Page 66: Five reasons why I am excited to teach Nursery again (ECT 2)!

 Page 66: Five reasons why I am excited to teach Nursery again (ECT2)!

As announced in last weeks page, I am very excited to say that I will be teaching Nursery again for my second ECT year. For today's post, I do not only aim to reflect on my first year, but I would like to share some reasons (there really are a plethora but nobody would read if I went on forever!) in the hope to get new Nursery teachers inspired and aspire more for the future!

1. Shaping individuals.

One reason I particularly love being an EYFS teacher is the role we play. From the outside, people may assume that teaching at this age is all about teaching them to count, begin to read and start to write - this could not be more wrong. Yes we indeed do all of these things but in addition to so much more. Children at this range are in the midst of developing a whole range of skills, in particular socially. Playing a part in supporting the individual leaners to develop their personalities, learning to reason and be the catalyst to allow their fantastic imaginations to flourish is just wonderful!

2. Early Reading.

If you have stuck with me for a while, you would be aware of my passion towards early reading. I actually completed my BA dissertation exploring the teaching of early speech and reading, and getting to put my own research into my practice daily I love. To explore my passion of this vital area in more detail, please feel free flick back to my previous pages, but establishing this ground in Nursery, lays the foundation to ensure all children can read. Phonics is a huge factor in this and I throughly enjoy teaching our phonics sessions, however this is built upon a lot more. Exploring the effect of your voice and prosody as the teacher, singing nursery rhymes, reading stories and learning how to discriminate environmental sounds are only a few to mention. I am looking forward to establishing and enlightening this reading passion for our next cohort. 

3. Continuous Provision.

I just love continuous provision! Learning through play is essential in this stage of a child's development. I am looking forward to setting up an exciting provision where the children will have a plethora of learning opportunities daily. From developing fine motor skills on the play dough table, to making mud pies and writing recipes in our mud kitchen, the possibilities are endless. I am very passionate about outdoor learning so I am excited to reinvent our space and develop this further next year. With this being a crucial stage in a child's development in learning new language and vocabulary, an exciting and effective continuous provision is the best way to ensure this daily. (It is said that from ages 3-4, children learn 4 to 6 new words per day). 

4. Supporting families and parents.

As a teacher (in any year group) it is essential to have strong family connections and to form strong professional relationships between home and school. Nursery is the seed for this. For many families, it is the first time they are letting their child into the care of somebody else. This is a huge responsibility. Not just to educate, but to nurture and support both the child and their surrounding network. A great start to this is conducting home visits. I am really looking forward to completing this again in September before the children start with us. It is a great way to support the children in settling into our care (seeing us in their home), as well as laying that ground of parent/guardian support, informing them of the school routine, structures and expectations as well as answer any questions or worries a family may have. Establishing this from the start, sets this up for a lifetime. 

5. Teamwork. 

I have throughly enjoyed working within a brilliant EYFS team. I was able to bring my new fresh ideas and learn so many fantastic more through working with a range of experienced staff. I look forward to continuing to develop the team and our working relationship next year. I will be sad not to work with some members next year (due to them moving year groups etc) but look forward to meeting the new members of the team and learning alongside them. 

As always, to finish with a quote, continuing to summerise beautifully what it is like to be an EYFS teacher:

"The beauty of teaching is in the learning that happens every single day. They learn new things and I learn by teaching them. Everyday I keep learning how to be a better teacher." - Musa Jaafer.

- Miss Yeoman.