Re: Choosing a teacher
PM teacher.
However, I think I would try for an AM slot for nursery, better learning time for your child.
I am a newly qualified teacher and obviously I am going to say 'just give us a chance'. However, let me share my experience with parents.
I am quite young looking but I am well over 25, I have had 11 years of experience of working with children, and I have a psychology degree which focused in on child development, yet the parents literally ate me alive on the first parents evening I had with them. I used to have to have at least 2 weekly parent meetings every week until March (I started teaching in September). They just didnt trust me. But, once we had our second parents evening...all of them (even the one that screamed at me in October and the one that accused me of lying about her child in Jan) believed everything that I told them about their children.
They finally began trusting me once they could see that their children had progressed exactly how I said they would have. I spent a lot of time making personalised home actvities (on top of regular homework) to give to the parents to help their children at home. Not one thankyou. Not one 'you were right' until March. Had frustrated me at times as i do believe that sometimes I have gone above and beyond my duties as a teacher, however, I don't teach for the parents. I teach for the children. I just wish parents would actually trust me more.
In fact, I actually had one parent tell me today that she was impressed with my organisation skills. I just smiled at her and said, 'well after 10 months, i'm glad iv got the hang of it now'.
I teach 5 and 6 year old children, their parents just dont understand how different Reception is from Key Stage 1. A lot less child intiated play and more focused learning. Transition period is about 1 full term (Sept - Jan). I think the parents thought that we would be teaching them how to read and write Shakespeare by November. Doesnt work like that with 5 year olds who are used to learning through play.