Volunteering in DDs Reception Class- what do I need to know please?

[Skintandselfish]

I have volunteered to help in DDs reception classroom one morning / afternoon a week.

I have no experience of this type of thing, other than my own schooling which was many moons ago.

The class is large (29 children) with one teacher, a teaching assistant and one other assistant who I think supports two children with special educational needs. For phonics the children combine with another class and are split into four groups depending on the stage that they are at.

I told the teacher that I was happy to do whatever tasks would work best for her.

Am feeling a little wobbly- can anyone (particularly teachers) give me a few dos and don'ts for classroom volunteers please? I start today.....

Discretion about anything involving the children.
Tolerance and an ability to listen rather than assertively direct.
A sense of humour and perspective, and a strong stomach.
Honesty if you are getting stressed or over-faced by something.

'I told the teacher that I was happy to do whatever tasks would work best for her.'
You sound great already.

Don't gossip in the playground about what you have seen!
Try and be sensitive to what the teacher is trying to achieve,ie there might be a reason he/she hasn't tackled an issue with behaviour. Listen carefully and ask the children for their ideas rather than telling them the answers.

Be friendly! When nervous it is easy to come across as very stern.

i was a reading mum at dd old j&i school for 7 years i read with then helped with spellings etc .also went on many school trips whith them ,i was also a dinner lady/lollypop lady too so a lot of the kids knew me ,enjoy i did

Frankly in our class it's so full-on you don't get time to think about what you're doing you just do it. It's great fun, exhausting and very illuminating. Just keep all that knowledge gained of the little dears to yourself (I'm sure it will be most useful in years to come....)