Parents of children in/ going in to Reception

[phoenixflower]

Please tell me the top 5 things you want your child's Reception class teacher to be!!

As part of one of my uni assignments we have to write an essay on what makes an effective Reception Class teacher and would love your views please. I am using my own too, but the uni won't need to know that!!

Anyone who shares their views will stay anonymous and only be referred to as parent 1,2,3 etc.

Thank you!

1. Nurturing. I would actually like dcs to be hugged if they need a hug.

2. Enthusiastic. Someone who meets the children at least feigning happiness at being there.

3. Calm. Not liable to getting stressed or shouty.

4. Confident. Able to speak to parents with confidence.

5. Funny. Someone who makes the children laugh and lets them have fun.

I agree with all above - and did them all today so fingers crossed am not doing such a bad job!

but most importantly, that they should be "with it" and aware about the stupid things that young children do - I am terrified of dd wandering off, getting stuck in the loo, getting lost at school, getting left behind etc etc.

I have taught yr R for 8 years and only since I had dd have I realised just how little they still are at four.

Able to create a calm and secure environment.

Able to engage and maintain the children's interest.

Confidence with parents very important.

Protective.

Not shouty.

1. Approachable - most parents are new at the whole school thing and don't know protocol/form so it would be good to have a teacher who will take our concerns on-board

2. Assertive: able to take control when required

3. Confident: able to talk to children and parents alike

4. Energetic and enthusiastic: someone who is a parent

5. Someone who takes things in their stride and are flexible wrt rules

Agree with all of the above, but I would also like them to be a parent.

Before children I wouldn't have said that would have made a difference, however, now dd's teacher isn't a parent and you can see that it does make a teeny bit of difference in how she relates to you and her wider awareness of children. Her TA is a parent and there is a mutual understanding/awareness (?) of everything else that goes along with being a parent of a young child. For example, if you said that dc was a little bit tired as they'd been up throughout the night, the TA would know exactly what the child would be like, whereas the teacher would just say 'ok'.

Top 5 in no particular order

Enthusiastic - this is the children's first experience of formal schooling and the way a Reception teacher approaches things can help to set their attitude to education.
Approachable - for both parents and children
Funny - someone who can make DS laugh has pretty much got his respect and undying devotion lready
Calm - four-year-olds are volatitle wee souls and need a nice stable force in the middle who will also take their moods in her stride
Nurturing - yes, it's formal education, but they still need a homely touch at that age IMO.

I don't care about the being a parent point. DS's lovely Reception teacher isn't a parent herself but I can't imagine her being any better if she were.

Sorry, this will probably be a bit long-winded but I don't know how to describe it in a couple of words!!

It makes such a difference in Reception to a shy, quiet child's confidence if their teacher is able to "notice" them in amongst a group of more vociferous children.

My DS1 is very quiet and does not like to push himself forward when an adult is looking for volunteers for something, even though he'd DESPERATELY love to try it. He just hovers at the back putting his hand half up nervously in the air whilst the rest of the class surge forward to the front shouting "Me! Me!", immediately getting themselves noticed.

When he was in Reception last year, I mentioned my concerns to his (very experienced) teacher and said that I'd so often felt the same at school and didn't feel that my teachers noticed my enthusiasm to try something. As a result I was never very confident at school. She assured me that she knew exactly what he was all about and made sure he got his turn at things.

Just before he finished in Reception, I had an amusing conversation with DS1 about how I thought he'd have to fend off attention from all the girls who'd want to be his wife when he was a man as he's so lovely () and he told me "Well, I would pick the one at the back who's the quietest because she'd be the one who'd want me the most. Mrs X (teacher) always says that the quiet ones at the back may want a turn just as badly as the noisy ones at the front, and she always notices that."

I was so thrilled that I actually put that little story in her Thank you card and when I saw her in September, she came to say how much she loved what I'd written in her card - it was clearly she appreciated being so appreciated!!

DS is now in Year 1 and his confidence has grown so much and I like to think it was all down to Mrs X and her ability to see past the surface of all the individuals in her class.

Thank you for responding