I don't WANT a parent helper to write comments about dd1's reading in her reading book!

[pilote]

Is she a teacher? NO! Am I being totally unreasonable to ask her teacher who this person is and what her qualifications are? The TA already does most of the reading and handwriting practice with dd1, what is her bloody teacher doing all day fgs.

ah,well ive not come across that and maybe as im also a cm i have more discretion, i aslo wouldnt think it MY place to tell another parent if theyre child had a problem at school, id go to teacher to let them pass it on.

my ds was 4 in july and has just started in reception. i have offered to help out as a parent and help with their reading one afternoon a week. must admit i have been slighty put off now after reading these posts!!

I wasn't thinking of you Clary but I've seen it on here and I've remembered anecdotes such as foxy's and enid's being relayed too. Totally unacceptable IMO.
I really do think reading volunteer work is not the best use of all the parents willing to help out at their school.
and I'm in the process of training to do a voluntary club at my dcs' school from Jan.

Why have you been put off jenjins?

I guess most schools use volunteers for reading as it requires relatively little 'input' from them.

There have been some incidents at our school where comments from parent helpers in reading diaries have led to all sorts of problems. So it can be very sensitive. The school obviously expects people to act with discretion but we don't sign anything.

I have had people ask me things like how their child compares to others in their reading group or is it true that X is on Stage 673 or whatever. It's difficult to deflect this kind of question without sounding a pompous ass.

FWIW, when i read with my mindees i always always put a positive, its up to aprent/school to find any probs..so if billy has trouble with longwords, i say "billy tried really hard on the longer words today, well done" or the like..kind of draws atention without making an issue.

i wouldnt even permit myself to comment on any childs reading ability at all. i as a parent would'nt feel awkward about another parent helping my child to read but it is obviously something that some people have an issue with.

I am quite happy for DS to read to a parent helper but AFAIK it isn't happening this year. There is nothing in his reading record from a parent helper certainly (and there was last year) but then there is nothing in there from the teacher either. So it is a double act between me and the teaching assistant (except she isn't a class assistant she is assigned to a child with special needs and is I assume giving up her lunch hour to do this, and does have older children in the school so is in a way a parent helper). DS reads to her on a Thursday lunchtime (might not get to this week because they are going to a multi skills workshop this afternoon). So as far as I know he hasn't read to his teacher at all yet. Although I guess she might fit in a session before parent's evening on 1 Nov. But I doubt there is anything she can tell me about DS's reading.

one of my parents asks me NOT to read her childs reading book with her as its something they do together..fine, she reads MY books here with me, no issues at all, the other aprents ASK me to read and let them know how the kids are doing.

Well, you've highlighted another worry singersgirl - what happens when a volunteer is hassled by another parent about either their own child's reading or another's. That must be very upsetting for a volunteer trying to just help children and not get drawn in to gossip etc

Off-topic, but is it just me or is everyone else seeing the 'reading' in Marina's post in green and getting a pop-up ad when they scroll over it? How scary.

Yes, Marina, it is quite difficult and you don't want to seem awkward or evasive; I try to stick to the bland and pleasant - "I think the teacher knows which group they should be in etc".

yanbu - I'd be annoyed at someone - who is unqualified writing their comments on reading. The teacher is responsible for assessment.

Oooh, no - must be the ad which is adjacent to the top of the thread
I promise I have not posted a secret blipvert link

So if only the teacher is qualified to write in the book, DS's book would actually be blank.

I don't understand why the comments to the op are so harsh, I can see where the op is coming from although I don't agree. I think the problem is lack of communication. Parents should be informed that parent helpers listen to the child read and make comments on their progress. If a parent helper feels that the child is struggling or not making sufficient progress it should be flagged up with the teacher.

I'm unqualified (in teaching terms at any rate ) but I do believe I have given some good feedback to the teachers (not shared with the parents afaik) over what help children who have read to me really need, and sometimes those children have later got that help. It's hardly rocket science spotting when a child doesn't know the basic sounds. Not sure it should have been down to me to notice, mind.

The parent helpers at my dd's school aren't allowed to write comments in the books - only if they finished the book for this very reason.

I've helped a few times but I admire those who can spare the time every week. Naturally we all want to to read nice things about our dcs. It's not always possible.

I would just like to thank all you lovely people who give up your time, for nothing, to help out at in schools, listening to reading, etc. I listen to my DD read every night but if anyone else is prepared to do so too, for no thanks whatsoever, than I for one am extremely grateful. So thank you all, and please don't be put off by the few who don't appreciate your help, because children and teachers benefit enormously and most are very grateful.

"I have absolutely no interest in hearing any other children read - I work hard enough with my own children encouraging their reading as it is." That says it all to me Pilote - in my experience it always those parents who do the least for the school who complain the most.

I'm a parent helper at dd's school in her Reception class. Her teacher asked me to write brief comments in the children's books but I said I didn't feel comfortable writing anything other than that I heard the child read xxx book and the date. The reason being that I didn't feel qualified to make suggestions and I'm friendly with lots of the mums so if I had to say something negative I worried about how that would affect my relationship with them.

So far the reading's been all over the place from really good to not understanding English enough when I ask them to sit down to read to be able to do it! How could I possibly comment on all that?!

Dd's a busy inner London school and the teacher is rushed off her feet with a class of 28 and just one full-time TA. If parents didn't help the children's education would suffer. The teacher only does guided reading with the kids in small groups once a week.

imaginaryfriend, could you come to some arrangement about giving feedback to the teacher that would not be shared with the parents? I entirely understand your concerns about how other parents might react, but it would be in the interests of the children for the teacher to be told how they're progressing and what their individual reading problems are.

Hallgerda, she knows I think. The children are clearly (if covertly!) grouped according to ability as the one group I listen to are all non-English speakers and can't talk to me let alone read while the other group I listen to are all very good, well on the way to reading nicely. Basically each child in each group is roughly at the same level of reading. The teacher did say to me about the non-English speaking group that 'they'll need a lot of support' so she knows. She listens to them all read once a week in group 'guided reading' sessions. If I get a chance I'd like to talk to her about individual children in more depth but she's always so busy.

Would that be everyone-drones-at-once guided reading, imaginaryfriend? If so, you may well have more idea than the teacher how well pupils read. It really worries me how little some teachers know about how well their pupils can read, and how ineffectively schools use well educated volunteers like you (and me). I'm not getting at you (just expressing my own exasperation), but if you don't want to end up feeling like a sticking plaster over a mortal wound, I would be proactive about your role. Are you being of real benefit to the not-speaking-any-English group, or would someone from their own community meet their needs better? Is there a section of the class that you could help more?

Er, pilote, I know this is an uninvited comment about your spelling, but it's practise her reading not practice.

(I am a teacher, so you don't need to freak out)

I refer to your earlier post of "bloody hell she can practice her reading at home with me! I'd much rather she was actually being taught something."

Hopefully your daughter's teacher, although not hearing her read, will teach her everything she needs to know about grammar and punctuation...

when ds was in year 1 a 'parent helper' came in to listen to them read and regularly wrote in his book - I knew her and also knew her son who had been in ds's calss in reception

She pulled him out at the end of reception and sent him to the local private school as this school apparatnly wasn't good enough. It was after then she came into school to 'help' his old class....or maybe to check on how they were doing compared to her son's paid eductaion.....hmmmm maybe I'm just a wihtered old cynic about some of hte parent helpers motives