parents helping in their own child's reception class, opinions please!

[sunnysideup]

Just wondered about other people's experience of this, mine is not wide so I'd appreciate knowing what others think - I have one ds who has been in reception since September..he's one of the very youngest, he will still be four when he finishes reception!

Despite this and despite a quite clingy nature, he has been an absolute star and settled brilliantly, give or take one or two weeks of crying when I left him; his teacher gave him a glowing report etc etc.....and he's come on in leaps and bounds in all sorts of ways....

The ONLY issue he has with school is that he finds it very very difficult to accept that some children's mums stay when I go; there is always a parent helper, always one of the mums from his class!

Not only that, but the Supply Teacher he has today is also one of the mums!

Am I misguided, I really thought that helping/teaching in your own child's class would be a conflict of interests and not at all 'the done thing'!

What do you think/what happens in your school???? TIA!

Haven't read the whole thread and think that while it is probably a better idea for parents to help in classes other than their own child's, my experience of helping in school is that it is difficult enough to get parents helpers as it is. I hold my hand up and say that working 4 days a week, the only reason I help out in the ds's classes on day 5 is because they like me to do so and I do like to have a sneaky look at them "in action", so to speak. If I wasn't going to be in their classes, I would probably stay home and try to tackle some of the ironing mountain!

I usually listen to readers in both classes but would never dream of talking about it in the playground or mentioning a child's progress to his/her mother and would hate to think that someone else would talk about my children in that way.

I don't like it but dds school doesn't object .My Mam bakes with dd1s class and actually moved up when they did and plans to bake with dd2s next year.This is a slightly different situation as she is out with a group rather than in the class and getting to nosy at the whole class (I admit I'd do that ) I have been in to help with parties but as I work I can't help regularly anyway.

I like the idea of parents going into school to help on an occasional basis. It's fun and helps out the teacher/TAs and if it's not regular it doesn't raise the expectations of the children whose parents can't go in.

However, there was a scrum of mothers who signed up to come in one day a week on a permanent basis and they frequently tell other parents how their child is getting on (in a rather self-important way). I'm sure they mean well but it pisses me off because we have a proper teacher & TAs to discuss my DCs progress with.

I'm currently thinking of how to deal with these unwanted reports without making life awkward for the next 6 years!

One of the TAs at the school originally started in her daughters class, I would hate it!I help at Rainbows and find it difficult to treat dd2 equal(and when dd1 used to go she spent hte whole time hanging off me [rolls eyes]

One mum asked to come in to help in her Y3 child's class when they were making harvest festival animals from vegetables. She spent the entire time making her child's animal herself & didn't even go near any of the other children.
Next time she came in to help, the teacher had her trimming worksheets outside the classroom the entire time

I offered to listen to readers when DD3 started at the school - I was asked whether I wanted to be in my child's class but said no as I have three children at the school and it wouldn't be fair to help in one class but not the others. I find it really interesting to be in the class they put me in, because I am not distracted by wondering what my own child is up to and can concentrate on the children I am supposed to be helping. Equally, there are parents who help in their own child's class and get a lot out of it. The main thing is, we are all helping and the help is really useful whatever the parent's motivation for giving it.

I think it depends on the child. My dd was very clingy, so I didn't help in school at all when she was little - she would have found it very hard whether I was in her class or not. When ds started, I helped from day 1 in his year. I go in one regular morning a week and I get used by whichever year teacher need me. Sometimes I hear reading, sometimes I do photocopying, sometimes I help with painting or making - hwatever helps. An extra pair of hands makes a huge difference - I can free up the teacher to do teaching while I do "mum" stuff if you see what I mean! I also help one morning a week in my dd's year 6 class. Once again, I help with whatever's needed - an extra adult makes a huge difference. And I find it helps me understand the school process - I was home educated at primary age, so it was all a mystery to me!