't but it did make me smile

[lynned55]

How funny, for the first time in many years we have a much higher ratio of girls . year before last was a nightmare with boys- like you we had 2/3 days each week with 19/20 boys and only 3/4 boys. Out of 14 children in this afternoon only 2 boys. However we do have quite a few boys starting after christmas

[Rafa]

I'm already counting .....'how many sleeps to Christmas'........

[tish501]

Thanks for all your comments.....it is 29 sleeps-counted for a little boy this afternoon lol.that is if if you open up to Christmas Eve...us-- we shall close Monday 22nd Dec just to preserve our sanity !! l

[flowlow]

It is a hard term for me too. Kids are ok, more boys than girls but high numbers who have support needs in communication and language and really high numbers in various stages of toilet training. I mean we always have a few in nappies but this term loads!!!!!

I have to agree biggest problem has been the staff, all my local settings the same. I wonder why staff are such hard work at the moment?!?

[blondie]

i know what you mean - its not the children - its everything else - being a confidante to a mum who is having partner troubles, chid protection cases -more than ever - staff moaning not enough time for book work - boys with terrible behaviour issues who need to have support teacher in(but he has no time) - speech problems ,so many but speech therapist is overwhelmed with children - i think i could go on for ever - fees, thinking about ofsted, planning ......................................................................................................

[SueJ]

You think it's bad now - just wait until 1 December when they all start coming in on advent calendar choccie highs !!!!

[tish501]

Personal comment...but childrens speech and communication hindered massively by parents/carers preoccupied with their phones....and not talking to their children....even see it in the street,and on the way to school......one hand on the buggy,the other with their phone....no mobiles when i walked my children to school talking,counting etc enjoying THEIR time.Those days are gone for some of our children....we have to pick up the pieces....

[Stargrower]

We're finding it tough too.

Christmas is the only time we're closed so the only proper break. Bring it on!

[Stargrower]

i know what you mean - its not the children - its everything else - being a confidante to a mum who is having partner troubles, chid protection cases -more than ever - staff moaning not enough time for book work - boys with terrible behaviour issues who need to have support teacher in(but he has no time) - speech problems ,so many but speech therapist is overwhelmed with children - i think i could go on for ever - fees, thinking about ofsted, planning ......................................................................................................

SNAP! :1b

[Guest]

yip...I'll join the club!

 

Had several moments this year and last and I'm thinking the towel will get thrown in sooner rather than later if things continue the way they are - memories of years gone by seem so much more chilled and enjoyable! (and it's not the children here either!)

Also can't believe how fast the year has gone!

 

Santa will he far too quickly!!! <buries head and waits for the rewind button to be created!>

[narnia]

Having mine right now....................

[flowlow]

although I have to say mine is not just staff it can be committee (although mine has just changed and so far they have been fab) previous year though was so hard, getting parents to stand, getting them to do what they signed up for, as for Ofsted saying they have to have more responsibility (or be aware of their responsibility well some hope of keeping them after that) Oh and what about other agencies we all have to work with who just seem to make the simplest task difficult, so instead of completing a simple job in 10 minutes it takes half the morning as you have to jump through so many hoops.

[Guest]

I agree to all the above as there's only two of us staff and my deputy also works at school club...means nativity, reports for parents,salt,ehaf, new parent/child inductions etc all down to me as well as OBS,assess, planning, admissions, finances...aggghhhh!!!got 20 children on roll 17 boys and 3 Sen...can't even think about my own Christmas stuff as busy withwith preschool. Will have to wait until we break up.......

[thumperrabbit]

Speech & Toileting - huge problems this year for most children

Listening & Attention - non existent in ALL children and parents!

Following Instructions - as above

3 Prime Areas should be all we need to focus on until a child enters Reception

[Devondaisy]

Can I join in too?!

It's been a hideous term! Thankfully my staff are fab, but having a nightmare with parents - not all, just the odd one or two, and committee is hard work too. I took on way too many new 2 year olds this term too!

I think 2015 will be the year I actually give up working in early years It's all become a bit too much....

Still waiting for Ofsted too which doesn't help! 5 years 11 months since they've been!

[thumperrabbit]

Can I join in too?!

It's been a hideous term! Thankfully my staff are fab, but having a nightmare with parents - not all, just the odd one or two, and committee is hard work too. I took on way too many new 2 year olds this term too!

I think 2015 will be the year I actually give up working in early years It's all become a bit too much....

Still waiting for Ofsted too which doesn't help! 5 years 11 months since they've been!

Exactly what I'm thinking too Devondaisy, not sure I can take much more of this, but still need some money rolling in

Oh well, each day is a new one, onwards & upwards :1b

[flowlow]

Speech & Toileting - huge problems this year for most children

Listening & Attention - non existent in ALL children and parents!

Following Instructions - as above

3 Prime Areas should be all we need to focus on until a child enters Reception

you could be talking about my setting thumper 14 with communication support needs some no verbal communication within that but also all of the L & A and toileting 10 children!!!! we only take children from the term of their third birthday so no two years olds as such. Big numbers.

[SueFinanceManager]

It makes me really sad when I read all of the above because you are all dedicated, hard working and pretty fantastic professionals that are doing an amazing job in what must be one of the hardest jobs ever!!!!

Sadly I think some people in our society have lost the ability to give just a little extra.....so your staff....whilst I wouldn't expect people to work for hours unpaid, I get frustrated by the 'not my job' type....the 'Out the door on the dot of 5pm' type....the 'Do the bare minimum' type....What happened to team work??? Do they not understand that by supporting each other then yes sometimes you might all stay on an extra 10 minutes but the next day you all benefit.

There seems to be a lot of 'Me Me Me' about....I know we all think our own lives are the most important but again, it's about give and take, helping each other to do the job and juggle the demands of life outside of the setting.

 

As for the levels of behavioural and language difficulties....are we just much better at spotting them or are there really that many more? If there really is so many more then we as a society should be seriously worried for the future.

Interesting what you say about language and mobile phones....even the green cross code man has had to make a reappearance to help road safety....for ADULTS!!! See here

There are times when I sit here at FSF HQ and I read all the amazing things you all get up to and I long to be back in a setting but then I read a thread like this and think thank goodness I am not but makes me cross that you are all working so hard and finding it all so difficult.

So sending big hugs to you all and wish I had a magic wand to solve all the problems.

Sue xx

 

[Running Bunny]

This time of year isn't too bad (ducks and runs away....) but we always have a massive issue just before the summer!

Last year it was 'bulb-gate' where the pots of flowers weren't labelled correctly which ended in a staff shouting match!

Then this year, it was the same member of staff who has an issue with unpaid overtime (very long story that the Vice-Chair and I thought we had sorted) but she went to the supervisor and Chair behind our backs and still nattered away and now they are looking into it. She has 'records' on her calendar going back to 2012, apparently. We are talking £100 or so here, but it is STILL rumbling on.

Sending virtual good luck wishes to everyone going through a bad time x

[LKeyteach]

Phew my moan is parents and Landlord making huge demands. I have spent 3 days this week trying to sort out an insurance issue which my Landlord has instigated and no underwriter will touch.

A child and their parents who we have supported for nearly two years has now decided that the report I wrote in support of a request for "statementing" was not "strong" enough because he is still at my setting! This was not the opinion of the EP or my IA. Child has been diagnosed with ASD, this morning whilst waiting for opening up he was playing chasing with two other children, making eye contact AND calling them by their name. Parent tells him to tell the other children that he does not want to play!

:wacko:

[thumperrabbit]

As for the levels of behavioural and language difficulties....are we just much better at spotting them or are there really that many more? If there really is so many more then we as a society should be seriously worried for the future.

Interesting what you say about language and mobile phones....even the green cross code man has had to make a reappearance to help road safety....for ADULTS!!! See here

There are times when I sit here at FSF HQ and I read all the amazing things you all get up to and I long to be back in a setting but then I read a thread like this and think thank goodness I am not but makes me cross that you are all working so hard and finding it all so difficult.

So sending big hugs to you all and wish I had a magic wand to solve all the problems.

Sue xx

 

I've not got the experience of some members (only 11 years) but personally I don't think we are better at spotting the signs I genuinely think that parents aren't doing anything near what they used to do with their children. I swear parents don't realise that THEY HAVE to nurture, show, play with, talk to and importantly spend time with their children - I think that they think children know what to do when they are born - I do think that we will be having more problems in the future I have already warned our Reception teacher!!

[lynned55]

Unfortunately I think TR is spot on. I maybe slightly better at spotting signs, after all these years but only marginally. Everything she says is correct, parenting has changes so much in the last 10 years even, sadly I really dont think it is for the better either. Also so many parents think that discipline and respect for others and learning NO starts with us. Honestly we now get so many whose parents have allowed them to rule the roost, do exactly as they like, go to bed when they want eat & wear what they want, watch TV constantly and then bring them to us and not only expect the children to stay with us without a backward glance but expect us to wave some sort of magic wand to 'fix' all the problems. Quite sad really.

[Guest]

Think my days in Early Years are numbered too... It will be hard to move on as the job fits in with my family life perfectly but the stress is too much. I just feel that no-one shares my vision and I am often banging my head against a brick wall.