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Covid

Has anyone else given up on home schooling

75 replies

nikkijr1990 · 22/05/2020 21:50

First six weeks all was well, was getting a decent amount of work out of DS1 (year 4) but the last few weeks things have got progressively worse. This week we have done next to nothing. The arguments and stress of it was getting out of hand and also trying to take care of DD (seven months) has added pressure! Just wondered if anyone else's children had lost all enthusiasm for homeschooling as I'm feeling rather crappy about It!

OP posts:
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Qasd · 22/05/2020 21:56

Yes same age same story and yes I don’t know what to do. The school have washed their hands I kept up enthusiasm for a bit (helped because senior schools sibling was working) but too many arguments and tears and unless someone wants to tell me I don’t know how to teach!

Seriously we are taking a break and I am intending to try and get my shit together by September because he wants and needs better than this!

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ATowelAndAPotato · 22/05/2020 21:56

We lasted about 3 days with my year 1 DC. Both DH and I are working from home full time and it is such a battle.
We try to do other stuff at the weekends, “science” experiments with food colouring, making cards for nanny to practise writing. And we read together most evening anyway.
But actual school work sent home, nope nada!

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0v9c99f9g9d939d9f9g9h8h · 22/05/2020 21:57

No.

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milski · 22/05/2020 21:59

I am so glad you posted this. My son is in year R and my Husband and I work full time. I have another DS just turned 3 in lockdown. Most of the homeschooling has been left to me and my eldest hates it. He was behind his classmates even before this happened so I've felt so guilty about that. He just shows no interest at all. I feel as though I'm fighting him to do anything. Just wanted you to know you're not the only one feeling like this!

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GabriellaMontez · 22/05/2020 21:59

Yes about 4 weeks ago. I reached limit. We both did. It wasn't manageable. I was ruining relationship with dc.

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Siameasy · 22/05/2020 22:02

Doin the absolute minimum. You will read your book, write one sentence and do your sums. I too have no idea how to teach. I’m of the recite parrot fashion spelling test type thing. DD (5) is refusing almost all “learning”

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Mishmased · 22/05/2020 22:03

I haven't submitted anything since last week for my 4 year old. DH works from home and I go to work 3 days and 2 days work from home. Pure exhaustion as I've been doing very long days and we have an audit next week so will do no homework. My 7 year old keeps his homework ticking away nicely so at least one child is on track 🤣🤣

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Voice0fReason · 22/05/2020 22:04

Just stick to fun stuff. At that age, it won't make any difference missing some academic stuff.

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Besom · 22/05/2020 22:05

Who knows what school work my dd is doing most of the time? Not me anyway.

I have to do my own work which was supposed to be tallowing me to do less to take account of dd - but isn't.

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Makegoodchoices · 22/05/2020 22:07

Still doing all of it - mine is pretty compliant in general as long as you don’t try and make him go for a walk.

Mind you we do a lot of it as videos and try to make them funny for the rest of the class - that keeps him motivated.

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june2007 · 22/05/2020 22:08

No the opposite. If this is long term now is the time to make a propper plan, so our children don,t loose out.

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ShellsandSand · 22/05/2020 22:08

I had to disable to school apps because I have two different age kids with two different curriculums. One has dyspraxia and gets very overwhelmed. I ordered work books from Amazon that they do for approx 1 hour a day. English and Maths. The rest of the day we do yoga and learn about the Ocean as that's what they're interested in most at the minute.

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TiredyMcTired · 22/05/2020 22:24

Sort of give up... my son is Year 7 and has complex SEN. Just doing homework with him before lockdown was a struggle, but since he’s been home it’s been very challenging. He hates school and anything to do with it, and so me trying to work through the learning materials sent home by school was resulting in daily battles that were exhausting for us both. We’ve compromised and we do some reading, writing and some keyword learning. I’m trying to teach him other practical stuff instead, like cooking and the 24 hour clock. I am worried about the amount of school that he’s missing but I would rather our relationship survived lockdown

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thefamousfiveplusone · 22/05/2020 22:36

Yep 🙋🏽‍♀️ DD is also yr4 and we haven't done anything in terms of her home learning for at least the last week or so. I also have a 5.5 month old as well as a DS in yr8 who to his credit is good at working independently.

As the weeks go by the children are becoming more and more disconnected from school which doesn't help the cause.

I don't think we should beat ourselves up over it. I'm putting more emphasis on maintaining a happy home.

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sanityisamyth · 22/05/2020 22:37

Nope. DS (6) loves learning. He was volunteering to finish his school work at 9.30pm tonight as it was preferable to going to bed!

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Winnipegdreamer · 22/05/2020 22:41

Trying to do stuff with a 9 year old in the ravishes of puberty who finds everything a struggle and a 11 year old who has SEN, who absolutely fucking detest each other. We decided to pack it in a couple weeks ago, obviously still reading etc and trying to learn life skills instead. I refuse to feel guilty about it

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doublemix · 22/05/2020 22:44

I have a 6 year old YR2 DS and also have a just turned 2 year old. He hates it and hates me teaching him we do it because as he is already the youngest in the year I don't want him to get behind but he has no enthusiasm for it and would happily give 1 word replies to question if he could. I don't see how they aren't going to be so behind after missing 4 months of school no matter how much teachers say they will get them back up to speed

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Yamashita40 · 22/05/2020 22:45

I've given up with my 5 Yr old. We read to him, he writes his name and labels things. We do the activities in the cbeebies magazine and he does the number blocks app.
My 12 Yr old is doing brilliantly however. With no intervention from me.

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daisyjgrey · 22/05/2020 22:50

Mine is year 5. We bought the CGP books and are managing two pages from each (4 book-spelling, grammar, maths, comprehension) every other day.

I've discovered she's best left to do it and then she'll ask me if she needs help, it wasn't working with me sat alongside her.

I don't push it and if I suggest it and she's not at all receptive I leave it, the majority of the time it's a neutral "ok, if I have to" and it gets done then we go back to cooking/playing/gardening/FaceTiming her friends.

I'm not arguing with her, this is tough enough without screaming about times tables and adverbs.

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Aroundtheworldin80moves · 22/05/2020 22:51

Good day... 7yo does her maths, watches Bitesize Daily and writes a few sentences. (Plus reads, but that's 'fun'). 8yo does more, but is more amenable.

I persist mainly because I feel no one else cares about their age group right now. Maybe their individual teachers do, but there is minimal input from school, no work needs to be submitted, no checks are done. Just the weekly email on a Sunday with a few ideas for the week.

I don't blame the teachers by the way- I think they are stuck in the middle of all this too.

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Adelais · 22/05/2020 22:55

Yep my 7 year old hasn’t done any school work the past 2 days. She’s lost interest in it so it’s a battle trying to get her to do anything and that along with looking after a 3 month old means I just cba right now.

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Jumbojem · 22/05/2020 22:56

OH is out at work every day, I work from home full time. I have a Y8 and a Y6. If they are quiet and not fighting I leave them to whatever they are up to. There's a small amount of learning and hours and hours of YouTube. I am trying to not be worried. I don't have the time, energy or patience to make sure they are working. Both of them are exhausted with home learning, feels like school are grabbing at straws for work to set, especially the Y6.

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RoryGillmoresEvilTwin · 22/05/2020 23:03

Ds year 4.
We're still going and all lessons are completed each day but by god, we're both relieved it's now half term!
We both feel pretty burnt out by it. Some days are easier than others but this week has been particularly hard.

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Whatnametomorrow10 · 22/05/2020 23:04

Y5 here and the last week has been hard with working FT and being very busy with work calls :(
I made a decision to start half term earlier yesterday and catch up over the next week.
I feel like a complete failure for my daughter. I have taken myself of FB as a fair few of the parents have been furloughed or are SAHP and was making feel worse with their activities.

Will try again after half term. It’s hard as she wants me to do it along side her which is fair enough all I can do is try.

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saverssavedsavanak · 22/05/2020 23:04

Would have said it was going well until today when year 8 DS had a total meltdown. He has SEN and swore at me for the first time in his life today because he was overwhelmed. It took four hours to calm him down.

I don't understand really, we are doing 1-2 hours per day max. They are at school for 6 hours a day. But he is so stressed.

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