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.

that also amazes me then, but then so does 2 teachers and a TA for a class of 25.

But i think you're confusing your dd being heard reading by a TA - which is for practicing, not for teaching, and the classroom teaching that the teacher does.

While i was listening to the kids reading, the teacher had them on the carpet looking at a flip chart where she was doing letter formation and capitals and full stops and actually teaching them to read.

The kids were getting up one by one and showing what they knew and answering questions and listening. This is how your dd is learning reading and writing - as well as by practicing at home and with a ta or parent helper.

Just because a teacher isn't writing in her reading record doesn't mean she's not aware of her progress. That's what parents evenings are for. You simply don't get hand written weekly updates from a teacher. Maybe you're after a private tutor?

well, to sign off, although you have all been fairly scathing and unpleasant, you have made me think about my attitude and consider the fact that the helper may be genuinely interested in the children and that yes I may have some issues concerning my daughter's reading.

You don't come across very well as a group though!

told u a piss take

actually you werent scathing dottydotsofbloodonthefloor.

Maybe you could write that in our reading record.

your comments though were quite unpleasant to parents helpers and teachers ( I am both)

but I hope you can resolve it and move on

I am glad you feel a little more positive about the parent volunteering to help listen to your child's reading.

Sorry that you don't feel you have recieved the support that you wanted to hear. But I do feel that your OP was rather a hostile type of post, which is likely to hve got people's backs up.

A lot of MNetters are teachers, TAs and maybe parent helpers too. Hence, raised heckles - but also lots of good advice and info too to pick out.

Good luck when you see the teacher. I hope you find out what you want to know.

I'm glad if this has helped you to think things through. Sorry if you didn't think that people didn't come over very well, but tbh I suspect that that's what most of us thought about the OP.
Talk to the teacher. Hope you can clear things up ok.

Perhaps if your initial post hadn't been so aggressive, you would have had a more reasoned response.

Bear in mind that many of us have been parent helpers, and may be rather pissed off at your scathing comments about our abilities.

At least this parent cares enough about the school that she's in there helping out.

pilote, I think you have just summed up mumsnet.

Thank you - I was just thinking that myself..!

Sorry I made no sense there but YKWIM!

another

You asked if you were being totally unreasonable.

You are not just unreasonable you are completely barking.
Like many parents I give up an afternoon a week to listen to readers at my children's primary school. I don't do this to be nosy or to get one over on other parents, in fact I have a deliberate policy of never listening to readers in my own children's classes.
Parent helpers are given training in how to listen to a child and write constructive comments in their reading diary so that the next person to listen to the child read gets some feedback. We do it TO HELP THE CHILD not to pass some sort of veiled judgement on their reading abilities. If you take the comments in the spirit in which they are meant you might even find them helpful.
Personally I don't give a toss who signs any of my children's reading records, I appreciate that they have given up their free time to help my child - why on earth do you need to know who they are?

I cannot see, what hte point of someone listening to your child read and NOT commenting on it would be? that would be totally pointless surely?

SO many children, cannot get this help. SO many children, with serious reading and writing problems.... Surely, you should be pleased that your child is getting all the help it needs to improve these essential skills... which sounds like they may be needed...

Ummmmm - parent helpers are /can be very useful I am sure...but do all schools properly prepare them / vet them to ensure that they have the right sort of skills? ...or do they accept any help that is going?

Like many other posters, I'm a volunteer in school - I've been listening to children read for 4 years now, and have helped my own children become readers. I'm delighted that my children have a chance to read to other people and like to see when they've done so.

I think it's good manners to sign the child's reading record; I usually put a positive comment for the child and parent, and a more detailed comment in the teacher's log. So today I put in P's reading record for her parents "Good reading, P!" and in the teacher's log I put "P used the pictures and repetition to help her and sounded out short words confidently".

HMC - I agree - whilst I know dp is marvellous and a huge asset to the class, I don't think the teacher got to know that much - just welcomed her offer of help! And I was also surprised she hasn't been told she needs to be CRBed. Again, we were both CRBed when we applied to be foster carers, but this was several years ago. Although dp hasn't yet been on her own with the children, this could happen and I think everyone working with children has to have a CRB?? But I could be wrong on that one.

Well, I can only speak from experience (and I am not a TA or helper) but, the ones at my dds school have (mostly) been listening to children read for years, at least two of them have been doing so since I was a child (know this because I live in a small community, everyone knows everything here).
So I felt compelled to stick up for them.

Well quite Dotty!

I'm interested only because I felt ill prepared as a parent to help my own child with her reading. Knew feck all about jolly phonics (have since made a point of familiarising myself) - there is just as assumption that you'll have a clue!. I'm not 'fick' (masters degree)...but still....

Unless a parent is in sole charge of a child, such as in a room on their own with a child - do they need to be CRB checked?

Our school has a 'reading pool' and they are all trained at the start of the academic year.

This is a most bizarre thread!