Don't agree with "teacher"'s method

F

Frenchy

Registered User
My son is attending a preschool session, 2 hours 2 times a week, and the mums or caregivers are joining.
The classes are going generally well, divided in play time, mandarin (which is very fun and entertaining), circle time, craft time, snack time...
The only problem is the circle time. I think the teacher is not patient enough with the kids (who are between 18 months old to 2 yo), expecting from them to behave like older ones. They hardly can stay still for 20 mn, and she can be a bit tough with them, ordering them to sit down, or will not make them participate if they are not quiet. She will stop her activities and give a bad look if any of the kids start to move around or shout, and if any of the kid try to talk (with all the effort of a 2 yo), she will babble and make a face, which tends to scare the children !!
I know it's not many hours per week and it won't last forever, but how can I (actually I'm not the only mum to have a strange feeling about her) make her know we don't like too much her method, without putting ourselves or the kids in a bad situation ?? How to tell the managers without being pointed at afterwards ?
Thanks for any advice !
 
I would simply talk to the Manager. You're paying for this, and I've done classes like this and it's not cheap. There are plenty of schools on the south side that can offer you the same if you're not happy, so talk to the Principle (maybe with a few other moms) and tell that what you're telling us. If still not happy, go elsewhere.
 
I also would just talk to the manager. This isn`t public school nor is it a daycare, and I`m sure the classes aren`t cheap.
I`m not sure who would be pointing at you, especially if other mothers feel the same way. If it`s the teacher pointing at you, I wouldn`t worry about that, because you are her paycheque essentially. If the customers are not happy with her then she will have to change her ways or find another place to work - that`s the way it is, especially nowadays.
If you can handle feeling a bit uncomfortable around her for a while then I would definitely voice your concerns, but perhaps see if any of the other mothers will go with you, as a sort of act of solidarity.
 
I don't plan to find another school, I really like this one, and the management and the other teachers, and the place is convenient too... My opinion is that finding another school is like leaving some friends and other mums with a problem that will never solve if no one talks about it. But it's quite delicate to point at the teacher's lack of teaching skills, when I'm just a mum with no experience in the schooling. I wish that taking my son to preschool stays a nice time of fun and social activities, not a stress...
 
Frenchy said:
I don't plan to find another school, I really like this one, and the management and the other teachers, and the place is convenient too... My opinion is that finding another school is like leaving some friends and other mums with a problem that will never solve if no one talks about it. But it's quite delicate to point at the teacher's lack of teaching skills, when I'm just a mum with no experience in the schooling. I wish that taking my son to preschool stays a nice time of fun and social activities, not a stress...
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Then you have to talk to them, in a positive way. Otherwise you'll be stuck with the problem. On the other hand, if the management or teachers are not willing to listen, you may be at the wrong place anyway as it says something about this place, whether it's convenient or not.
 
as a teacher of very young ones, i KNOW it can sometimes be EXTREMELY difficult keeping the attention of a groups of tiny tots. there have been times that i have actually closed the book that i'm trying to read and changed what i was doing right in the middle of the lesson.

sometimes lessons go VERY well and sometimes, they kind of feel like they fall apart (at least from the teacher's perspective).

i have some groups of kids that everything ALWAYS goes like clockwork. the kids all sit and listen, they love making the crafts, they enjoy the playtime, never cry when it's time to tidy up, love music time, enjoy the stories...

then the next day i do EXACTLY the same thing with a different group of kids and: no one sits, every one is wandering around, scream during crafts, push other kids to get the toy they want during playtime, have a temper tantrum during tidy up time, throw the musical instruments and cry during storytime. i swear to god, it's the longest 1.25 hours of my life.... at least that's how it feels when it's happening... BUT all through it, i do my best to keep a sense of humour about it. kids have rough days, parents have bad days and so do teachers. MY job is to try to make sure that everyone is having as much fun as possible. the PARENT'S job is to ensure the behaviour of their child during class. it isn't fair to the other children for the teacher to be concentrating all of her attention on one child who is not having a good day or what have you, and not be able to spend any time with the other children in the class because of it.

now, i'm not saying it's your fault at all. perhaps your teacher doesn't have much experience with very young kids. (but a 2 year old should be able to sit through a short story without causing mayhem).

i would also suggest you try a few other places. most offer a free trial class so that you can see what you are signing up for before you commit. you may find something that is a better fit for you and your child.

good luck!
 
I agree with you Carang, it's the parent's job to supervise their children, but sincerely, I'm sure you'd wish a group like this every day. The kids are behaving really good, and each care giver is close to each child, there is very little tantrums and the kids are all happy to participate to each activity... apart when the circle time starts, you can easily feel that the kids are just not hooked by what's happening and get easily bored... .and it gets worse as the teacher expects an even better behaviour...
I agree the kids are learning to socialise, and it's a good start for them before the kindergarden, but just a little, very little space for them so they can express their personality would be welcome...
 
It was hard for my daughter to concentrate during circle time when she first started playgroup. Her teacher was excellent, just the right amount of pressure was applied to get her to settle down and participate. Or, if it looked like mission impossible, she was allowed to move outside the circle as long it didn't disturb the others. As for talking and general boisterous behavior, she incorporates it into the activity and NEVER made the kids feel bad or naughty. The only rule was if the kids had big tantrums/meltdowns, they had to be taken out of the room.

I often spoke to the teacher after class worried about my daughter's behavior during circle time - should I be firmer with her etc. She reassured me that all children find circle time challenging at first and that with gentle coaxing eventually it would get better. It did!

If you can't change to another class/teacher at the same school, I would let the management know your concerns and advise them that you are not the only one to feel this way. But be prepared to switch to somewhere else if you have to.

We actually changed to a different class at our school after a term. There was nothing wrong with the teacher - she was great. I just felt that my daughter had a better dynamic with another teacher. The school fees were high and as it was my child's first experience of 'school' I wanted it to be the best fit for her.
 
frenchy, like i said, i wasn't saying that your child was causing mayhem or that any of the children in the class were either... just that it does happen sometimes. i agree that the teacher may need to adjust her approach a little. it sounds to me like she doesn't make it interesting enough. i can usually grab the kids attention for at least a 5 minute story time.

when i do circle time, i NEVER expect children (under the age of 2) to be able to sit still for 20 minutes unless they are doing something.

when we do it, we do 3-4 songs (one of which is usually a dancing song & the rest we use various instruments), then we do a stint with "exercise balls", then we do the story. the story amounts to only about 5 minutes for the class of under 2s. the over 2s can usually handle 10 minutes of story-time.

like i said, it sounds to me like the teacher in questions doesn't have much experience with very young children.
 
"just the right amount of pressure was applied to get her to settle down and participate. Or, if it looked like mission impossible, she was allowed to move outside the circle as long it didn't disturb the others. As for talking and general boisterous behavior, she incorporates it into the activity and NEVER made the kids feel bad or naughty. The only rule was if the kids had big tantrums/meltdowns, they had to be taken out of the room"

leah, i couldn't agree with you more!
 
That's exactly what I reproach her. I also think it's better for a kid to move outside the circle for 2 mn, and come back ready to concentrate again, without disturbing the others, but she just stops what she does and orders the kid to come back. As a result the kid is still bored and the others ones are not concentrated any more... how can you order a 18 months old baby to sit and stay still ?
Well... anyway, I think I've got all the answers already, thanks for all your advices, it just comforted me in my thoughts and I'll probably talk to the management...
 
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