Thinking of homeschooling - anyone else?

[AlabamaArkansas]

My 4 year old is due to start school in September. However, if he goes back at all it's increasingly looking like there will be social distancing. I understand the need for this but I just can't fathom sending him to a place he won't be able to be physically comforted if upset. I have mulled over homeschooling before for a lot of reasons and was considering trialling it for his first year of reception to see how we get on.

I currently work part time, but I do freelance work for charities which can be done in the evenings. I would probably have to cut down my hours a bit, but could continue to still earn. DH is the main wage earner and is in a secure job.

My main concern is around social interaction. I'm quite introverted and this seems to have come out in DS too - he enjoys nursery, but seems to be able to take it or leave it - hasn't been missing it at all since lockdown closed it and is happy pottering about at home. But obviously he does need to socialise with other children.

My other concern, and I'm really sorry if this offends people but I don't know how to say it, is that the "type" of person I usually see home schooling their children can be very sort of hippy in their beliefs (I see a lot of anti vaxxers for eg who home school) and I'm not like that at all. I don't disagree with screen time for eg which in the home school facebook group I joined seems to be a big thing.

Has anyone experience of this? How did you get started?

I've got a 4 year old due to start reception, the way I see it he's never been to school before so if they all end up at desks facing the front (unlikely) he won't know reception isn't usually like that.

I keep seeing people say this and I dont really understand it - yes ds has never been to school before but he does know to expect comfort from adults when upset. So much of what is proposed just goes against instinct, it doesn't really matter what they're used to.

@sauvignonblancplz. I can only assume you havent read all my posts because I wasnt being rude.i was agreeing with the OP that is schools are going to be run with no comfort from the staff for a 4 year old then they shouldn't open. Or better still perhaps the schools that are coming up with these rules which are closely intended to put parents off should put the risk of this virus onto proportion.

If you fine that view 'rude' then you must be easily offended.

This is a public forum and you dont get to police it.

@ScreamingKid @AlabamaArkansas

So you don’t want to homeschool , you want schools to return to normal & this thread is just an opportunity to bash teachers?

No problem.

No that's not what I said. @sauvignonblancplz

I said I would also homeschool if the plan was to not help my 4 year old if he needed comforting or had a wee and needed cleaning up.

I also said that such plans need to be looked at. It is not a reasonable option from schools to say if you send your young child to us we wont comfort them or help them if they have an accident. This virus needs to put into proportion and doesnt require such ridiculous rules. Most people will not die of it. If a teacher is high risk then that's different , but presumably they won't there if that's the case. That's not 'teacher bashing'. Its questioning the sense to such a decision which we are all perfectly entitled to do.

And if schools are coming up with these draconian measures, how long are they intended for? Until there's a vaccine?

I cant believe people are suggesting teachers role doesnt include comforting small children.of course it does. Theres no way I would be sending my 4 year old to a school where the staff went comfort them if they're upset or clean them up if they wet themselves. How do they plan on dealing with children with SEND? Schools need to get a grip.

It’s a schools job to educate, to deliver the curriculum safely. A teacher is under no obligation to provide physical comfort , as rubbish as it is.

I think you need to manage your expectations and set your sights a bit higher for who to blame in this mess instead of directing it at schools and teachers.

The whole thing is madness. It's not the plague.Most people will be fine. If it's going to be that restrictive then I cant see the point in going back on June 1st. Ot should all be scrapped until September. Or when people get some perspective about the risks of this virus

This with a billion bells on. Except they need to hurry up with that perspective.

Of course it's their job to comfort children. Are you really suggesting a crying child will be ignored by a teacher because it's not in their job description to comfort them? It's all part and parcel of the time spent at school.

And as I have already explained, schools need to get a grip. The virus is here. Theres no vaccine as yet and it doesnt kill or seriously hurt most people.

I would say the 36042 people who have died would think differently .

I didn’t say they couldn’t comfort , I said physical comfort there is a difference.
I would suggest you need to get a grip. It’s brilliant if children can return to school but they’ll need to adapt , just like everyone else.

You can’t say on one hand - it’s just a silly virus everyone should calm down but then chomp at the bit because little Billy didn’t get a cuddle when he scraped his knee.
Get some perspective.

Schools aren't coming up with these measures. I don't know a single teacher who would choose to teach in this way.

Sigh.

@sauvignonblancplz

Theres no point continuing any type of conversation with you as you're not getting what I'm saying. Firstly you accuse me of being rude to the OP, when I was agreeing with her. Now you're tying yourself in knots and splitting hairs trying to justify your patently ridiculous theory that teachers dont have to comfort children. You're also trying to put words in my mouth. I didnt say it was a 'silly virus', I said the risk needs to be put into perspective before schools (or the whole country for that matter) introduce draconian and potentially damaging rules such as saying they will not comfort a child who is upset (by which they presumably meant physically as no one would be stupid enough to assume that verbal comforting would be included in that rule of course) or clean a child up if they wet themselves. What is the risk exactly to a perfectly healthy adult if they need to touch a young child for a very short period of time who presumably is not showing symptoms and that adult then immediately washed their hands? It's not the same risk assessment as someone over 80 in the same situation or for someone with an underlying health issus. It's also quite likely there will be many riskier situations for that same teacher, like shopping or getting on the bus.

Anyway, as I said. I won't be interacting with you any further on this. We come from different positions and are entitled to hold different views.

@ScreamingKid you make perfect sense though.

I am not teacher bashing, I am simply saying I would rather not send my 4 year old to school if such extreme measures are deemed necessary, and was asking if anyone else had made the same decision and how they would go about it.