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.

Will the situation have drastically changed for the better in @ 9 days to allow them back on the 8th March?

Highly likely the answer will be No way.

I'll be relieved if they don't go back on 8th March tbh, I think it's too soon, especially with this new variant. Maybe after Easter if levels improve by then I would feel better. When they go back, I'd like it if they did blended for at least half a term to make it a bit safer and see how the levels go, it was scary watching them increasing every week last term and getting multiple cases a week in DS's school. I think rotas/blended learning would address a lot of the mental health and educational needs of benefiting from face to face time, but would make it much safer, although I know there are still practical issues that would need to be sorted and keyworker and extremely vulnerable kids might still need full time places.

I think if they go back with no additional safety measures the same thing will happen again in terms of a rapid increase in levels and all the hard work from this lockdown will be undone (and we'll end up in yet another one)

I know it's not ideal them being out of school and I do feel for everyone that's struggling.

For those of you who are keen to get schools back, I understand... but would ask you to have a think about what measures you would like to see in terms of school safety and write to your MP about them. Because to me, remote is more consistent and less anxiety inducing than constant isolations and worry about being exposed.

So if we get schools safer, there will be less cases and more consistency in schooling.

My top preference would be for the government to go for zero covid and then we could just be normal and not have to worry about additional safety measures, but sadly they're not showing any signs of doing that. Some of the suggestions I have seen for improved safety in schools are proper air filtration systems (will take time to fit though I guess and not sure how expensive these are?), rotas, masks allowed/encouraged for children that are happy to wear them, regular testing in secondary schools (maybe primary if they can sort the LAMP saliva tests?), school staff vaccinated. And no fines for parents who want to continue home educating temporarily.

@RedcurrantPuff

I am doing zero home schooling. I’m not a teacher and trying to hold down a demanding full time job. Something has to give. Kids will catch up, they’ll be worse off if I end up sacked or having a breakdown.

Yay! Someone who gets it.

A happy intelligent kid will always succeed. Quite pilling stress onto kids. Let them be kids. The only thing this pandemic has done is demonstrate that there is a difference between capable and less capable kids. The ones that are going to succeed, are going to succeed no matter what. The ones who are going to be less successful will be happier and probably more resourceful without the burden of all the crap we try to pile onto them.

We're parents. We know instinctively where our kids fit into the intelligence spectrum and where their skills and interests really lie. If anything, this is a chance to really double down on what our kids have a real passion for.

I really feel for you if it's drama or music or sports, particularly team sports. It's noisy and hard to deal with those things at home. But if your kid doesn't want to spend 8 hours in front of a computer watching a completely incapable teacher try to engage with them, switch the fucking thing off.

At least this has also shown a lot of people just how incapable teachers are at engaging with kids. For most teachers their only skill set is talking to captives. If they are required to inspire enthusiasm in a subject, create excitement or passion, most are completely incapable of that. You can see that on Zoom. Imagine your kid being stuck in a classroom watching that, hour after hour, with a herd of equally bored kids.

I plan to superglue that morning’s least favourite DC to the headteacher, and run away.

I don't see anything changing before Easter tbh.

We'll keep juggling and having to make up missed work in the evenings. It's shit, but there you are. At least the weather will start getting better and we'll be able to be out in the garden more.

We have decided as a family that we can not go on like this much longer. We have stuck to the rules but in the coming weeks if no end in sight we will form a social 'bubble' with 1 or 2 other households. We have all had the virus mildly.
My young child need the social interaction. And teaching kids of the same age together will be a better way to learn.

I also need to avoid losing my job. We don't want to end up homeless & at foodbanks on top of everything else!!

So. Rules will be broken.

@idoornottodo

Be ultra relieved that the government aren't making the same mistakes as before

This.

If parents can not get kids to engage what makes you think teachers can?

Other way around - If teachers are so incapable that they cannot inspire or engage children, how the fuck are parents meant to force them to watch and engage with the drivel they put out?

May this has brought home to parents just how incapable our teachers are at their jobs and that the majority of what they are actually doing is nothing more than childminding our kids while we are at work.

We get live for secondary and it’s working well. We don’t get any for primary. I’ve not watched any zoom from a teacher so far.

I don’t have an issue with any of that.

@BrilliantBetty

We have decided as a family that we can not go on like this much longer. We have stuck to the rules but in the coming weeks if no end in sight we will form a social 'bubble' with 1 or 2 other households. We have all had the virus mildly. My young child need the social interaction. And teaching kids of the same age together will be a better way to learn.

I also need to avoid losing my job. We don't want to end up homeless & at foodbanks on top of everything else!!

So. Rules will be broken.

Well, at least now its criminal offences and not civil offences, so you end up with criminal records, and not just notices of civil infractions. Hope you don't need a clean record for anything.

Cry. Try and be positive.

This time around I have been able to help dc2 with homeschool due to flexible furlough. He is doing far better than in 1st lockdown. Though I still sometimes struggle to remember not to get stressed if he falls behind in completing the work.

Dc1 however is struggling with emotions. 9-3 Teams lessons have taken their toll on his enthusiasm for learning. He is struggling to find joy in anything. I hope half term helps, but know that he is preparing for 2 weeks afterwards and if it goes on for longer than that will be devastated.

I'm so thankful my employer is able to show me this flexibility in reducing my hours, otherwise I would have had to quit. Still feel so much guilt about the March - June period when I held on working full time, watching my kids sinking, not knowing how long it would go on for, feeling unable to ask for a break due to being new in role and concern over my and dh's employment security. It was inhumane trying to keep it going, pretending thing were ok, maybe they would be back at school next week, maybe work would ease off and I could be present more.

It’s more that dc miss out on a lot not being in school. And it’s too much digital stuff in its place. That’s before all the worse things - that some dc will face.

I got a sniffy text from school telling me my child (no idea which one) was not engaging with RE and telling me to email the school for support. Meantime I emailed my son’s guidance teacher to let him know my son was struggling and no reply weeks later. They can piss right off.

That is because their teacher is incapable of teaching the subject in an engaging manner and making it interesting for the kids. It isn't their fault. They probably have no interest in the subject themselves, and rarely have any training in engaging the imaginations or inspiring the interest of children. They are just parroting the curriculum and taking their salary.

What they do bring to the table though is, when they are in school, they make sure our kids stay put, mostly behave themselves, and don't get injured. Its a child minding service, and now some people are beginning to realise the difference between 'education' and 'child minding'. This is why people who have the means to do so, choose to take their kids out of child minding and pay to put them into education.

And we wonder why there is a ruling class in this country.

@BrilliantBetty you’ll have my full support, rules will indeed be broken. It’s brave of you to say so on here! I expect others will be doing the same, and there will be a public uprising of tacit disobedience if we are fobbed off yet again on 22nd Feb with “pleeeeeeease be patient... schools are safe, but we still can’t open them, and we won’t even tell you what order we’re going to open things, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease continue to sacrifice your children’s mental health on the altar of my incompetence, and to lose your minds while we confuse and gaslight you to insanity”.

@ElliFAntspoo

Even if you are charged with breaking the rules (highly unlikely let’s face it) then it does not count as a criminal record.

Obviously will crack on with it because I don’t have a choice. We could technically claim keyworker places because DH is an architect so construction and I’m a teacher albeit currently on maternity leave. We don’t want to do that to the school though who are already struggling with 1/3 pupils attending this time around.

I’m trying my hardest but I feel very much like you. It’s an uphill struggle and I’m stressed and anxious all of the time. I’m barely sleeping most nights, my body has been aching from all of the tension, I keep forgetting to eat so I’m losing weight and I’m constantly moody and snappy. It isn’t healthy, I have a baby and toddler on top of my three primary school aged DC to contend with.

My 8 and almost 11 year old’s mostly just get on with the work set although they have their moments. 9 year old needs 1:1 support with the majority of her work, she claims she doesn’t understand and flails around shouting if not. I’m trying to constantly breastfeed and offer stimulation to the baby, also trying to provide my 2 year old with adequate attention and keep on top of the housework. Feel like I’m going to break.

I don’t think schools will go back until after Easter.

I'll have a quick silent panic, then just get on schooling. Both of my dd schools are closed due to staff having covid. In reality I prefer homenschooling atm secretly
Hoping schools stay shut for a few more months.

Stay calm and carry on simultaneously “working at home” and remote “home schooling”

I will say one thing, it has separated the fantastic teachers from the not so great ones. My 8 year old’s teacher is amazing, she’s absolutely incredible. Each class in the school is given a 30 minute zoom slot a day and she uses the full 30 minutes, I think she’d go further if she could. She constantly thinks of interesting ways to engage the children and my DD has never missed one, she loves it. She also uploads the timetable and worksheets the night before so I can get organised and have it all printed off for morning, I just can’t thank her enough and really do appreciate the organisation.

Other two teachers just aren’t that great. Their zooms last 5-10 minutes max, it’s usually just a ‘hi, how are you?’ type thing. They also rely on the TA’s to upload a lot of the work which doesn’t seem fair, it’s not like they’re getting paid anywhere near as much as the teachers! Some days we’re lucky if any work is uploaded before 9 and every day they never seem to provide enough work. I have asked them for more work a couple of times but they just haven’t. Some days they just ask them to go on a times table app and that’s their maths for the day... It isn’t good enough imo.

You couldn't get police to come out to you round here for an armed robbery let alone 3 kids bunking up for some homeschooling! 😂 I'll take my chances.

I could have written the exact same post a week or so ago. We do home school just 3 days a week now as I was losing the plot, and we do random stuff on the other 2 days. This has helped enormously. Today we walked in the snow, did cosmic yoga, Lego, read a David Attenborough book about the Arctic, watched some bbc bite size and baked a cake.

@Emmylou292

I know I'm in the minority, but I'm enjoying home learning with my 12 year old (who needs extra support) and my 10 year old who has Down's Syndrome (and needs full support). People think I'm mad, but it's the only thing that is stopping me from falling apart (keeping busy) while I'm missing my adult son. He's 21 but has the mind of a baby and is stuck in a residential home. I've not seen him since October and I don't know how much longer I can do this. It's literally breaking me. He has no speech or understanding and can't understand why his Mum has disappeared or if he will ever see me again. He was entitled to the vaccine but there was no way he would let them do it. He can't even cope with being shaved or having his hair cut. I'm also a single mum and have health problems myself. The thought of getting covid terrifies me as I am all my children have. I keep myself busy all day and then cry my heart out every night.

This sounds really tough. I hope you can get some support and you get to see your son x

@Norwayreally

Obviously will crack on with it because I don’t have a choice. We could technically claim keyworker places because DH is an architect so construction and I’m a teacher albeit currently on maternity leave. We don’t want to do that to the school though who are already struggling with 1/3 pupils attending this time around.

I’m trying my hardest but I feel very much like you. It’s an uphill struggle and I’m stressed and anxious all of the time. I’m barely sleeping most nights, my body has been aching from all of the tension, I keep forgetting to eat so I’m losing weight and I’m constantly moody and snappy. It isn’t healthy, I have a baby and toddler on top of my three primary school aged DC to contend with.

My 8 and almost 11 year old’s mostly just get on with the work set although they have their moments. 9 year old needs 1:1 support with the majority of her work, she claims she doesn’t understand and flails around shouting if not. I’m trying to constantly breastfeed and offer stimulation to the baby, also trying to provide my 2 year old with adequate attention and keep on top of the housework. Feel like I’m going to break.

I don’t think schools will go back until after Easter.

Oh my goodness, you sound like super mum. Must be so hard.

Note that schools will return on 8 March only if the roadmap is released on 22 Feb. (Johnson promised 2 weeks notice)

He's always said that the roadmap will be released during the week of 22 Feb. If he announces on 23 Feb, soonest date will be 9 March and if he announces on Friday 26th, 12 March or the following Monday.

I don't think that all years will return on 8 March but if kids go back I assume one of mine will as she's an exam year and needs mocks etc I think that the other will return after Easter but I'm hoping that he can see friends over the holidays.

Cry, and have another Gin!