Pre School Learning

Mine is still messy V’, I attribute that to being left handed, we can’t see what we have just written, our hand immediately covers it up. :roll_eyes:

One of my daughters is left-handed, her writing is beautiful but she doesn’t curl her hand round, one of my cousins is left-handed and his writing is appalling - he does curl his hand around.
My father was ambidextrous and wrote a beautiful italic hand with either, he also played tennis and squash very well, irritatingly for the opponent he had two forehands and two backhands…

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The ‘basic’ education, as I mentioned, that should be done at home is being ‘palmed off’ onto the schools by some parents who just can’t be bothered !

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Ah! :slightly_smiling_face:

No responsibility parenthood, it’s a form of child abuse.

You cannot separate learning at school from what goes on at home and elsewhere in the environment. To say that teachers teach children to read and parents have no responsibility or input displays ignorance and I believe that it is perfectly acceptable to refer to such people as plonkers.

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We agree then Dave, a lot of them about too :+1: :slightly_smiling_face:

I can think of some harsher words David.
I cannot understand why there are some parents who seem to take no active part or interest in their children’s education either at home or school.
I remember a schoolfriend who was ‘gifted’ at art. Her parent’s showed no interest or encouragement whatsoever. Her beautiful drawings were greeted with 'well what are we supposed to do with that !

That was a shame!
I passed the 11plus, second go, I was so proud when Mam and Dad were there to see me get the ‘General Excellence’ prize the next year.
Was all down hill from there. :rofl:

Here we start school at 3 years old. So learning to read before that age is a bit difficult. Homework is forbidden before a certain age. Methods of learning have changed a lot (B-A BA to global method, then semi global method etc etc). Been told as a parent by a teacher not to interfere in the method used, because it could disturb the process of learning to read. The teachers are doing a fabulous job here, and kids can have extra help in certain circumstances. What is definitively not the teacher’s job is to teach kids and their parents how to behave in society so they can focuss on their job. Parents are here to support but no to substitute the teacher.

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We had a little chap at the Mairie yesterday…and he captured the hearts of everyone there… :relaxed:

After getting the nod from his Mum (English)… a tiny piece of chocolate was produced from behind the counter… and as he held his hand out his Mum prompted him to say the “please” and “thank you” in French and English…

At just 2+, his earnest face and shy mumbling was delightful… :hugs:

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Maternelle isn’t compulsory education though, that starts the September of the year you turn 6, in UK that compulsory education starts any time between newly 4 and 5, at that age a even a 6 months’ difference in age makes a huge difference.

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When little Bill had been at school
A year, Dad sat him on a stool
And smiling kindly said “Now Bill,
Read from your book, I know you will!”

But little Bill looked shy and sad:
“The teacher didn’t show me, Dad!”
“You still can’t read? That is a shame.
Your teacher is the one I blame!”

“But never mind, you’ll soon catch up
I know you are a clever pup,
So here’s a book we both can share
And read together, Rupert Bear”!

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Little bill was oh so sad, he could not read he never had.
So many book so little time, once at school it seemed a crime.
His father never took the leisure to give his son so much pleasure.
At the end of the day it was so sad but maybe a little bit the the fault of his dad ! :confounded:

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Apologies for the prose but really took 3 seconds to respond when I saw this ! Could do better ! :frowning:

Hi Ann, reading your own eloquent testimony to parental example and support does reinforce, for me, that pre-school influence is a class/cultural issue. Some older generations, my own included, lacked the confidence to teach their offspring to read, and were not familiar with books, although most households had a family Bible. I never saw a book in my paternal grandmother’s house, though my uncles read Sporting Life and the younger ones Réveille, a slightly risqué weekly.

Parents often felt ill-at-ease around teachers, who were mainly middle class in my childhood years. They were often ill-equipped to teach children to read or do sums, and so left such matters to their “betters”.

There is still some antagonism from some parents towards teachers, not helped by political interference in education and a tendency to bad-mouth teachers when a scapegoat for societal ills is needed.

I liked your poetry which, although quickly composed, had elegance, metre and meaning. My own was as close to the original RB style and mètre as I could manage. But it would only make sense to children for whom a Rupert Bear Annual was the sine qua non of Christmas Day and the Christmas stocking. Christmas without Rupert Bear was unthinkable. :cry:

PS images of RB are all copyrighted and CV ost money to display. Like images of men opening their raincoats to display their brooch and earrings. As the Donald laments, Sad! BAD!

Well Peter I have to say that my background was… ‘label time here that I hate,’ working class!
My mum (86 years young now) left school at 14 years of age but had, I don’t know from where, a love of words that she passed on to me. My dad’s family were a little bit above the’ normal’, from what I can gather, his mother was ‘pauvre gentry’. However my dad was anti- establishment. Was an out and out racesist and believed that women should know their place in life.
My mum had to ‘bow down’ to him but also took the time to do her best for me.
Books were from the library, second-hand at Christmas and birthdays. I truly thank her from the bottom of my heart that she took the time to play, share, and give me so much simple pleasure.
We often still play word games, laugh, share books and discuss life. She is a lovely lady and I treasure while I can (despite age related problems) the moments we share … :slight_smile:

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Brilliant Poem Peter, many thanks :+1: , Yep, thanks Dad :heart:

Not clever, quite surprised really Ann :roll_eyes:

Sure you could??? really surprised :wink: