Consistency year after year

This is the first year in my teaching career where I have had some of the same children in my class for two years consecutively. In my school it is very rarely the case when children have the same teacher. In fact those people in working in the administration department deliberately do not put children with the same teachers year after year. Although I have never delved further into the reasons why, I can see that there are benefits for children having different teachers, particularly English teachers. Children can gain a wider understanding of the differences in culture even between different western teachers, get used to different accents and experience a range of teaching styles which can prepare them for further education. On the other hand, difficulties may arise because English is the second language of these children and consistency in teaching style and accent ensures that children feel stable and confident learning a second language. I have always worried about the ability for young children to understand and adapt to different accents, when learning phonics for instance.

Well, so far this year I think I have become a fan of this consistency in teacher and class, especially for children this young. I am now teaching 4-5 year olds, the ‘Lower ' level in my school. Half the children in my class are from my ‘Nursery’ class that I taught last year. The next step for the children will be ‘Upper’ level. My life was made a lot easier at the beginning of the year because I only needed to remember 12 names instead of 25. In turn, this meant that I was able to concentrate better on settling everyone into a new classroom routine and get on with the extensive curriculum that is quite different from the Nursery level.

I have found it easier to speak with parents and can continue to develop on where the children finished up last year. As I already know half the class’s strengths, and areas to improve, I can easily observe the other half and plan for activities that help the whole. I have noticed some of the children in my previous class trying to push my boundaries as they know me well, in these instances I have had to lay down different ground rules, but this is usual for a new term and new school year anyway.

Overall, I am pleased that I can nurture these children for another year and watch them develop new friendships with different children and become more competent in English and begin writing and reading. It is a great pleasure.