Guiders Staff Room Part 3

[Groovee]

Reconvening over here ladies.

We've been doing lots of praise for good behaviour and have a star chart for the sixes, with prizes at the end of a half term for the six with the most stars.
We'll do unit rules that the girls come up with themselves next week. We've been fairly relaxed about them going to the loo whenever they need to, but are going to insist on one at a time from now on as there was damage in there this week.
Then if we need to we may indicate the red and yellow card system.

Thank you all for your ideas. I am a teacher in a secondary school so have loads of discipline strategies, but they're all based on an underlying understanding that they are there to learn. Brownies is different as it's supposed to be fun, so we don't want our discipline strategies to be too much like school. So it's been great having your ideas to judge what's reasonable for Brownies.

If only it had snowed earlier in the week, we could have cancelled it, lol.

Don't forget you're a volunteer at Brownies.
Teachers get paid to teach - the naughty kids as well as the good kids. And they legally have to be at school.
With your volunteer hat on I think you're entitled to tell parents you're not prepared to keep a child in Brownies if their behaviour is difficult. I've only done that once in 15 years, but the child was impossible

As someone whose DS has SEN and who is more or less the only child who has had a yellow card in Y1... please don't.
He alternates between excited that he has got something special, and anxious about his behaviour.

Welcome to new faces!

Oops DrSpouse!

Had the email to say my census cheque has arrived. That's a relief.

Behaviour wise, I use similar tactics to DrSpouse. It is supposed to be fun, but sometimes they need to learn to let go of themselves and try something.

We had a neighbour PCSO visit this week, his car was the biggest hit! Did you know you can fit approx 15 Brownies and a YL in a patrol car? Glad our meeting was Tues, Cubs, scouts & guides have been cancelled for tonight, also endurance 40 this weekend.

I would definitely try to avoid the red and yellow card system drspouse. I'm comfortable using a system like that at school (secondary, where I know who has SEN and can use different strategies for those kids), but I'd rather not do that at Brownies. I do think we need to be clearer that disruptive behaviour will result in us speaking to parents though. Currently they seem to think there are no consequences for some pretty bad behaviour. None of the girls have SEN that we know about, but there is a group of very rude girls who don't listen to anything we say and frequently wander off from the activity to do handstands/cartwheels/mess about in the toilets. So I think they do need to start seeing some consequences. Old brown owl only left at Christmas, and she didn't believe in telling Brownies off, because it's not school and they should be allowed to have fun.

Gymnastics is not allowed in our gal as it's quite small. All it takes is a quiet word with the Brownie who hasn't listened and they don't seem to do it again.

I'd do unit guidelines and if the group of rude girls wish to be rude, I'd split them up.

R/B/G all cancelled tonight, it's bitter out there. Have told parents to show me a pic of their Rainbow playing in the snow and they can have their Growing Up Wild in Snow & Ice instead.

I want some warm!

Yes, need warm here too. Scouts, Cubs and Guides for my 3 all cancelled yesterday. Going to give my unit a chance to finish their snow challenge!

Hi I am reasonably new to the Guiding family, having taken over a Unit last September. Trouble is that I was supposed to be doing mainly assisting, but have turned into the main leader/admin/accountant 😫

Just looking for support and ideas really, and is it ok to moan if I am finding it a bit stressful? Just pleased I have got through my accounts being audited and Census’s sorted really.

Mothering Sunday activities this week!

Welcome FFS! What section are you with? The facebook groups for the various sections can also be very good for ideas though there is sometimes an abundance of craft on there (craft allergic Brownie leader here) And please do feel free to moan!

Thanks! I am in the East of England.

My main gripe is that we are both leaders in training, can’t do promises yet, and literally stumbling through stuff!

What has generally happened in our district, is when a leader leaves, there is another leader already there to take over. The Unit I am with was going to close and put an advert in a local paper. The district isn’t used to having two brand new leaders who don’t have a clue about anything.

The girls are fab, and I am getting into the swing of planning, and we have some great meetings. Just sometimes I need to go argh!

When you say you can't do promises, do you mean that you can't make your promise or you can't hear the girls make theirs? As I think both are possibly incorrect. You need to make your promise to get your leadership qualification but you don't need to leave it until the end (unless you want to). I also don't think that you have to be a fully qualified leader to run a promise ceremony though I'm going to ask as now I'm curious!!
Do you have a mentor? Don't be afraid to ask them for help. Also feel free to post any specific questions here.

There are 3 leaders on training at my unit. Our unit was going to have to close too, but 3 of us as parents agreed to do it together. I sincerely hope we're allowed to hear the girls do their promises as we've done 2 since we took over. I think we might do our promise with the girls some time. We've covered everything except the first aid and safeguarding training, as we're still waiting for a training to be available, but there's one in April that we're booked onto.

We did mother's Day stuff last week so it had a chance to dry before they take it home. Are you Rainbows, Brownies or guides?

I am Brownies.

It would make my life so much easier if I am wrong!

I have done safe space and first aid training. The other difficulty I have is that the other leader doesn’t seem to want to go on training, or sort out getting on Go. We didn’t know each other before. She is a parent of one of the Brownies, so that is how she was interested.

One of our best evenings was a slime making workshop!

You need to have done your promise (but no more than that) to hear a promise.

Fab, thank you. I will try to organise it.

Where are you based FFS? Maybe one of us could do your promise ceremony for you to do yours?

One of my DD's guide leaders has become a brownie leader. She keeps calling me the Brownie whisperer 😂 but ask any questions, happy to help!

Suffolk! Thank you. I prob need to get on to my mentor about it.

Census in the post! Now to get on with the rest of the term.

Welcome new faces - lots of help here and also a reminder not to be scared of asking for help from your DC or the division and county advisors.

It's also a good idea to visit a couple of other units to see how they run. You'd be amazed at just how much you are doing well.

Welcome new faces! FFS, I read your post wondering if you were one of the two new leaders in my district, starting in an identical way, but then read your Suffolk!

Could you ask your DC to visit your unit to hear your promise? Make a party /whole night around it, eg promise activities for the girls to help them understand exactly what you all promise? I aim to do one night a term with something promise-y, just recessive they have short mind-spans. It also ticks adventure badge boxes.

I recommend a spreadsheet for keeping track of the adventure badges and I'll probably do the same with the new programme.

I have a question, what can a District Commissioner do that a District Administrator cannot, paperwork wise?

Last year when it was announced that our dc's had reached the end of their term, once leader agreed to become DC if someone else would do paperwork & GO. I agreed to be that person, but now County are saying there's still stuff she'd have to do, which is not what we wanted. We only agreed to do it to prevent our district (which works well) being merged with the other in our division who cannot get a DC.

Sign RENs.
Take responsibility for ensuring all units are being properly run according to the 5 essentials, that girls are getting a good Guiding experience, and that all Leaders are properly trained.
Dicipliniaries. Handling complaints. Attend Division meetings.
Collect annual accounts and review to check units are well run (the accountant will only check accounts are correct).
Presentations.
DBS checks.
Speaking to new volunteers to be sure they know what they are signing up for (ie it's not just an after school club, as some people think) and discuss the various roles open to them.
Work with mentors.
Make sure there is succession planning in place where (eg) have elderly Leaders.
Local recruitment and publicity.
Monitoring waiting lists and working out when to open new units or close/merge existing ones......

If you give me a bit longer I can probably come with other things I am responsible for. It's quite a responsible line management job, and takes up a fair bit of time. We split the role between two DCs where I am.

Our District had a team rather than a DC for a while. Only complaints and REN were done by her. I did recruitment and DBS, we had a treasurer, and the mentors also checked up on unit programmes.

There are job descriptions on line I think.

If any of you know the answers to my questions posted in Feminism chat, or agree/disagree with my worries, please do post.
I'm also thinking of starting a FB group for gender critical Guiders as the main chat groups are not very friendly or aware.