To feel I’m making a mess of homeschooling

[DICarter1]

I feel like I’m making a mess of homeschooling. My children are 11, 10 and 7. My 10 year old has autism and adhd and has ft 1:1 at school. My 7 year old also has autism and adhd and has limited speech and other complex needs. So she attends a specialist school.

My dh is still working ft and is very busy. I’m trying to work 20 hours a week for work.

But I feel like I’m screwing up home learning. My 11 year old goes off and gets on with it and my 7 year old has limited stuff to do but needs to be constantly watched. School aren’t sending any differentiated work home or anything from my 10 year old. Occasional check in call but we have a very poor relationship. And they’re fairly useless around all Sen related stuff.

I’m doing a maths program online with my 10 year old but the school learning is powerpoints whilst trying to make sure my 7 year old doesn’t destroy anything. And I don’t feel I’m doing enough for my 11 year old.

I feel like I’m failing across the board.

[frogsbreath]

I've just said on another thread that my autistic Ds (9)with ADD too is just lolling around on the floor avoiding work. I've set him up three or four different work desk possibilities and we've settled for the floor.

The first week he was good, the second we started dropping quantity of work expectations, the third also quality of work. Joe Wicks is a distant memory.

I have Facebook friends with two parents furloughed at home uploading pictures of their son's daily work which is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful and always far more than the task requires. He's autistic too but I guess his strengths are different.

I'm just trying to get through the day without major arguments now. It's wears you down to be constantly prompting and encouraging and pushing down your own anger so to help regulate their emotions-which always seem to be teetering on the edge of meltdown anyway.

If your school doesn't understand then heck em, other parents of SEN kids do and we just need to get through the day without fighting about fronted adverbials and expanded noun phrases. It's not worth it.

[DICarter1]

@frogsbreath, thank you. I’m shattered. I’m having to google what some of the English things mean and English was my strongest stuff. Bloody expanded noun phrases. I suppose tomorrow is another day. It’s just so tiring spreading myself across the kids and work whilst my husband shuts himself in the office and just works. And then end up locking in a battle with my 10 year old who gets herself in such a state it’s horrible.

[Haggisfish]

I’m a teacher and my two nt dc haven’t done very much at all either.

[Ineedtobecalm]

I have an autistic 8 year old and haven't received any SEN support either. I'm trying to work from home and he can't stay on any task without help so very little is being done

[pfrench]

I'm a teacher and my child has watched TV for 6 hours today.

This isn't home schooling, this is a seventh level hell. Just get through it with your mental health as intact as it can be.

Give yourself a break.

[ploofyorangebats]

My asd dd (12) hasn't had any additional support bar one email. She's overwhelmed with the teams structure and her focus is all over. My younger dd is resistant and arguing the toss over every single task school have set.

My eldest ds isn't even checking the college website and this evening I could cry as I'm trying to thinly spread myself to encourage and help them, yet it doesn't feel enough. Others seem to have children that are less wilful and stubborn who will engage with everything and mine are just feral wildlings.

I sympathise with you op.

[ohthepigeons]

I feel like this today so sympathise with you.

I'm a teacher as well and have 2 primary aged dc.

It's hard getting them to do anything and I find it far easier teaching and engaging a class of 30 than 'homeschooling' my own dc.

No real advice, just to say you are not failing your dc.

[frogsbreath]

Me and ds has an argument when I tried to explain in my day we weren't taught the terminology they use now!

I'm trying to encourage activities like play doh, kinetic sand or paint etc because I can keep him interested a little bit longer even though I do have to stay and encourage him with it.

I couldn't imagine having more than one kid to manage through this pandemic.

I signed up to netflix today so I could get some stuff done while he was entertained but I just sat on Mumsnet