I've just read something disturbing. Something that has actually made me wonder whats happening with the UK's Educational System. I've just seen an article posted up on my Facebook feed about the government wanting to increase the number of hours that children attend school, to 45 hours a week! To break that down, that would mean your child will be in the classroom and at school for 9 hours a day!
Here is the link to the article: Article Link
9 hours a day! How in the world do you expect children to sit in a classroom and work solidly for nine hours a day? Some children can hardly manage six. This of course will cause many problems on all sides. So, I'm going to explore them like I usually do.
Teachers/Practitioners
A Teacing role is not just a 9-3 job like most people think it is. In fact it is a lot more. Lessons have to be planned to achieve certain academic outcomes and to hit the children's developmental targets. Lessons also have to stick to the National Curriculum and be interesting enough so that the children don't fall asleep. This of course takes up a considerable amount of time. This is going to put strain on the teachers and practitioners, if they have to teach for nine hours a day then by the end of the day they are going to be exhausted, worn out and most likely wanting to end up strangling some of the children in the class. Therefore the lesson quality will drop considerably and teachers are going to find it hard to keep children motivated for such a long time. Yes children will have breaks and times to eat, however should we really have an education system that runs for such long times?
Children
The children in schools have only a limited amount of stamina. Some more than others. Younger children are going to find it harder to stay focused and work for nine hours a day. Some children can't sit still for five minutes when they are younger, are you really going to sit them down behind a desk for nine hours? Also when it comes to younger children they will be getting tired by the end of the day and keeping them in school until 6pm is going to end up with quite a few of them sleeping on the desks. The days will be dragged out for them and they will not enjoy being cooped up for so long. Can you see a six year old child being in lessons for nine hours a day and then being bright and cheerful at the end?
Parents
Well this should be a good one to argue. Yes some parents will welcome it as it allows them to pick up their children after work, however others will argue that it doesn't give them anough quality time with their children. Seriously, if you drop your child off at 9am into school, pick them up at 6pm, its literally going to be get home, bath child, feed child and put them to bed. There will be hardly any time left in the evening to talk to your child, play with your child or simply help them with their homework. We'll be turning the children into mindless drones who allt he ever do is sit in classrooms all their childhood.
Summer Holidays
So they want to slash the summer holidays too, to just seven weeks in the summer and have longer terms too. Seriously, what the hell are they planning to do. Keep children in school forever? This means that children are just not going to get the quality time they need with anyone if they are always in school. Children won't be able to go on holiday, go to new places or even visit their own family elsewhere in the courty or world. If they extend the term times then its going to have a knock on effect on everyone, there's going to be more and more children who all they know is school. There are going to be children who don't know what a tree is because they've never had the time to climb one.
So why does the government want to do this? Well its all to save money isn't it. They want to reduce the cost of childcare yet they want children to be in schools longer and terms to be extended? How in the world does that make any sense. Most full time jobs are roughly 37.5 hours a week, so how in the world do we expect our children to do 45 hours weeks when adults can't even do that?
They claim that its going to boost Education Standards. But as a childcare practitioner, I'm telling you it really isn't. Its going to do the opposite. Teachers are going to be so overwhelmed and overworked and underpaid that most will probably end up quitting from stress or will just go insane. Seriously, how does the government expect us to cope with the care of thirty children for nine hours of the day, only to go home and do an extra three hours work unpaid on planning and marking then start again the next day?
I seriously think that having children in schools for 45 hours a week is going to seriously damage the UK's education system. Yes it would save a few million pounds here and there, but is the education and welfare of our children really worth that? Can we honestly put a price tag above out children's heads now and use them as capital? Once again this is the way of the government to save a few million pounds; they predict it will all be good and make it sound fine but they are not living in the real world at all. Unfortunately most politicians (And no offense to any politicians reading this) have never worked in a school environment and don't understand how stressfull and tiring the job can sometimes be, and yes its rewarding but asking for nine hour school days is just too much to ask for.
Friday 31 January 2014
Thursday 30 January 2014
What is a father figure?
Ok, so after having a conversation with a friend who has children, I have decided to look at what we deem as an approrpriate father figure role?
Unfortunately more and more children are living in non-nuclear families. There are a lot of children born each year to parents that have no ambition to continue a long lasting relationship. However there are also a lot of children who are born into nuclear families that either stay together or break up after a certain amount of time. I wanted to explore this and why it happens and what affects it has on the children.
There are men out there and unfortunately it is becoming more common in the twenty first century that still believe they should have no part in raising their children. There are men that all they care about is getting laid by a girl and if they have a kid then its the girls problem. Well I don't believe in this at all. There are of course many men out there that don't seem to be bothered at all about their children. I've seen children before who live with their mother and have no contact with their biological father. There are many people out there that end up in relationships which don't always work out and there are also people out there that go through relationships like sliced bread.
In my opinion a father figure should always be there for his children. If the relationship between him and the mother breaks down and they divorce or seperate then the rights should be distributed evenly. It has come into the news not so long ago that father's rights to see their children are constantly being shortened and made unfair. Nine times out of Ten a child involved in a divorce will end up in the custody of the woman unless the courts don't see the mother fit to care for said child. This is because unfortunately men are not seen as the "caring" and "loving" type and children are better in the care of their mothers.
I don't believe this. Father's have a very important part to play in a child's life. This includes step-fathers and step-parents. If a child doesn't have a father figure then they are essentially missing out on a whole side of them. It takes both a mother and father to raise a child and help them develop properly. If you rip a child away from either parents it can affect them. Some people might believe that if a little girl lives with their mother it will be all fine and dandy, yet they would be wrong. I have seen cases of young girls who can't trust men around them or any male figures because they are not used to men being around and men are portrayed as "bad people". What kind of a start is that for any child?
Father's should have a responsibility to their children, they are the ones that created them in the first place. It is because a large majority of Father's who don't look after their children or leave the child with their mothers are just arrogant stuck up idiots. There is no other way if putting it politer. There are a lot of men out there that establish a relationship with a woman and all they want is to come home, have sex with her and don't care what happens in between as long as they are happy. These are the type of men that I hate and personally believe don't deserve to have any children. Those type of men are the type that would rather choose an abortion than support the mother through pregnancy and support a child. Unfortunately, when the child is born and the father wants nothing to do with the him/her the child feels alone and not wanted. This can have a serious affect on any child's self-esteem and can lead to a child not progressing in their holistic development.
On the left is a picture of a father spending quality time with his young daughter. They are having a brilliant time at the beach and this photograph clearly shows the love he has for his little girl. This is how father's should be. A father should have the time for his children, we are not stuck in the nineteen-fifties and raising and caring for a child is no longer just a woman's job. It is a shared role between both parents. A parent and father figure is someone who has access to the child and cares for them. No matter if you are their biological father or their step-father or even grandfather you should act like you want them around. Make an effort with the children in your home and don't leave it all to the women.
Of course you do get a father who is a bit like the one on the right side picture. I have no idea why a father think it would be "Cool" to do this to any child. You do unfortunately get men out in the world who are more interested in alchohol, smoking or drugs than their children. This outrages me as it can be a form of neglect towards a child. It also stresses out the mother and this can lead to depression and breakdown of the relationship. If you become a father then you should find the time to love and be with your child, every father should try to do what they can with their children and be a positive influence.
Unfortunately the reason on the right is why the UK courts are more likely to pick a mother over a father when it comes to child custody. We are currently living in a world where men constantly think that have to look "Cool" and "Awesome" in front of others. The generation which is currently having children now do not have the values that we used to have. There are several children that come into early years settings confused to how their father is going to be like when they get picked up. I've seen children being dropped off in Porsches and Sport Cars, and this might seem cool but how is a two seater sports car suitable for a young child? Is this just the man wanting a fast sports car and having a child in the front seat looks cool?
One of the things that I don't understand is the support system when it comes to children and divorce in the United Kingdom. When a couple splits and children are involved, the parents who doesn't have full custody of the child has to pay support to the other parent until the child is eighteen years old and is in full time education. The only problem is that if one parents remarry's or has another relationship the other parents feels like they shouldn't support the child anymore because of any income the new step-parent supplies. This of course is wrong, parents who believe that just because they are seperated from their child due to relationship problems they shouldn't support their child are wrong. All parents of a child play an equal part and an equal responsibility in his/her development and life. No parent should be a bad influence on a child, and a father who neglects their child shouldn't deseve access to their child. Its as simple as that.
Overall, a father figure should be someone who has time for their children. They should be open to their child and listen to what they want. They should do what is in the best interest of the child, even if the child is not biologically theirs and vice versa. Any adult involved in a child's life should all have equal opportunities and influence on the child's holistic development and life. Parents who jepodise a child's future by negelecting them or jepodising their development shouldn't have access, and this applies to both parents.
Look at the picture on the left, is this how a child should look at their parents? Is it fair to have children with parents at each other's throats? Is it fair to have a child with no father figure and is constantly brought up to distrust men? Children should have a father figure, whether that be their biological father, step-father, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather etc and men should make an effort with all children and be less focused on laying with the child's mother. Basically to put it blunt, if you can't find room in your heart and schedule to support a child, keep it in your trousers until you can.
Unfortunately more and more children are living in non-nuclear families. There are a lot of children born each year to parents that have no ambition to continue a long lasting relationship. However there are also a lot of children who are born into nuclear families that either stay together or break up after a certain amount of time. I wanted to explore this and why it happens and what affects it has on the children.
There are men out there and unfortunately it is becoming more common in the twenty first century that still believe they should have no part in raising their children. There are men that all they care about is getting laid by a girl and if they have a kid then its the girls problem. Well I don't believe in this at all. There are of course many men out there that don't seem to be bothered at all about their children. I've seen children before who live with their mother and have no contact with their biological father. There are many people out there that end up in relationships which don't always work out and there are also people out there that go through relationships like sliced bread.
In my opinion a father figure should always be there for his children. If the relationship between him and the mother breaks down and they divorce or seperate then the rights should be distributed evenly. It has come into the news not so long ago that father's rights to see their children are constantly being shortened and made unfair. Nine times out of Ten a child involved in a divorce will end up in the custody of the woman unless the courts don't see the mother fit to care for said child. This is because unfortunately men are not seen as the "caring" and "loving" type and children are better in the care of their mothers.
I don't believe this. Father's have a very important part to play in a child's life. This includes step-fathers and step-parents. If a child doesn't have a father figure then they are essentially missing out on a whole side of them. It takes both a mother and father to raise a child and help them develop properly. If you rip a child away from either parents it can affect them. Some people might believe that if a little girl lives with their mother it will be all fine and dandy, yet they would be wrong. I have seen cases of young girls who can't trust men around them or any male figures because they are not used to men being around and men are portrayed as "bad people". What kind of a start is that for any child?
Father's should have a responsibility to their children, they are the ones that created them in the first place. It is because a large majority of Father's who don't look after their children or leave the child with their mothers are just arrogant stuck up idiots. There is no other way if putting it politer. There are a lot of men out there that establish a relationship with a woman and all they want is to come home, have sex with her and don't care what happens in between as long as they are happy. These are the type of men that I hate and personally believe don't deserve to have any children. Those type of men are the type that would rather choose an abortion than support the mother through pregnancy and support a child. Unfortunately, when the child is born and the father wants nothing to do with the him/her the child feels alone and not wanted. This can have a serious affect on any child's self-esteem and can lead to a child not progressing in their holistic development.
Of course you do get a father who is a bit like the one on the right side picture. I have no idea why a father think it would be "Cool" to do this to any child. You do unfortunately get men out in the world who are more interested in alchohol, smoking or drugs than their children. This outrages me as it can be a form of neglect towards a child. It also stresses out the mother and this can lead to depression and breakdown of the relationship. If you become a father then you should find the time to love and be with your child, every father should try to do what they can with their children and be a positive influence.Unfortunately the reason on the right is why the UK courts are more likely to pick a mother over a father when it comes to child custody. We are currently living in a world where men constantly think that have to look "Cool" and "Awesome" in front of others. The generation which is currently having children now do not have the values that we used to have. There are several children that come into early years settings confused to how their father is going to be like when they get picked up. I've seen children being dropped off in Porsches and Sport Cars, and this might seem cool but how is a two seater sports car suitable for a young child? Is this just the man wanting a fast sports car and having a child in the front seat looks cool?
One of the things that I don't understand is the support system when it comes to children and divorce in the United Kingdom. When a couple splits and children are involved, the parents who doesn't have full custody of the child has to pay support to the other parent until the child is eighteen years old and is in full time education. The only problem is that if one parents remarry's or has another relationship the other parents feels like they shouldn't support the child anymore because of any income the new step-parent supplies. This of course is wrong, parents who believe that just because they are seperated from their child due to relationship problems they shouldn't support their child are wrong. All parents of a child play an equal part and an equal responsibility in his/her development and life. No parent should be a bad influence on a child, and a father who neglects their child shouldn't deseve access to their child. Its as simple as that.
Overall, a father figure should be someone who has time for their children. They should be open to their child and listen to what they want. They should do what is in the best interest of the child, even if the child is not biologically theirs and vice versa. Any adult involved in a child's life should all have equal opportunities and influence on the child's holistic development and life. Parents who jepodise a child's future by negelecting them or jepodising their development shouldn't have access, and this applies to both parents.
Tuesday 28 January 2014
We need more men in childcare!
Well this is a topic that I really want to push. We need more men in childcare settings in the UK, and across the world. Whether this be nursery, pre-school, kindergarten or even Key Stage One in Primary School. Most men are scared to be labelled as a Paedophile if they work with young children. I myself have had this issue and I am stepping up to the mark to what I believe is right.
This article from "Children and Young People Now" clearly shows the issues that us men have to overcome when it comes to childcare.(Click here to view the article). Even though the article in question may be over a year old it is still correct. Men are turning away from working with children because society labels them as a Paedophile.
But where has this issue come from? It seems to have appeared out of no where since the Jimmy Saville Scandal. There have been more and more people standing up and saying "He touched me here, this long ago, I want him put behind bars" etc etc. We all know that half of that stuff that is said is wrong and is just untrue. You see it everyday, all parents seem to be scared if there is a man in the room when they are dropping their children off for the day. So the purpose of this post is to set a few rumours straight.
Rumour 1 - "A man in a childcare setting will touch young girls inappropriately"
This is completely not true at all. Does society really think that a man who is caring for your child is going to sit and touch them inappropriately? Most men in childcare settings aren't even left alone with children for very long for this very reason. However when it comes down to it, why would you do such a thing in the first place? Also what makes a female nursery nurse more trustworthy than a male? This is what anger's me the most when female nursery nurses are considered better than males when trusted with children. This of course depends on your setting too, however if you asked parents most would rather have a female nursery nurse change their child's nappy than a male nursery nurse with the exact same training.
Rumour 2 - "A man in a nursery might take pictures of children for himself"
Well this one is complete crap. Yes children have their pictures taken so that nursery nurses can do observations and make wall displays. However not one photo of any child is taken out of the setting. The fact that anyone would think this just because of the gender of someone is outragous. If memory serves me right the reason why mobile phones are now banned in all childcare settings was because a female nursery nurse took photo's of young children during changing them and distrubuted them on the internet? I have never heard of a male nursery nurse doing this, and I myself personally would never even think of doing something like this.
Rumour 3 - "Men are a bad influence on children because they are too heavy handed"
Too heavy handed? Yes some men are naturally stronger than some women however how is this a bad thing? I will admit that I have turned around before and accidently knocked a child over, however this was just a simple mistake. Most female nursery nurses don't seem to be able to keep up with energetic young boys who need someone who can catch them, play a little rough and tumble with and still be safe. Children nowadays are wrapped up in cotton wool and is a bit of safe rough and tumble catch is a bad thing then what does that say about how much we protect children?
Rumour 4 - "Men should not cuddle children as they children are scared of them"
Are you kidding me? Children are not scared of men. I've been the only man in all of my College and University placements so far and the children seem to flock to me. Seriously I can't get them away from me sometimes. The problem is that when a child is upset they would rather turn to a female because they are used to them then a male. However when it comes to boys, they tend to go to the male practitioners more. I can comfort a child just as easily and effectively as a woman can. Children are not scared of men and if they are it is because they have not had a decent male role model in their life, this of course is more common in deprives areas where domestic abuse is more common.
Rumour 5 - "Men are more strict than Women and will often shout more"
Yes this could be true. However we are not always strict. This isn't the 1950's where men would shout at children. I have come across female practitioners that are way stricter than me. I don't shout at a child because they have coloured outside the lines on their picture. I hate shouting at children, infact I try not to. I have always found that calmly explaining to a child in much more effective than yelling their names so that everyone in Sydney can hear you. You get both strict and caring male practitioners, there has been times when I have to be strict to protect the child (For example on trips when crossing a road), but that doesn't mean I'm a strict shouting man all the time.
These are only five of the rumours that I've seen circling around about men in Childcare. Personally a lot of them are just by people who are scared to leave their children with a man. Why are we so scared that your child is going to be sexually abused or taken advantage of by men? For those who don't know there are several laws and legislations to stop that from happening and trained practitioners will be able to spot the signs. However it makes my job a hell of a lot harder when you have parents and people who automatically think you are a Paedophile just because you work with children and your reproductive organs are on the outside.
So the next time you see a man in a childcare setting. Don't jump to conclusions, remember it can be hard for us to face society's view on us and children. But then just remember we are here to do our jobs, we all have a passion and a drive or we wouldn't be working with your children and we can help them. Don't jump to the conclusion that they are a paedophile, because the last person who said that to me ended up with a broken nose. (You've been warned.... :P). Being labeless as a paedophile when you work with children is the worst thing ever and it has driven people to suicide before, so please before accusing think and just remember that a man in your child's nursery isn't a big deal. We have the same training and values as the women in the setting and discrimination shouldn't be what our society is based upon.
This article from "Children and Young People Now" clearly shows the issues that us men have to overcome when it comes to childcare.(Click here to view the article). Even though the article in question may be over a year old it is still correct. Men are turning away from working with children because society labels them as a Paedophile.
But where has this issue come from? It seems to have appeared out of no where since the Jimmy Saville Scandal. There have been more and more people standing up and saying "He touched me here, this long ago, I want him put behind bars" etc etc. We all know that half of that stuff that is said is wrong and is just untrue. You see it everyday, all parents seem to be scared if there is a man in the room when they are dropping their children off for the day. So the purpose of this post is to set a few rumours straight.
Rumour 1 - "A man in a childcare setting will touch young girls inappropriately"
This is completely not true at all. Does society really think that a man who is caring for your child is going to sit and touch them inappropriately? Most men in childcare settings aren't even left alone with children for very long for this very reason. However when it comes down to it, why would you do such a thing in the first place? Also what makes a female nursery nurse more trustworthy than a male? This is what anger's me the most when female nursery nurses are considered better than males when trusted with children. This of course depends on your setting too, however if you asked parents most would rather have a female nursery nurse change their child's nappy than a male nursery nurse with the exact same training.
Rumour 2 - "A man in a nursery might take pictures of children for himself"
Well this one is complete crap. Yes children have their pictures taken so that nursery nurses can do observations and make wall displays. However not one photo of any child is taken out of the setting. The fact that anyone would think this just because of the gender of someone is outragous. If memory serves me right the reason why mobile phones are now banned in all childcare settings was because a female nursery nurse took photo's of young children during changing them and distrubuted them on the internet? I have never heard of a male nursery nurse doing this, and I myself personally would never even think of doing something like this.
Rumour 3 - "Men are a bad influence on children because they are too heavy handed"
Too heavy handed? Yes some men are naturally stronger than some women however how is this a bad thing? I will admit that I have turned around before and accidently knocked a child over, however this was just a simple mistake. Most female nursery nurses don't seem to be able to keep up with energetic young boys who need someone who can catch them, play a little rough and tumble with and still be safe. Children nowadays are wrapped up in cotton wool and is a bit of safe rough and tumble catch is a bad thing then what does that say about how much we protect children?
Rumour 4 - "Men should not cuddle children as they children are scared of them"
Are you kidding me? Children are not scared of men. I've been the only man in all of my College and University placements so far and the children seem to flock to me. Seriously I can't get them away from me sometimes. The problem is that when a child is upset they would rather turn to a female because they are used to them then a male. However when it comes to boys, they tend to go to the male practitioners more. I can comfort a child just as easily and effectively as a woman can. Children are not scared of men and if they are it is because they have not had a decent male role model in their life, this of course is more common in deprives areas where domestic abuse is more common.
Rumour 5 - "Men are more strict than Women and will often shout more"
Yes this could be true. However we are not always strict. This isn't the 1950's where men would shout at children. I have come across female practitioners that are way stricter than me. I don't shout at a child because they have coloured outside the lines on their picture. I hate shouting at children, infact I try not to. I have always found that calmly explaining to a child in much more effective than yelling their names so that everyone in Sydney can hear you. You get both strict and caring male practitioners, there has been times when I have to be strict to protect the child (For example on trips when crossing a road), but that doesn't mean I'm a strict shouting man all the time.
These are only five of the rumours that I've seen circling around about men in Childcare. Personally a lot of them are just by people who are scared to leave their children with a man. Why are we so scared that your child is going to be sexually abused or taken advantage of by men? For those who don't know there are several laws and legislations to stop that from happening and trained practitioners will be able to spot the signs. However it makes my job a hell of a lot harder when you have parents and people who automatically think you are a Paedophile just because you work with children and your reproductive organs are on the outside.
So the next time you see a man in a childcare setting. Don't jump to conclusions, remember it can be hard for us to face society's view on us and children. But then just remember we are here to do our jobs, we all have a passion and a drive or we wouldn't be working with your children and we can help them. Don't jump to the conclusion that they are a paedophile, because the last person who said that to me ended up with a broken nose. (You've been warned.... :P). Being labeless as a paedophile when you work with children is the worst thing ever and it has driven people to suicide before, so please before accusing think and just remember that a man in your child's nursery isn't a big deal. We have the same training and values as the women in the setting and discrimination shouldn't be what our society is based upon.
“The
biggest reasons why staff thought men don’t go into childcare was
because of society’s attitude and the concern of being perceived as a
paedophile, - See more at:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075377/paedophilia-fears-deter-childcare#sthash.zoMIfNmB.dpuf
“The
biggest reasons why staff thought men don’t go into childcare was
because of society’s attitude and the concern of being perceived as a
paedophile, - See more at:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075377/paedophilia-fears-deter-childcare#sthash.zoMIfNmB.dpuf
“The
biggest reasons why staff thought men don’t go into childcare was
because of society’s attitude and the concern of being perceived as a
paedophile, - See more at:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075377/paedophilia-fears-deter-childcare#sthash.zoMIfNmB.dpuf
“The
biggest reasons why staff thought men don’t go into childcare was
because of society’s attitude and the concern of being perceived as a
paedophile, - See more at:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075377/paedophilia-fears-deter-childcare#sthash.zoMIfNmB.dpuf
“The
biggest reasons why staff thought men don’t go into childcare was
because of society’s attitude and the concern of being perceived as a
paedophile, - See more at:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075377/paedophilia-fears-deter-childcare#sthash.zoMIfNmB.dpuf
“The
biggest reasons why staff thought men don’t go into childcare was
because of society’s attitude and the concern of being perceived as a
paedophile, - See more at:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075377/paedophilia-fears-deter-childcare#sthash.zoMIfNmB.dpuf
Monday 27 January 2014
ADHD or Simply being a child?
Ok, so I've been playing with my Blog Profile for the last hour and then I got distracted by YouTube... So that made me think about something. ADHD. Being a childcare practitioner that has worked in both schools and nurseries I am very well aware of ADHD, however I think that is becoming an excuse created by doctors and parents to describe a child of basically being a child.
After some research into it I discovered that the main symptoms of ADHD are as follows:
However I believe that I can explore these a little further. But before I start I am not saying that ADHD is a myth, some children do really suffer from it. I am simply stating that I believe it is being over-diagnosed and it is marking children early therefore putting them at a disadvantage.
So lets start shall we. According to the checklist children with ADHD are easily distracted. But which child isn't easily distracted. Can someone please show me an example where a five year old is so focused on their schoolwork that if someone asks them what they're going to have for dinner doesn't distract them? We all get easily distracted.... squirrel!... Sorry.. So you see! And yes I forget things, sometimes I forget to turn the living room light off when I go to bed, or forget to feed the fish etc. How in the world is this a symptom? As for switching from one activity to another; I started cleaning my room this morning and its still not done because I switched to playing a game, talking to my friend on Skype and now I'm on here. Does that make me have ADHD?
We all have difficulty sometimes focusing on certain tasks. Could this be because the school system in the UK is just crap? I've seen the work that children have to do in schools and to be honest its not very stimulating. Writing between the lines and getting your B and D's the correct way around basically sums up one morning in a Year 1 Classroom. Also as for point three, thats is totally wrong. Of course children are going to lose interest in a task unless its enjoyable! They're children for crying out loud! If I find a game boring or something I'm doing boring yes I get bored with it! Thats how the human minds works isn't it?
This should be a good one to try to explain. Difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new. Well I'm trying to learn Japanese, however I'm finding it difficult. Could this just be that children are not little sponges like we believe them to be. We may pour water on them, but it doesn't mean they soak it all in. Basically, just because some children have difficulty focusing on certain new tasks doesn't make them ADHD. Have you ever given a six year old a copy of War and Peace and told them to read and focus on it for an hour. I bet anything they can't.
Having trouble turning in homework assignments and losing things. I lose a lot of things in my life. I lost my keys the other day, I lost a fish the other day (Literally it disappeared out of the tank). When I was in school yes I did have trouble with turning in homework, mainly because I was outside in the fresh air playing. But does that make me ADHD? Has anyone also noticed that these are all academic reasons so far? Not one is about how a child feels or how they speak or actualyl behave its all about how they do in school. Seems legit right?
Not listen when spoken to. Well what are you telling them? For example a child was labelled as having ADHD in my care as he didn't seem to listen to us when we spoke to him. It took over two years but it turned out he was actually deaf in one ear and didn't have ADHD at all. Another reason why I think we are putting this on too many children today. To be honest when you talk to me in person and I'm doing something else then I may look like I'm not listening, but actually I am. So when you're partner is watching TV and you're telling them about your day and they're nodding yet still watching, are they ADHD or just multi-tasking?
Daydreaming.... seriously? Who doesn't daydream! What the hell! I often sit here and daydream when I'm bored. I can sit here and daydream of certain things I want to happen or what to do. Also, becoming easily confused. I can sit and talk to a child about how the binary systems in a computer work and go into how to install a Bio system and how to format a harddrive. So they're not going to be confused, well of course they are! If I sat here and rambled on about how to program a calculator in PHP half of you will be confused after step one, so how can we expect a child to sit there and not be confused in school. All children have different cognitive abilities and not all children understand everything in the world. This comes down to the nuture and nature debate, which I am not going to go into here.
As for the move slowly. What about children who are in a wheelchair or have muscle disorders. Thats a big vague don't you think?
Having problems processing information quickly and accurately. Well what information are you giving them/ Are you saying stuff like "Dave run and get daddy's coat, then fetch the doogy bags from the kitchen, do you want to take the dog out for a walk, can you get your coat and can you feed the fish before we go please?" If you were six and put in that situation where would you go first? I know that my own mum puts about sixteen instructions into one sentance sometimes, but can this just be down to parenting? The same applies to "Struggle to follow instructions". So tell me, have you ever just wanted to do the opposite to what your parents say just to see what happens? Thats called being a bit rebellious and is quite common in the condition of "Being a child".
Now I know that some children do genuinly have ADHD and I am not saying that they don't have it. However what I have observed that there is more and more children having ADHD by the day. When I was in school ADHD didn't exist, it wasn't a thing. I believe that it has arisen from parents and schools not allowing children to be children. Give them a little bit of slack within reason and allow them to be themselves. Just because they get bored easily of reading Chip and Kipper and aren't interested in silly worksheets which prove no challenge doesn't mean they suddenely have developed ADHD.
I know this is purely opinion, but if you know a child with ADHD, sit back for just a few hours and watch. Are they doing anything wrong or do they just need more academic support. Labelling a child with ADHD at an early age of three can scar them mentally and emotionally for life. Because that child will always be the one who is seen as the "One who can't do this because he/she gets distracted easily" etc. So step back and think about how you were as a child, did you get easily distracted and did you get bored easily. I know I did and I don't have ADHD. I think that we are over-diagnosing this and its turning into an excuse. Maybe we should give children time to work out their own problems and see how that works?
So please take a minute to think about this. Has ADHD become an excuse for children being children or do we all believe that just because the doctor says a child has ADHD they will always be that way? The choice of course is yours...
After some research into it I discovered that the main symptoms of ADHD are as follows:
- Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
- Have difficulty maintaining focus on one task
- Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless doing something enjoyable
- Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
- Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
- Not seem to listen when spoken to
- Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
- Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
- Struggle to follow instructions
However I believe that I can explore these a little further. But before I start I am not saying that ADHD is a myth, some children do really suffer from it. I am simply stating that I believe it is being over-diagnosed and it is marking children early therefore putting them at a disadvantage.
So lets start shall we. According to the checklist children with ADHD are easily distracted. But which child isn't easily distracted. Can someone please show me an example where a five year old is so focused on their schoolwork that if someone asks them what they're going to have for dinner doesn't distract them? We all get easily distracted.... squirrel!... Sorry.. So you see! And yes I forget things, sometimes I forget to turn the living room light off when I go to bed, or forget to feed the fish etc. How in the world is this a symptom? As for switching from one activity to another; I started cleaning my room this morning and its still not done because I switched to playing a game, talking to my friend on Skype and now I'm on here. Does that make me have ADHD?
We all have difficulty sometimes focusing on certain tasks. Could this be because the school system in the UK is just crap? I've seen the work that children have to do in schools and to be honest its not very stimulating. Writing between the lines and getting your B and D's the correct way around basically sums up one morning in a Year 1 Classroom. Also as for point three, thats is totally wrong. Of course children are going to lose interest in a task unless its enjoyable! They're children for crying out loud! If I find a game boring or something I'm doing boring yes I get bored with it! Thats how the human minds works isn't it?
This should be a good one to try to explain. Difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new. Well I'm trying to learn Japanese, however I'm finding it difficult. Could this just be that children are not little sponges like we believe them to be. We may pour water on them, but it doesn't mean they soak it all in. Basically, just because some children have difficulty focusing on certain new tasks doesn't make them ADHD. Have you ever given a six year old a copy of War and Peace and told them to read and focus on it for an hour. I bet anything they can't.
Having trouble turning in homework assignments and losing things. I lose a lot of things in my life. I lost my keys the other day, I lost a fish the other day (Literally it disappeared out of the tank). When I was in school yes I did have trouble with turning in homework, mainly because I was outside in the fresh air playing. But does that make me ADHD? Has anyone also noticed that these are all academic reasons so far? Not one is about how a child feels or how they speak or actualyl behave its all about how they do in school. Seems legit right?
Not listen when spoken to. Well what are you telling them? For example a child was labelled as having ADHD in my care as he didn't seem to listen to us when we spoke to him. It took over two years but it turned out he was actually deaf in one ear and didn't have ADHD at all. Another reason why I think we are putting this on too many children today. To be honest when you talk to me in person and I'm doing something else then I may look like I'm not listening, but actually I am. So when you're partner is watching TV and you're telling them about your day and they're nodding yet still watching, are they ADHD or just multi-tasking?
Daydreaming.... seriously? Who doesn't daydream! What the hell! I often sit here and daydream when I'm bored. I can sit here and daydream of certain things I want to happen or what to do. Also, becoming easily confused. I can sit and talk to a child about how the binary systems in a computer work and go into how to install a Bio system and how to format a harddrive. So they're not going to be confused, well of course they are! If I sat here and rambled on about how to program a calculator in PHP half of you will be confused after step one, so how can we expect a child to sit there and not be confused in school. All children have different cognitive abilities and not all children understand everything in the world. This comes down to the nuture and nature debate, which I am not going to go into here.
As for the move slowly. What about children who are in a wheelchair or have muscle disorders. Thats a big vague don't you think?
Having problems processing information quickly and accurately. Well what information are you giving them/ Are you saying stuff like "Dave run and get daddy's coat, then fetch the doogy bags from the kitchen, do you want to take the dog out for a walk, can you get your coat and can you feed the fish before we go please?" If you were six and put in that situation where would you go first? I know that my own mum puts about sixteen instructions into one sentance sometimes, but can this just be down to parenting? The same applies to "Struggle to follow instructions". So tell me, have you ever just wanted to do the opposite to what your parents say just to see what happens? Thats called being a bit rebellious and is quite common in the condition of "Being a child".
Now I know that some children do genuinly have ADHD and I am not saying that they don't have it. However what I have observed that there is more and more children having ADHD by the day. When I was in school ADHD didn't exist, it wasn't a thing. I believe that it has arisen from parents and schools not allowing children to be children. Give them a little bit of slack within reason and allow them to be themselves. Just because they get bored easily of reading Chip and Kipper and aren't interested in silly worksheets which prove no challenge doesn't mean they suddenely have developed ADHD.
I know this is purely opinion, but if you know a child with ADHD, sit back for just a few hours and watch. Are they doing anything wrong or do they just need more academic support. Labelling a child with ADHD at an early age of three can scar them mentally and emotionally for life. Because that child will always be the one who is seen as the "One who can't do this because he/she gets distracted easily" etc. So step back and think about how you were as a child, did you get easily distracted and did you get bored easily. I know I did and I don't have ADHD. I think that we are over-diagnosing this and its turning into an excuse. Maybe we should give children time to work out their own problems and see how that works?
So please take a minute to think about this. Has ADHD become an excuse for children being children or do we all believe that just because the doctor says a child has ADHD they will always be that way? The choice of course is yours...
A slice of life...
The year is 2014 and most people have new year resolutions. Well one of mine for this year is to simply let others in the world know about certain things on my mind. So a little introduction is in order I guess.
I am going to start simple. My name is Will and I am a student at university. I am currently (as of 27/01/2014) in my second year of BA Early Childhood Studies with aims to go into teaching or to go into childcare. Before anyone jumps the gun yes I am a guy and yes I have worked with children in the past and no I am not a paedophile or child molestor as some narrow minded people think. In fact this is the reason why I am starting this blog, I am hoping to explain to the public that men can be in positions where young children are involved and even though parents would want a female caring for their child over a male, it is still perfectly fine for your children to be around male practitioners.
The one thing that has been annoying me is the fact that if I so as happen to mention that I work with children I'm faced with the same comment. "Oh he must be gay then, he works with pre-schoolers". Not only is this comment and prejudgement totally untrue but it is just absurd. I can assure you that I am not gay in the slightest and I have friends that are gay. I have nothing against anyone who is homosexual or bisexual in the slightest and I do not believe they should be discriminated against at all. Afterall we are all human, but I am simply annoyed that people can think this because of my chosen career path. However it does happen all the time, and it is one of the hardest obstacles I have had to face in my career and personal life so far.
The other reason is so that I once told someone what I do for a living and they automaticaly presumed that I was a paedophile. Of course I am not, and would never even think about even laying a finger on a child to harm them. However we live in a society and world where parents are scared for their children to even be seen by other people on the street. I see it everyday, parents not letting their child wander or explore, yes there is the degree of safety in that but parents fear every day that some "Strange man" is going to come along and snatch their child away. And yes it is always "The Strange Man" and is never "The Strange Woman". Some people deny it but we do live in a very sexist world when it comes down to children. If you showed 2 pictures to any parents, one of a man and one of a woman and asked which is most likely to take your child; the majority would choose the man. That is how our minds think now and that is what I believe is wrong and will always be wrong to assume. It makes my job harder when you know that some people just don't want a fully capable man who has the same training as a woman caring for their children.
Also since I am at University this provides me a place to basically rant and let out my feelings. I have faced numerous challenges when it comes to understanding new cultures and meeting new people. I thoroughly enjoy going to University and I enjoy being around people I can simply sit and talk to. However hopefully I can raise a few points which I think (Once again) is unfair about how our society see's university and how they treat our students. Most of our students are working non-stop to get the best grades and to excel in their chosen career's yet most corporations won't always let students excel and be free. For example, have you tried finding a part time job in a small town to fit around your ever changing timetable? Thats only one example.
However I've said enough for the introduction. Basically, I'm Will. I try to be fair on all points and I am a qualified childcare practitioner. This is my way of informing the world that the unnecessary fear and caution around men in childcare is wrong and just makes our jobs harder!
I am going to start simple. My name is Will and I am a student at university. I am currently (as of 27/01/2014) in my second year of BA Early Childhood Studies with aims to go into teaching or to go into childcare. Before anyone jumps the gun yes I am a guy and yes I have worked with children in the past and no I am not a paedophile or child molestor as some narrow minded people think. In fact this is the reason why I am starting this blog, I am hoping to explain to the public that men can be in positions where young children are involved and even though parents would want a female caring for their child over a male, it is still perfectly fine for your children to be around male practitioners.
The one thing that has been annoying me is the fact that if I so as happen to mention that I work with children I'm faced with the same comment. "Oh he must be gay then, he works with pre-schoolers". Not only is this comment and prejudgement totally untrue but it is just absurd. I can assure you that I am not gay in the slightest and I have friends that are gay. I have nothing against anyone who is homosexual or bisexual in the slightest and I do not believe they should be discriminated against at all. Afterall we are all human, but I am simply annoyed that people can think this because of my chosen career path. However it does happen all the time, and it is one of the hardest obstacles I have had to face in my career and personal life so far.
The other reason is so that I once told someone what I do for a living and they automaticaly presumed that I was a paedophile. Of course I am not, and would never even think about even laying a finger on a child to harm them. However we live in a society and world where parents are scared for their children to even be seen by other people on the street. I see it everyday, parents not letting their child wander or explore, yes there is the degree of safety in that but parents fear every day that some "Strange man" is going to come along and snatch their child away. And yes it is always "The Strange Man" and is never "The Strange Woman". Some people deny it but we do live in a very sexist world when it comes down to children. If you showed 2 pictures to any parents, one of a man and one of a woman and asked which is most likely to take your child; the majority would choose the man. That is how our minds think now and that is what I believe is wrong and will always be wrong to assume. It makes my job harder when you know that some people just don't want a fully capable man who has the same training as a woman caring for their children.
Also since I am at University this provides me a place to basically rant and let out my feelings. I have faced numerous challenges when it comes to understanding new cultures and meeting new people. I thoroughly enjoy going to University and I enjoy being around people I can simply sit and talk to. However hopefully I can raise a few points which I think (Once again) is unfair about how our society see's university and how they treat our students. Most of our students are working non-stop to get the best grades and to excel in their chosen career's yet most corporations won't always let students excel and be free. For example, have you tried finding a part time job in a small town to fit around your ever changing timetable? Thats only one example.
However I've said enough for the introduction. Basically, I'm Will. I try to be fair on all points and I am a qualified childcare practitioner. This is my way of informing the world that the unnecessary fear and caution around men in childcare is wrong and just makes our jobs harder!
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