Who do we think we are?

Agenda: Who are we?

Today, Kealey, Sarah and Steph talk about how they got into working within Early Years and what listeners can expect from the forthcoming podcast. 

Transcript

00:13

[Sarah] Hello and welcome to the Early Years Staff Meeting Podcast with Sarah, Kealey and Steph, the place where you can listen, learn and laugh with us all about things early years. 

[Kealey] This is our first episode and so today we're chatting about who we are and what you expect from our forthcoming podcast. 

[Steph] We are thrilled to have you with us today. Welcome. 

[Sarah] Welcome. 

[Kealey] Hello everyone. How is everyone?

00:43

[Sarah] I'm good. I'm good. Still getting used to all of this. We're still, yeah, still amateurs.

[Steph] Yeah, very much. We're very much novices in the podcasting world. 

[Sarah] We are. And it's lovely to have you, Kealey, with us because we've done a couple of briefings, and you haven't been able to be with us, but it's lovely to have you with us.

[Kealey] No, I'm back.

01:13

We’re chicken pot free so we're good to go.

[Sarah] Well, you personally.

[Kealey]  No, luckily. No, both my poor babies have had it. Bless them. 

[Sarah] That's really hard. 

[Steph] Well, we're full force today. 

[Sarah} So we are. 

[Steph] It's great to have you, Keeley. 

[Sarah] It is. So today, we're going to be talking about how we got to be

01:43

early years practitioners and how and why we wanted to work with young children. So we're just going to talk about our journey and a little bit about us so that our listeners can get to know us a bit better. So who wants to start? Who wants to delve in?

[Steph] Shall I go first? 

[Sarah] Go on, then you go first. 

[Steph] Okay so hello everyone. My name is Steph.

02:13

or Stephanie if you want to be a bit more formal. And yeah, I've been teaching for I think about 16 or 17 years, so a long, long time. But I've worked in early years for even longer than that. So before I was a teacher, I started out as a teaching assistant in early years, working in sort of nursery

02:43

And through my career, I've sort of delved into a mixture of reception year one, a bit of year two, but really where my heart belongs is with young children in the early years. Because it's just where I feel I can fully get on board and know in my heart of hearts that this is the right way that we should be teaching children. And, you know, this is what I believe children should be learning through play.

03:13

I believe that you can get everything that you know, they can get everything that they need to get from an education through taking a play-based approach and I think especially in the last sort of 10 years things in education have gone so formal so you know, I'm really happy to be working in early years again because I just feel that you know, I can I can embrace the early years way.

03:43

[Sarah] Did you always want to work with children Steph or did you just sort of fall into the job? 

[Steph] No, absolutely not. Yeah, it's kind of one of those things, isn't it? They say that those that is it like there's a horrible expression like those that can't teach or something like that. . I think that's basically me because.

[Kealey] That's what my granddad said to me. 

[Sarah] Did he? 

[Ktealey] Yeah.

[Sarah]  I'm just getting school of rock in my head.

04:13

where the PE teachers are sitting around the table. And Jack Black says that quote, and I can't remember for the life of me, is it's those who can’t teach do, those that can’t teach gym. 

[Steph] So yeah, it was kind of like I fell into teaching really, because I think I'm just good with children being the oldest of five siblings I

04:43

was like a mini little mini mum at home looking after my brothers and sisters in the holidays and stuff and it and it just I think I just have this natural rapport and ability to get on with young people and I feel like that's where it came from so when I started working in schools I was like oh actually this is really fun this is this is great like children are just a joy to be around so yeah that's that's how I got into it.

05:13

[Sarah] How about you, Kealey? How did you get into working with young children? Is that something you always wanted to do? 

[Kealey] Well, Steph's lovely story about her being with all her siblings and being like mother hen and getting into it that way when you enjoyed teaching her siblings. Mine was completely opposite. I had an awful year three teacher. She was really horrid and really mean. I said to my mum, when I was

05:43

that age, I'm going to be a teacher, mum, to make sure that there was no other teachers like her ever again. Because she was horrible. And mum said, I've never forgotten that you want to be a teacher, not because of the positive, but because of something negative. But I suppose she's always stayed with me. So bless her. But yeah, but I've been, um, I've been working with children since I was 16. In nurseries, 

06:13

been head of a room and one-to-one for a childhood nursery, getting ready for school. Then I often did my degree which I really enjoyed. So then, being slightly sarcastic. And then went back into the nursery because I loved it so much and they wanted me back and I loved it. And then, ended 

06:43

up coming to where I am now and doing my NQT there, you're there and kind of never left. Yeah. So currently not in early years as such, only just kind of left, just come out the teaching for a little bit really. Still very much involved with a lot of early years children that I come across daily.

07:13

and helping a lot of children up the school that are working within the early years kind of level, which is fun and rewarding. 

[Steph] But you're bringing the early years to those children. 

[Kealey] Absolutely. And it's working a treat.

[Sarah] I think for our listeners, I think they should know that we all work together at the same school and we have done for a while for some of us. So you and I, Kealey, we've worked together for a really long time.

07:43

[Kealey] I think getting on for 10 years isn't it, like a life sentence.

[Sarah] But yeah, so we do all work together at the same school. So just to give a bit of context there for our listeners. 

[Steph] And I'm a relative newbie to the to the early years gang. 

[Sarah] You are. But yeah, you feel it feels like you've been with us forever though Steph, I don't mean that negatively

08:13

you just sort of slotted into the team.

[Steph] I love it. And what about you, Sarah? Tell us about you?

[Sarah]  I wanted to be a vet. I'm not going to lie. 

[Kealey] How did you know that?

[Sarah]  I wanted to be a vet. And then my mum took me to parents' evening and my agriculture teacher, because we had a farm at our school that said that there was no hope that I would ever be a vet because I wasn’t

08:43

academic enough and I cried all the way home. Isn't that awful? You wouldn’t get away with it now. 

[Steph] Shatter your dreams. 

[Sarah] Yes, she did. She did. And then a couple of weeks later, we had like a careers day and I took a like a questionnaire and at the end it said, you could be a teacher and that was it. So that's what I did. 

[Steph] I sometimes take those questionnaires like now,

09:13

Hoping it will kind of come up with something different and it always comes back to be a teacher.

[Sarah]  And I, so basically I started doing A levels, but I just found it really difficult. It was just too boring. And so I went to college and did a nursery nurse course. And that's how I came across working with really young children. And I absolutely loved it.

09:43

and I've never looked back. I just think it's the most freeing fun that I've ever had. And I just love just very young children and I just love how they behave, I love how they think, how they talk, I love being part of their play. It's just pure fun. Yeah, so I just never can ever see myself working in with older children, I just don’t feel the

10:13

curriculum allows that freedom like it doesn't earlier. So yeah, that's me. Vet to teacher. 

[Steph} Working in one kind of zoo to another. 

[Sarah] Exactly.

10:29

[Steph]  So maybe, like maybe, Sarah, you could start by just telling us a little bit about because this podcast is kind of was your idea. Would you start by saying like what, why are we adding to our already busy lives and schedules we're doing this podcast.

10:51

What's our motivation? 

[Sarah] So I think I just decided one day that there was, I don't know, in schools, and I'm being general here, but I think early years are kind of the outsiders, the outcasts of school, because we don't conform to national curriculum and all of the sort of the routines and the rituals and things that go with the

11:21

national curriculum. 

[Steph] We try not to.

[Sarah] We're not easily coerced into being moulded into what they do and I think people find us a bit, I'd like to say, kooky.

11:39

You can always tell an early years teacher by how they dress, how many bags of pound land goodies they're bringing in in the morning. 

[Steph] It's always the ones with the massive, great big shopping bags, isn't it? Just full of stuff. 

[Kealey] When they leave and they've got macaroni or pasta, necklaces around them, you don't take it off until you realise someone's looking at you odd when you're on the school run or you get home and your child goes, where's that come from? Oh, that's very nice.

12:09

[Sarah] I just wanted us to feel included and represented by just by a podcast. It's something I started listening to in lockdown. I just, yeah, I just love listening to them. And I just feel as though that in general, in social media, in media in general, that they mainly focus on primary and secondary teachers. And the early years is the kind of forgotten area, really.

12:39

So yeah, I just wanted to create something that was relatable to early years teachers as, you know, I have been one for 13 years now. So as a teacher for 13 years, but I've worked in and in nurseries for an extra five so a long time. So yeah, that was my motivation really I just just wanted us to be represented that was all and to have to have some, you know, a place where people go

13:09

express their ideas, their stories, their feelings, a place where they could access CPD because that's something that's really hard for us to access unless the setting or the person's got lots of money because early years courses are really expensive and they're not always locally, easily accessible. So yeah, that's another reason why I really wanted to start this podcast.

13:39

[Steph] And that's the good thing about podcasts is that, you know, we can just listen to them on the go. So, you know, we have very busy lives. It's all about work-life balance or trying to find that work-life balance. So it's good, isn't it, that we can, you know, put on a podcast, you can be washing up or something, but at the same time, you're listening to something, it's giving you a little bit of inspiration or motivation for the next day at work.

14:09

[Sarah] Yeah, and you know, just a talking point really, it's, you know, to talk, go back to your colleagues at work and say, oh, I guess what, listen to this. This was really helpful. Should we try this? Because that's something that we do at work is that ladies, we always are trawling Pinterest or, I don’t know, Facebook, Instagram, and we're always looking for, you know, something to help with whatever area we're working on at the moment.

14:39

It's just something I wanted that for early years practitioners to have at their fingertips whenever they wanted needed us, should I say.

14:52

So, yeah, so what can listeners expect from our podcast? They can hopefully expect some real life, you know, experiences and stories. And we would really, really like if you, the listener, would be able to express your stories or your ideas or your hints,

15:22

your hacks. So it'd be fantastic if you could access our social media pages and contact us that way or our website, www.theearlieststaffmeeting.com. No doubt. 

[Steph] Well done. Shameless plug. Shameless plug. See, you’re getting better at this. 

[Sarah] I am getting better at this. It’s one of those things, isn't it? It's like an interview. You're not very good at like, I well, I'm not very good at. 

[Steph] I'm terrible at interviews.

15:52

[Sarah] at just, you know, promoting yourself, you know. So yeah, I am getting better. So yeah, shameless plug. Yeah.

16:03

So yeah, I just want listeners to hopefully get some CPD as well. 

[Steph] Yeah, we're going to, we're going to sort of do like a roundup of the best practice aren’t we for our area of the week for our theme of our staff meeting of the week. But also we want to make it relatable. So we'll hopefully relate to our real life experiences and, you know, we don't, we don't claim to know everything we know. 

[Sarah] Oh, no, not at all.

16:33

It’s a collaborative process, isn't it? 

[Steph] Yeah. And it's kind of we want to create this safe space to ask questions. We'll hopefully learn along the way as well.

[Sarah]  I'm sure we will. Yeah, I think we, you know, we might signpost you to other people who've been, who've got like a theory or best practice or better ways of doing things

17:03

That's that's our aim. Yeah, and hopefully just to just to show people who perhaps aren't in early years, perhaps they're in primary or perhaps they're in year one or perhaps they're in year six or even secondary if they happen to listen they might you know get to hear the real side of of early years and actually think oh, okay Actually, I might actually like to try that that sounds really magical because it is a really magical place So yeah, that's what I would like

17:33

I would like people to know that yes, it is full of bodily fluids. 

[Kealey] And more.

[Steph]  I feel like we've seen, I've definitely seen every bodily fluid this week, well not every one, not in the early years, but the majority. 

[Sarah] Definitely. It's been a very sicky week this week.

18:03

[Steph] a lot of bugs going around. 

[Sarah] Norovirus is sweeping the nation and sweeping our school definitely. So yeah, but yeah, early years is more than just bodily fluids, but it is part of it. So yeah, it comes with a health warning

[Steph] You should tagline that! So I bet all of the people listening are desperate to know where they can get their hands on this podcast and 

18:33

Where you’ll be able to hear it. So you should be able to get this podcast and all good podcast providers. 

[Sarah] Definitely. Yeah. We are on Spotify. We are on Amazon Music. We are on Apple Music. Is that the one? Apple Music. And a range of others. So, 

19:03

on our website, you can click the link and on any of our social media pages. We are on Instagram, we are on Facebook. We have actually just set up a Facebook group called the Earlier Staff Meeting and this is a place for our listeners to go. It's a safe space, it's a private group where you can interact with each other but also we can interact with you.

19:33

as well. So check it out. 

[Steph] And yeah, our podcast is hopefully coming to you regularly at regular intervals, perhaps fortnightly. We haven't quite ironed out all the specifics yet as we are still very new.

[Sarah] Yeah, it's just working around workload, isn't it? As any practitioner, whether you're working in a nursery, a teacher, any role

20:03

any role, you'll know that work load is a very hot topic in education right now. So, yeah, it's all working around that. 

[Steph] Absolutely. Yeah. And, and we're all mums. So it's, it's our other full time job as well that trying to fit in around family life and yeah, social life and everything else.

20:29

[Sarah] So yeah, but just watch this space. So we will let you know on all of the social media pages, you know, when our next episode is coming out. So yeah, watch this space. What do they say? Subscribe, follow and share. Is that the…?

[Steph] Subscribe. Like us? Gosh, we are so old. We're so old. 

[Kealey] Old, we're just green to this thing.

20:59

[Sarah] I think what it is is because, you know, we have to be wary on social media, don't we? And I think we're not very, you know, as educators, we're not, you know, very, well, social media savvy. So again, it's something we're working on. 

[Kealey] I've still got a sign up to Instagram. I've got no idea. 

[Steph] Come on, Kealey, we need the followers. 

[Kealey] Oh, I know. I can't. No, no, I'm not even one of them yet. Work it out.

21:29

[Sarah] Well, there you go. practice what you what you preach, come on. 

[Kealey] I know. Right, that's my that's my target. 

[Sarah] Next step.

[Kealey] Yeah, next step. Make sure you're on Instagram. Do you know what? It gives me like the worries every time I go on anything like that. Am I signed up to the right thing? Is it going to go right? Well, I’ll be fine. I will try. 

[Steph] It's minefield out there. But yeah. 

[Sarah] And just

21:59

to let our listeners know if they do post any stories or any, you know, if their thoughts or feelings that it will be anonymous because just for confidentiality reasons, we wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble. So yeah, just to put your minds at ease, it will be confidential, anonymous. 

[Steph] As are we remaining as are we?

[Sarah] Yes, we are. That's why. Yes. 

[Steph] And we’re not

22:29

not using our real names. 

[Sarah] No, Sarah isn't my real name. Okay.  Wow. Thank you very much for listening to this podcast. Yeah, we will hope we hope to get a lot better. But if you stay to the end, fantastic. Let us know what you thought on our social media pages and yeah, check out our podcast the rest of our podcast

22:59

be coming soon. 

[Steph] Have a great week. Yeah, have a lovely week. 

[Kealey] It's almost the end of the week. So good weekend as well. 

[Sarah] Yeah, great weekend. Okay, take care everyone.