It's Friday and time for a positive teacher story.

[youarekidding]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my DS junior, year 3 teacher.

After problems with Infants and a better teacher/ year in year 2 the year 3 teacher has taken on board the comments (from his teacher and me) and DS is making 'amazing progress'.

Simply he struggles with literacy but was always told it's because he's a boy and late August born. He was however strong in science (level 3) and fairly strong in maths (2A/3). (end of yr teacher ass in year 2 results)

Confidence was a major issue for DS in being that he needed work aimed at his level so he could get it right. His current teacher put him in the middle group for maths and mentioned to DS he could try the higher work if he wanted too. DS began in Oct/Nov to try the worksheets when it was an area he was more confident in. He has been given lot's of positive encouragement and praise and certificates in maths.

Since the beginning of term she has encouraged DS to do the higher work each lesson and today he got a HT award for his maths. After the assembly they had their weekly maths test and she asked DS 'just to try' the highest test. He got 19/20.

So now he's been moved up to the higher group and will do the highest test weekly.

And apparently his confidence has increased so much in a subject he's good at he is beggining to have confidence to try harder in literacy.

So a big thankyou to all the teachers out there who take the time and effort to get to know pupils and make their school experience pleasurable as well as getting pupils to reach their full potential.

I am an LSA in special ed school so appreciate how hard a job it is too.

Lovely idea, Dd3's school is full of inspirational staff. She was very unhappy at her old school but is now enjoying most days. The staff are caring, open and always willing to help. I love them.

Thank you on behalf of all of us teachers who often only hear when we're doing it wrong - it's nice to get a bit of appreciation sometimes xx

That's great!

I noticed at the end of Y1 my DS is a bit behind in maths (couldn't add up beyond 10) so we practiced a bit each day over the summer. DS improved and I thought the school would notice. They didn't, after 1/2 term I noticed that he was doing Y1 work and it took me almost 1/2 a term to be listened to by teachers and DH! His class teacher only decided to test him after I told her that I googled the app grid, 'I can' statements and told her where I think he is with his maths as the school doesn't give that sort of information to parents!? The class teacher tested his maths after the holidays and he is now amongst the best in his Y2 class.

My DS is young, immature and often silly but I still feel that expectations were too low and that he was let down by the school.

My DC's teachers are fab, but I especially love DS's; when he started Y1 in Sept his handwriting was illegible and he never wanted to read. In three months she has produce a boy who regularly gets 10 or 9/10 in spelling tests having written all words nice and neatly, and who wants to read me his reading book. The progress has been astounding, and it's all down to her really understanding what he needs and what make him tick.

DD's teacher is a NQT and is fab too.

UPDATE: on DS' lovely lovely teacher.

She rang me tonight to say DS has been doing the higher level maths (not the 'super level!' as DS calls it! - which is the test level he's been placed in) Basically they have 3 groups named after shapes and each group is split into 2.

She rang to say he had completed 3 worksheets - they expect 2 maximum - and had got all 3 tasks on each correct and they had given him 3 stickers for each and 2hp's per worksheet. She wants to push him up a level/ group for the challenge but wanted my opinion first because she doesn't want him to go backwards. She then said she thinks he'll sail the higher level and that they are possibly going to look at IEP's/ SENCO referral because there's such a difference between his maths/ oral ability and his literacy.

Basically she said she thinks DS could do harder maths than is set for his year but needs more input because his literacy is developing but not at the rate it should/ they'd expect in year 3 - despite him working very hard. The SENCO would be responsible for assessing him for both. (?)

She takes so much time and care and I feel she goes above and beyond. I can see why DS loves her.

I love DD2's teacher (yr4) because she totally gets DD2's huge imagination and really expects a lot from her in reading and writing. She's let DD2 borrow books from her own collection to read at school, she has set up a support group for DD2 and her peers who are working at YR6 level so that they can get on with learning but still be part of the whole class, she offers concrete feedback on every piece of work so that DD2 knows exactly what she needs to do to improve.

I love DD1's English teacher (YR6) because she really takes the time to look at the work DD1 is doing, her comments show that she has read and not just skimmed, she praises specific achievements in a piece of work and highlights achievable goals. She also takes different types of writing very seriously - DD1 can now write a professional persuasive letter, using appropriate vocabulary and structure.

There are so, so many good teachers working in state schools, I wish this government would stop stamping on them.

pointy They sound lovely