If school's don't return on March 8th what will you do?

[cottonwoolbrain]

I am goign to be completely honest. I can't handle this anymore. I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm in tears every day now and the rest of the time just feel completely and utterly numb as if I'm doing everything on autopilot. Keep shoutinbg at the children - rate its going they'll get Stockholm Syndrome being coooped up with me as I am

DS (8) needs almost constant supervision to get him to do any work at all or even to sit in his chair. HIs school have great distance learning but I'm exhausted trying to get him to do it even with online classes. DD is 15. She's great at doing the work but is understandly stressed and lonely and worried about next years GCSEs and I feel like I'm getting the brunt of it.

I work part time and its the sort of job that requires high concentration levels. I can't just stop to answer questions about everything under the sun (including the flipping sun).

I'm breaking. Half term starts tomorrow. Hopefully a week of not home schooling will help and then I''ll be counting the days until March 8th but I'm so desperately worried they won't go back and I'm not sure what I'll do or how I'll cope.

DP helps as much as he can but most of its falling on me.

Sorry don't knwo what I'm saying except that i dont thknk I can hold out much longer and its messing up my children so badly.

I’m entitled to a key worker place. We didn’t take it up, but have arranged for DC1 to go back after half term and DC2 is in nursery. I’ll continue to require the place until they go fully back.

March outside parliament

I really don't know but your not alone op.
I honestly feel like homeschooling is becoming so detrimental to my relationship with my children. I can't wait to miss them again and not feel like an ogre everyday.
And I'm also conscious that I'm one of the lucky ones who isn't having to juggle working from home at the same time, I work later afternoon to early evening shifts so I definitely have it easier than some.

Weep, wail, weep a bit more, and then stoically carry on. What else can you do?

My children are generally good at getting on with their work, but not speaking to anyone else all day, as lovely as my children are, is getting me down. By the end of the day I always have a headache, and I'm now so glad that dry Jan is over.
But I feel selfish, because numbers have not co e down enough, schools are not safe.

Maybe cry?

Tbh I don't know that I'll feel confident sending them back then anyway, unless the numbers drop dramatically in the meantime. Unfortunately that doesn't change the fact I just really don't want to do homeschooling anymore, it's too difficult to juggle with work. I just want this whole nightmare to be over now.

Btw the very lovely headteacher at DC’s school told me I am not a teacher, I am not expected to teach my children. If they refuse to sit at the table and do school work then don’t stress about it. Encourage reading, encourage plenty of time outside and encourage sumdog but that’s the extent they expect if DC refuses to do work. It’s not worth letting your mh go to tatters

Cry. Then crack out the gin I've been saving for such an occasion. I've already bought the Tonic water so I'm stocked up.

Like Marmite, I’m a part-time critical worker and my son has an EHCP so is entitled to a place. He’s been attending part-time. We will probably be requesting a full time place after half term. I’ve managed to stay online with my work, although it’s hard to do anything with my son around, and I now need to return to ‘real’ work as I have a huge backlog.

I feel terrible for parents juggling full time jobs and not entitled to a school place. I can’t imagine how hard that is.

I could just about see limping on until Easter but if they are not back by then I would need to consider taking parental leave/ reducing hours or trying to get key worker place for ds. April and May are my busiest months. Well other than January which has been awful.

What can non-KW do?

We are being strung out.

I don't know how I'll cope, dd is 12 and autistic, she doesn't have an ECHP so doesn't have a school place at the moment.

I'm pregnant and fed up and cry most days.

Cry??
im similar with my middle Child who is 9,have to sit and hand hold through the most basic of work, its infuriating he does have LD but could try harder especially when im holding a newborn,
then i feel guilty that ive spent no time with my eldest.

I will feel grateful that the government are finally listening to the scientists rather than doing what they think people want to hear.

If it goes on past then just stop with all the school work. That's my plan, just take all the pressure off as it's not worth the affect on our mental health. Work will always come first as it keeps a roof over our heads.

Just do a priority list maybe of what has to come first and then do them in that order. If there's not enough hours for all of it just cut the list short to what is sustainable.

I’m being induced on the 8th- so I’ll be giving birth. If dh would like the children to continue to receive their education he knows what he’ll have to do with his paternity leave!

Cry.
Then remember I'm pregnant and can't have a drink so I'll have some ice cream instead.
Cry again

If its not safe for them to return then so be it but I won't be carrying on with the home schooling to the extent that we have been. Im not a teacher and I certainly can't supervise the education of a Year 1 child and a teenager with autism at the same time for much longer

Cry. A lot.

Looking forward to half term and not having daily battles with a strong willed stubborn little sasspot. who's 6

I won't be that bothered tbh.

Mine are at secondary and I'm happy to wait until after Easter. I'm a LP WFH and it's driving me loopy (no bubble or support) but I'd rather wait and let the NHS and school staff get organised first.

I want teachers vaccinated before they have to deal with a school full of germy pupils.

I shall go even more mad than I am currently. I hope I have the resilience to continue to muddle through

Sob with relief. I would like people’s lives to be the priority.

No choice.

I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

I'm going to be very stressed. DH and I both have very understanding workplaces but we can't carry on both being part time for much longer without our work significantly suffering.

We have done ok with the home school stuff but I have no idea if all the basics of phonics and literacy are where they should be for DS and how much catch up his poor teacher will need to do once they finally get back. I am really worried what the long term impact of that is.