My Little Letter Queen...

Lately, my big girl's had a real interest in letters... she asks about letters all the time, spots "A for Ava" everywhere, and is keen to hunt down letters while we're out and about. Its not something I'm actively pushing, she's only two-and-a-half and will have plenty of time for letters next year, but I'm happy to encourage any natural interest she has in learning.

But her favourite letter activity took me by surprise! Dave and I had left the Banagrams game out after playing the other night after the girls were in bed (we're seriously hard core in our house!) and I came downstairs in the morning to find this...

She proceeded to tell me all the letters she'd found, and was delighted when I gave her a load of classy IKEA plastic bowls to sort them into!

There was lots of fun to be had...

So here we go... Ava's own invention of Banagram letters... here's some of the things she's had fun doing with them (effectively you could do this with scrabble letters too!) I've found this little game to be fabulous for a number of early reading/spelling activities so thought we'd share our ideas... they may come in useful to someone, somewhere!

1. Letter Recognition: Find as many as you can of a letter Mama says and make a big ol' letter chain... Ava's favourite letter is, of course, the letter A... and she's rather fortunate that there are a serious number of As to be found!

2. Letter Sorting: Sort letters and then name them... this has been Ava's favourite game, and I don't think its an exaggeration to say that she has played this game independently at least twice a day for the last three days! Each day, she's been adding another letter to her repertoire! My only problem is, I'm running out of plastic bowls!

3. Play with words: Ava can only write her name at the moment, so we're at the early stages with this one... but there is so much potential here for practicing spellings for spellings tests, sounding out words, playing with anagrams... all sorts!

My only regret is that I didn't have Ava to help me out with learning inspiration when I was still in the classroom! Clearly we have a teacher in the making!!

Watch out everyone!

A Plea to Parents...

Once in a while, I see a cartoon that really strikes a cord with me. Something in me rises up and shouts "Yes!' and I am convinced and convicted all at once.

If you are a parent of a child between the ages of 0 - 18 (or ever plan to be a parent), then please read this. It is the heartfelt plea of one parent to another:

This cartoon was the stimulus that provoked the aforementioned reaction in me a couple of weeks ago...

I KNOW that as a parent, we have the very best intentions for our children. I know that, mostly because I am a parent. I know I want what's best for my girls - I want them to be happy and healthy, I want them to learn and thrive, to be encouraged and invested in and cherished and stretched. Of course I want that... it comes with the territory of being a parent.

When our children enter school, at the mere age of four, they look so tiny wandering through that big door. I have yet to do it with my own girls, but I've seen it countless times. And I can imagine that as Ava walks through those doors for the first time this September, part of my heart will go with her... Will they care for her like I do? Will they understand her? Will she be cherished and loved? Will she make friends? Will she feel secure? Will they meet her needs?

I dread the day.

I know what it is to be a parent.

But I have a problem.

You see, I also know what it is to be a teacher...

And so I play the position, somehow, of two characters in those cartoons above... And I know that every single one of my heart strings will go to cartoon number two... But I also know that actually the  best thing for my girls will be that picture from 1969...

Here's some things I've learnt....

 That teacher, you know, the one who your child dislikes; that teacher who is "too strict" or "not strict enough", the teacher who "doesn't explain things" or "spends ages explaining the obvious", the teacher who "has lessons in which there isn't enough control" or "gives detentions for nothing"...

That teacher? That teacher spends hours pouring over books pulling out the positives and trying to give achievable feedback; that teacher makes countless phone calls to parents every night to try and deal with questions, queries and challenges; that teacher wants nothing more than the very best for the pupils they are teaching; that teacher wants nothing more than to be able to TEACH rather than just control a rabble of kids, some of whom struggle (that's putting it mildly) to show respect. That teacher dreams dreams of being an inspirational teacher, but is all too often bogged down in admin, emails and paperwork.

That teacher needs our support.

If we are going to raise children who are able to one day hold down a job, respect their elders - yes, simply because they are their elders - show courtesy and consideration, realise that being part of this world is about being part of a team, rather that having your own way all the time... if we want to raise children like this (and I so hope we do) then we need to get behind these teachers.

Not fight them.

I am a teacher. I know the School system. I know children. I know I could be a child's best friend one minute, and worst enemy the next. Just like I can be my own children's best friend one minute and worst enemy the next. Because children are real - they react to their emotions - they display raw responses to feelings of embarrassment, frustration and guilt...

So perhaps its sometimes worth considering that the feedback on the teacher you are receiving from little Johnny isn't always 100% accurate... or 100% neutral...

And let me assure you, if the teacher in question is genuinely having problems controlling the class, then the School will be on it. They will be being closely monitored, their classes will be regularly checked up on and that teacher will probably be feeling pretty rubbish about themselves right now. And if the teacher in question is genuinely not teaching anything, then the School will be on it, because regular assessment is a national requirement and poor results have to be answered for.

So when your kid is bad-mouthing their teacher, please don't jump on the band wagon. And if you agree with them, please don't let them know it... It will just peel away that last slither of respect your child might still have had for them. Please. Teach your child grace... explain that sometimes we don't see the big picture, explain that sometimes we have to respect people in authority over us because they are in authority over us. Showing respect to your teachers is a non-negotiable, just like showing respect to your boss is a non-negotiable. And even if you don't feel it, you still show it...

And when your child has had a shocker of a day - has felt humiliated in front of the class, has been given a detention for something they thought was insignificant, or when the class has been held back for an individual's discrepancy, please pause. Pause before you sent that email, write that letter, make that phone call... and remember that teacher is a person... a person who makes mistakes... a person who spends their time trying to do what is best for not just your child, but 30 of them (if in primary), or perhaps hundreds of them (if in Secondary)...

 So please, lets help our children to see that their learning is a team-effort: the teacher, them...

...and us. 

It's official - a career change...

If you had asked me as a child what I wanted to do when I grew up, I'd have been able to answer in a flash... "I want to be a part-time teacher, a part-time author and a part-time actress."

Over the years, I've dabbled in a bit of theatre production, I've been blogging here 7 years now, which I suppose is the closest thing to writing I've ever done, but as time went on, my eyes turned increasingly to teaching.

In 2008 I trained to become a primary teacher and never looked back.

I loved it.

Yes, there were times I wished there wasn't so much paperwork, yes there were times I felt I was drowning under a pile of 30 literacy books and 30 numeracy books and 30 topic books, yes, there were times my year 6 classes drove me round the bend, yes, there were times when the sheer volume of planning meant I had no weekend at all.

But I adored it; the buzz of the classroom, seeing the penny drop, watching children come out of their shell, seeing them getting excited about their learning, finding little cards and notes they had written me on my desk. I felt like I was right where I belonged.

During Teacher Training with a Year 1 class - they are now Year 6!

And then I had children, and suddenly the classroom couldn't be my world anymore. When I returned to work, I felt torn... Torn because I loved my job so very much, but I loved my children even more, and somehow I just couldn't give what I wanted to give to the classroom any more. I couldn't walk into my classroom at 7am and leave at 6pm; I couldn't get home, throw together a quick dinner and then get on with planning and marking. I couldn't do that, because I didn't want to. I wanted to be with the girls.

I couldn't do teaching without giving it everything, I didn't know how to... And yet, I also couldn't give it everything anymore because it wasn't my everything any more.

My "career" had changed the moment I breathed in that newborn smell when Ava was laid across me, seconds after she was born.

And so, on the Friday before Christmas, I did what I knew I needed, and wanted, to do.

I handed in my notice.

It was hard. I welled up as I did it, because I loved it. But right now, for this season, I know that with my little girls is where I want to be. It is the right thing for our family, and I know I'm privileged to be able to step out of work. I know that.

And so its the start of a new chapter for us as a little family. I am officially a Stay-at-Home Mum and that's such an honour. I'm thankful to be able to experience every minute with these two bundles of joy.

One day, I'd love to return to teaching; there is nothing else I can imagine I'd rather do... but for now, I'll be here; wiping noses, changing nappies and reading picture books.

Right where I want to be.

Night night, sleep tight...

Yesterday we set up Heidi's little cot in the girls room... My baby girl is outgrowing her Moses basket! How quickly these 4 months have gone!

Bedtime has always been a military style operation in our house... Milk, bedtime story, teeth brushed, songs then sleep. 7pm we disappear up the stairs with the girls and they don't reappear until the morning (we hope!) Having this set routine has helped our girls to know what to expect... Of course, Ava sometimes complains about going to bed, but she's never put up a fight. She knows its a losing battle. As for us, having the routine has meant we know the girls will be settled and quiet by 8pm and we have the evening to get work done, or just relax. It's been a lifesaver when you have two lively little girls hanging off you all day!

Both in cots... my babies are growing up *sob*

On Monday, this article was published by the BBC. It makes for fascinating reading... its to be expected, I suppose. The link between poorer mental performance and lax bed times has long been suspected, and it seems that they have now found the evidence to be conclusive. Tired children do not make good learners; children with no routine do not make good learners. Its a truth I've experienced both in- and outside of the classroom.

Start Quote

Establishing a good bedtime routine early in childhood is probably best, but it's never too late”

Study author Prof Sacker

So you see, getting these Bubbas into a good routine really is all perks... yes, its hard work at the beginning... yes, training your baby to go off to sleep independently, insisting they go to bed on your terms and not theirs, putting them to bed at the same time every night, even if it means you have to sacrifice your plans - all of these things are temporarily tiring and testing and difficult, but boy, are they worth it. On every level, routine is worth it. I'm convinced.

What do you think? Is establishing a routine early the way forward? Is there room to be flexible? Have you found something else to work? I'm intrigued to know - please share your thoughts in the comments!

Pause for thought...

This article, first published in the Pierce County Tribune in 1959, has gone viral over the past few months...

What do you think? A necessary and timely call for our teenagers to grow up? Or too harsh? Do we mollycoddle our teenagers in Britain to the point where they have no drive, ambition or sense of responsibility??

I wish I'd had this when I was a teacher... Would have been a fab discussion topic and a good challenge for them!

'Scuse my French...

My colleague and I were marking the Year 5 French assessments on Thursday, just before my last day came to an end - and it ended on a high... One little girl's paper made us laugh out loud... It went something like this...

Bonjour Marie!
My nem iz XXXXX. Wot iz tu nem? Ow are tu? I like tu danse and chante. I av sum frends... Zey are cold XXX and XXX. Zey like tu mange.
Or revwa,
XXXXX

Yes, it was the same little girl who wrote, in her last assessment, "je m'appelle une pomme"!

So glad to know that's the legacy I'm leaving behind me...

Happy weekend everyone!

Last day of School...

Children's faces have been purposefully blurred

Yesterday was my last day of school. It's a funny one, leaving in the middle of the week. The day was packed with the usual Numeracy, Literacy, Guided Reading, RE and French lessons... in many ways it was like any normal school day. And yet I suppose, deep in the back of my mind, the thought was always there... "This is my last day..."

Weird, because my last "last day" really doesn't feel so very long ago (it was in fact only 19 months ago!) and that last day was very different. It was the end of term... my Year 6 class were leaving to go to secondary school, everyone was heading off for the summer holidays; there was a general sense of "closure" and finality about the place. This time I know school will continue onwards... more lessons tomorrow, a week of half term and then back to the grind for my colleagues who work so unbelievably hard. It was almost like slipping out half way through a movie. You don't get the closure or the end, but somehow you know, your act is finished.

It all seems very melancholy, this, doesn't it?! Don't get me wrong - the children made me a lovely card, the staff gave me some lovely (and very unnecessary) pressies and people sent me off with well-wishes and good cheer and I am SO excited about this next chapter. With all the who-ha we've had through this pregnancy, I'm just desperate to hold this little one in my arms and know we made it - we made it through all the complications, all the concerns, all the potential hiccups. I can't wait to be "through the woods" and bring this little one safely home.

So I'm now looking forward to a couple of weeks of enjoying being on maternity leave with my Ava M and my lovely hub (who has half term next week!) before we are joined by our new precious little bundle...