Homeschooling going to shit - a support thread

[Brokenchair1]

Schoolmum WhatsApp group rapidly filling with messages about people doing the Joe Wicks live PE, photos of kids sitting at desks dressed and working, mum's joking about how lovely it is to home school.

Meanwhile in the broken household....single mum here, I have a Skype meeting at 1 I need to prep for, DD 7 currently refusing to do anything and keeps sitting on me saying she wants to play. 3 months of this 😭

Anyone else where homeschooling isn't filled with colourful timetables and colour coded snack trays...join here for support and commiseration.

I've only just read the first bit of this thread but thank you so much for starting it! I could be the OP. Lone parent and 7 year old DD, home schooling and working at home is blinkin' difficult.

After a day of constant whatsapp show off messages on the parents group of what their children have been doing and my DD barely even started on what work she is supposed to be doing, I could scream!!!

Work have emailed all of us today asking if anyone wants to volunteer for 80% pay in the next 2 months. After the last 3 days I am sorely tempted.

I'm completely with you. I'm a single mum too, trying to juggle childcare and work. I work for the NHS in a non essential job but my boss won't let me work from home or have time off unless it's unpaid leave. No provision at all has been made for the school closures. My first day of homeschooling was hard and like you I was bombarded with people on Facebook seemingly getting on fine even enjoying the home schooling, my friends included. I have since come to the conclusion that I can't do it all and I didn't sign up to be a homeschooler so I am doing a little bit of school work each day but not stressing about it anymore.

DD12 has managed 5 hours and is proud of it. Most has been creative writing.
Ds6 did 4.5 and found time to spontaneously thank me for “everything I do for him”
Ds14 has begrudgingly done 4 hours with constant oversight
Ds8 has done 3 hours, about 1 of which consisted of whining about having to work “in the holidays”
I have concluded I am vastly outnumbered and don’t stand a chance.

I used to BE a fucking primary supply teacher. Class of 30 completely unknown kids...piece of cake. My own two children... fuck God no!

We've managed about 10 minutes of PE with Joe.... reading book. At this point DD1 buggered off into the garden to read the entire bloody thing instead of a few pages. Then I shoved Oti's dance class on Youtube while I attempted to do some uni revision (because I have to sit exams in the middle of this shit next week). DH got saddled with Maths to enforce which was flipping hilarious to listen to.

Far too much screen time, far too much bickering and I bloody hate the smuggy mummy social media crew - this is shit.

Both kids really missing friends and school right now - I'm missing my friends from the school gate too. We're now watching Operation Ouch so I can revise for my med sci exams semi legitimately.

I check class charts just to see what work he is not doing today.

My dd spent the morning screaming at me for offering to help her with her work...only to spend the rest of the day asking me for help every thirty seconds.

School sent an email today with the beautiful words "we are putting in place a new whizzbang online learning system which will require minimal parental involvement"

Have had to go rummaging in the shed for a friend who doesn't have pc access to do this with to find an old laptop

Somebody emailed me this & I'm planning on sticking my kids in front of a screen & letting them crack on.

Various celebrities are offering free daily educational help while schools are closed:

9.00am - PE with Joe Wicks

10.00am - Maths with Carol Vorderman www.themathsfactor.com

11.00am - English with David Walliams www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/elevenses/

12.00pm - Lunch (cooking with Jamie Oliver) www.jamieoliver.com/features/category/get-kids-cooking/

1.00pm - Music with Myleene Klass www.youtube.com/channel/UCQh2wgJ5tOrixYBn6jFXsXQ

1.30pm - Dance with Darcey Bussel twitter.com/diversedancemix/status/1241098264373592065

2.00pm - History with Dan Snow (free for 30-days) tv.historyhit.com/signup/package

4.00pm - Home Economics with Theo Michaels (Mon/Wed/Fri) www.instagram.com/theocooks

Non-daily events include:
Science with Professor Brian Cox, Robin Ince & Guests cosmicshambles.com/stayathome/upcoming-schedule

9.30am Wednesday 25 March - Geography with Steve Backshall
twitter.com/SteveBackshall/status/1242058846941712385

For your older kids, here are 50 free revision resources for 11+, GCSEs and A-Levels:
www.eparenting.co.uk/education/50_free_revision_resources_for_gcse_a_level_11_plus_and_sats.php

Thank god they are all asleep and I've managed a couple of hours of work tonight. Beasts they are. Beasts! And I'm out of chocolate.

A lovely start to the day. DS came for a cuddle in bed. So rarely happens now.

For the first time we are going to attempt Joe Wicks PE. I wonder who is going to shout first about something their sibling is doing to be annoying.

Oti Mabuse - dancing class 11.30 - kids are loving this one of a 30 minute dance routine.

day 4 and I have basically given up so this morning is a write off and CBeebies is on. My friends instagramming perfect home schooling can go do one frankly.

So tired after working late into the night trying to catch up. DH home from tomorrow for a month as his key working supplies depot can now run on minimal staff (unless they get ill ). I doubt it will be much easier though as I still have to do the teaching (he is massively dyslexic and wont do any of the class stuff) but at least my afternoons will be free so I can start work earlier.

btw I only have one child so anyone out there with multiples I salute you.

In my house its shit. And I'm a teacher.

Thank fazakali for those links. We've been lucky to get anything done. DP and I are both flat out because of the current situation and youngest has no interest in doing anything vaguely educational!

Joe Wicks done. Tween whinged the whole way through. Followed by the dreaded question "when's lunch".

FFS!

Getting into our groove here, lazy morning, DD actually self regulated her iPad time, turned it off and went to okay with her Barbies. We've done a bit of school work and now both having screen time before lunch

We've not done Joe Wicks once😂 having daily walks though

Agree with PP. Anyone with more than one child deserves a medal.

Also any other lone parents here who are glad to be isolating alone? I had a shower for the first time in about 4 days today, I minged 😬

It's not been as bad for us today. I think my eldest, at least, has accepted This Is Happening and is accepting things a bit more. He actually enjoyed Joe Wicks this morning.
Ds2, however, has spent most of his time trying to assault his brother and do as little as possible.
I have set a maximum length of learning time from 9am to 12pm. That includes Joe Wicks and an assembly of sorts on Zoom organised by a friend!
And the "educational" Minecraft maps have come on very handy.

I have found my people!

DD1 (7) is refusing to do anything and nothing I do, say, or remove from her possession is changing that. We are having hourly daily sulks, tears, tantrums, silent treatment.

DD2 (4.5) is easygoing but hasn't started school yet and has a tendency to run feral if left to her own devices too long.

I am supposed to be training for my new job but all that's been parked and we're now to do what learning we can from home (very practical hands-on job so limited).

Weather's pish here today so not got outside yet. Joe Wicks was ignored.

DH is in middle of big project to provide essential coronavirus stuff and clearly glad to be out of the house.

Someone send chocolate please.

DS 17 had a "welfare call" this morning from his sixth form college. He attends a special needs college and they wanted to see how he was.

Had to admit at 10.45 that he was "still asleep".

Then had to try and get the fecker in a vaguely upright position to tell them he was fine. ...all the while he was drifting off again (he doesn't DO mornings apparently).

Beyond embarrassed.

He then had the nerve to tell me to "stop nagging" him.

Is it too early for gin!

Told him that now we have log in details for the learning hub he will be signing in every day. Until work is completed I will be freezing his internet connection. I do love the Sky Buddy app.

Did I mention he hates me?

Yesterday ds2 needed to use certain words in a sentence and write it down. Every sentence he wrote was about poop.
The poop is disgusting.
Do you not like the poop?
Today is a poop day.

Well he did the work correctly I suppose.

We put up our trampoline yesterday so pe is trampolining every day now.

Yesterday did not go well, DD had to do work online on some school website and it wouldn't let her correct her answers when she accidentally pressed the wrong number and she got so upset about it.

Well our home schooling has gone terribly today.

DS3 (age 3, and struggling with potty training) started the school day by having a massive poo on the floor in his room and smearing it around while I was clearing up after breakfast.

So I’ve spent most of the morning cleaning up DS3 and his room, while the older DC took advantage of this to completely ignore anything even slightly educational.

And now DS1 is refusing to do even the smallest piece of school work because he has a tiny scratch on his foot.

Meanwhile, DS1 and DS2’s teachers have sent out message after message with piles of extra work for them to complete, and my Facebook feed seems to be full of photos of children sitting nicely at a table with beautiful work in front of them 🤯

This is all really stressing me out at the minute. I feel like I’m completely failing at parenting.

I have declared today an INSET day.

We've had two interactive classes via zoom today. Foolishly I thought it would be my time to sit and do other stuff, get on with work etc. DD keeps pressing buttons and I'm having to run to the rescue!!

This afternoon has been a bit stressful so at 4.30 on the dot I'm having

@Natsku we could not live without our trampoline. Best thing we ever brought. Since the schools have closed both dcs are sound asleep by 7.45 as they are so knackered 😂

Both have finished their work and I've eaten my weight in coffee and biscuits. 🙈 Dcs are now having down time. While I try and stay off my phone and tidy up/ do a sudoku puzzle 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂