Listening to reading - parents in school

[Treetrunkthighs]

I'd like to volunteer to listen to children read in dd1's school.

The letter came home today and they need people at a time I can do, provided work don't mind me being 15 minutes late once a week.

Dh has said that he can't understand why I'd want to do it and that he'd rather I was at work (with him incidentally!), however we have agreed that I'll volunteer and if they need people on my day then see how it goes.

Has anyone done this? Can you tell me what you got out of it so I can reassure him that I don't just want to skive off for 15 minutes a week!

[thisisyesterday]

ask him how he would feel if no-one volunteered and his child never got read to in school

where is his community spirit?

i think it's a great thing to do, and it benefits all the children so much.
i don't do it as have 2 smaller children, but i'd love to if i could!

[collision]

ooooh we love parent helpers at our school

In fact I was one and then got offered a job at school.


It means the children can be heard more than once a week with the TA because there is no scheduled time AT ALL in the week for the teacher to hear the children read

which is shocking.........but there is soooo much to do in the school week


Do it and enjoy it and feel part of school life.

[domesticsluttery]

I help out in my DC's school, although not with reading. I help with the crossing the road lessons for Year 1 and an after school craft club.

I really enjoy doing it, and of course the children benefit from it.

DH thinks I'm mad too, especially as I work PT with nursery children and then volunteer during my "time off", but I love it!

[baffledmum]

I helped out one afternoon per week with reading. What did I get out of it?

A better understanding of my child's progress relative to her class for starters. A good connection with the school and the feeling that I was contributing to the class as a whole. I was really shocked that the actual teacher had very little time each week to give over to listening to children read and in the end, due to the number of parents who helped out, the whole classes reading levels were much higher than expected at the end of Y1.

I'd strongly encourage it - my child was also really chuffed to see me one afternoon per week.

[aegeansky]

Hiya,

I helped with the supported reading scheme over a couple of years. It is a great benefit to some children who have no one, ever, to listen to them and support them in their reading.

IMHO it isn't at all about listening to your own child, which you can do anywhere, anytime, and I made a point of saying that I wanted to support another class.

I helped out 3-4 times a week, and then rushed off to catch up with my late start at work. Best part of my day, everyday.

[basildonbond]

I've been helping out with reading for the last 5 years. I've now had pretty much the same group of children since they were in y1. I love it :) Some of the children I work with NEVER read with an adult at home, some have extremely chaotic lives outside school and their weekly slot with me is one of the stable things in their life. It's been lovely watching them progress and develop - and realising that children don't progress in a nice steady curve - one of 'my' boys had stalled for about a year, then suddenly made huge leaps and bounds in the last two weeks of term. I will really miss them when they leave primary [sniff]

I've never read in my own dcs' class - can't really see the point of that - and I like a bit of distance between me and my readers' parents. The first year I was working with the younger son of one of my best friends and that was very tricky...

go for it - it's well worth it - for the kids and for you!

[NickOfTime]

i was a reading buddy with yr 1s and 2s, mostly the children who were struggling. as someone else said, it gives some children the opportunity that they might not get at home, for various reasons, and also validates their progression - having an adult interested in how they are getting on, and their achievements, however small

i always spent a little time with new children finding out what they thought about reading (sometimes quite negative) and enjoying their changing perspective across the year as they became more confident. really rewarding, particularly when you get one who loathes the idea of books and turns into a real bookworm in a year or so, and turns up at the reading desk with a huge grin instead of a frown. amazing.

[maktaitai]

Your dh genuinely can't understand what you would get out of it? What kind of brain does he have?

Well, i got: a realistic picture of where ds was in his reading; a much clearer idea of what actually happens in school; made friends with lots of the children ds spends all day with. And felt I was doing something, you know, positive for the community.

[Clary]

I loved helping in school.

What I got out of it was my current job I suspect (I used the experience to help me get a place in a school after being made redundant from another industry last year).

Seriously, I loved helping the kids, seeing them progress, doing what I could to aid an under-resourced school.

Also loved to see how the school worked and feel part of it in a big way. It was always my fave part of the week. When I was out of a job for 6mo I went in to one school or the other in some way most days!

I work FT now and can't go in any more and am very to think of the new starters I should be in there helping with coats and Biff and Chip.

[sazzlesb]

You should absolutely go for it - 15 mins is hardly a big deal in the scheme of things is it? Teachers generally love parents volunteering to help with reading - as someone else has said, some poor kids clearly get no reading at home so it's massively beneficial to them in particular. My experience with reception kids last year was great and my 2 (I have twins) loved it when I came in as a "helper". Helping with swimming however was somewhat more of a challenge.....

[Over40]

Parent helpers for reading are completly wonderful!! I once got told by one parent that I should listen to every child read for 10 mins EVERY DAY!
I replied by asking what he would like his child doing for the other 4.5 hours that day that I was tied up listening to other children once I had heard his! He shut up then...

[lovecheese]

Must admit to being a bit at the idea of a mum going into DD2's class; A couple spring to mind who are competitive and gobby and am quite sure they would not adhere to any confidentiality agreement.

[Sassybeast]

Go for it - it's brillaint to see a kid develop from one term to the next. as many others have said, there are loads of kids who don't have the opportunity to read out loud to anyone so for them it's about building their confidence and letting them see that someone has the time to listen and support them. I'd like to think that if any of mine struggled with reading, that there would be that little bit extra help available.

[ragged]

I loved being a parent helper, I'd love a job more, admittedly, but that's what 5 years of SAHM-dom does to you.
Bit of both would be great. :)

I will try to help again once youngest DS is settled in preschool.

[NoahAndTheWhale]

I used to listen to readers before we moved and must try and do it again here.