JustPickOneUK

 Well it's that time again. Another academic year over. The last day of the school year. A time for reflection, for relief, for yourself. This year has been a hard one for me. My role changed from being the lunch lady to becoming a TA. That changed my life dramatically and I have felt so many differing emotions that I have no idea how I actually feel about the last day. My last day with the children in an educational capacity. I will cease to be "Mrs Oliver" and become "my son's Mum" again.  I've been working in Reception and in Year 3. Both challenging year groups with very different levels of ability and need requirements. But at the end of it all they are all just kids learning to do something new. Learning what the teachers want to tell them, to read, write, make music, cut and stick. Learn about our planet, about themselves, socialisation skills and that p.e. is their favourite lesson.  Whether they are 4, 8 or 11 years old all of the kids need a tr...

 Following on from my previous blog I have come to a decision about my work.  Being a teaching assistant is a very rewarding experience. You get to be part of many young children's lives. You get to influence them, teach them, be another adult in their life they can trust and be confident with. You get to laugh with them, play with them in many ways in a different way than their families. You do get school holidays off which is excellent and so convenient when you have children of your own.  However, there are also downsides. On a basic level the amount of work involved and emotional investment does not get paid for properly in money. The average wage is between £18K and £23K according to gov.uk but I have never seen that much. I receive just over £16k. I cannot take annual leave during school time and so my family are fully restricted to holidays in term time. I know children should not be taken out of school, but it is not even an option for us with myself and my son lo...

Teaching Assistants (TAs) are in important part of the machine that is the modern day education system. Teachers are trained in providing the academic side of the learning and the TA supports the Teacher in many different ways. When I applied for the role I had no idea there would be so much more to it then assisting the teacher in the classroom and helping pupils with their learning. In a primary school like mine the children are aged between 4 and 11. This is a massive age gap when thinking developmentally. 4 year old are still prone to tantrums like toddlers and are not all proficient in using the toilet. 8 year olds are in a middling stage where they feel more grown up, they are developing more as a person with their own feelings and emotions but are still aware of rules and tend to follow them for the most part. 11 year olds feel like they are in charge of the world. Pre-teens are growing quickly, developing emotionally and beginning puberty with all of the hormone, emotional and ...

I don't know about you but my brain goes blank sometimes. Usually when I get asked a question. Something like, what's your favourite film? What's your favourite song? My brain shuts off in those moments like I've never seen a film ever before and no music exists in the world.  The worst is at bed time when your child says Tell Me a Story. I am certain he doesn't want to hear one  that goes "There once was a boy, he went to sleep, The End."  But I now have a strategy for telling a story. It doesn't take too long and as long as you follow the 5 steps I'm going to detail below then you can have a story quiet easily without too much brain fade. You can also get your listener to give you some of the information as well which makes for a tailored story for them.   In school the teachers had a training session regarding story telling and it now seems so easy. It may not be new to some of you but it provided clarity for me. There are a variety of different...

 World Book Day is an annual global event where books are celebrated, showcased and children go to school dressed as book characters. The teachers usually join in too. This year my year group of teachers decided to dress up as Roald Dahl characters. Easy enough you'd think, but most of them are unusual colours or have a strangely specific about item which requires more thought or time than I was prepared for.   I settled on Miss Trunchbull from Matilda in the end. I went to Sainsbury's and found a dress which would actually be nice to wear during a regular week. Not my usual style but when I put it on my husband said he was surprised but liked it a lot. I put on a wide belt, a green tie, my hiking boots, put my hair in a bun and declared me done.  I didn't match the Quentin Blake pictures properly but with the right attitude and saying who I was then all of my colleagues and some of the children figured it out and that was enough for me.   Here's a few bits...

Parents get a backstage pass to their child's life. They see the ups and downs. They see their child's first words, steps, writing, singing, playing. What their child is 'into'. Favourite games, toys, people, TV shows and foods. They know what brings them comfort when in stressful situations. Now imagine you know none of this and you get handed 30 of them to care for while trying to teach them something. That is day one in a school.  When a child comes to school they are in a new place where they don't have their usual support system around them. Teachers receive a register of up to 30 children, all of whom have individual lives, likes and dislikes. Teachers also have to learn their names, try to learn any difficulties these children may have, work out who may need more help with the adjustment to school than others. Which ones are fully toilet trained, who can read simple words, who is naturally quiet, who has additional needs or who will have no clue how to regula...

Your child going to school for the first time is a big change for any household. But there are things you can do as parents to help make things smoother on you. I have sent my child in to school and I work in one as a teaching assistant and these are some things which I feel may help others.  i. Label everything. You have worked hard to choose the right school, got all of the uniform, a bag, a new bottle, lunchbox, coat, hat, gloves etc.  Most of these items will be put down or taken off and potentially lost. If you put a label on it with your child's full name your class teacher or teaching assistant has a much better chance of keeping track of it and getting it back to the right child. You don't need to use expensive labels, a Sharpie will do a good job on its own. But please check it every so often to make sure its still visible.   ii. Leave your child at the door. It sounds easy but if your child is having a wobble and in tears about going in to school, most of t...

Being a parent is hard work. That's a simple fact. Getting children ready and out the door to come to school can be a challenge. When your child gets to school, I hope they are greeted with a warm welcome so they feel they are in a safe environment with people they can trust. I try to create that environment for the children in my classroom.  Sometimes children can have a bad morning due to a variety of reasons. A bad sleep, a relative or pet passing away, a fall out with friends, family divorce, a house move or even a toy going missing are all examples of things outside school which can significantly impact their behaviour, concentration and friendships within the classroom.  Sometimes children take a different approach to dealing with tragedy than adults do (yes, a toy being lost for 10 minutes can be tragic for them). They are still learning to cope with emotions and do not have the logic as a back up to work out how to deal with them. Sometimes the reaction to bad news or ...