Eleven Plus Nagging

Parents, teachers and eleven plus children all chat at some time of another about the cycle of feelings. The terms people use may be different but the cycle is sustainable. Very simply:

How I think and feel about myself.

How others behave towards me.

How I behave towards others.


How I think and feel about myself:

The Teacher – I am confident that I know what I am teaching, I have some knowledge of my eleven plus pupils and I am able to work with the parents of my eleven plus children.

The Parents – I know what I want. Quite simply I want to give my child the best possible chance of passing the eleven plus. I know my child’s strengths and weaknesses and expect the teacher to bring out the best in my child.

The Child – I like work that is interesting – and I do well at work that I like. I want a teacher that is fair and makes the lesson interesting.

How others behave towards me:

The Teacher – I am a professional, I will earn respect with every pupil. I will listen to the concerns of parents.

The Parent – I am our child’s mother (father). I would like our teacher to understand and respond to my concerns. My child must understand and act on my concerns.

The Child – Just don’t lecture me.

How I behave to others:

The Teacher – I will respect the needs and concerns of all concerned. I will, however, defend my position if I come under fire.

The Parents – I will do my best to be realistic about my child’s ability and will therefore try to understand what the professions are saying.

The Child – I will work hard, be polite, say thank you, always start my eleven plus work without being nagged and tidy up my work after I have finished.