To think that some parents shouldn't even try to teach their kids?

[wol1968]

Every time I try and teach either of my kids how to do something, whether it's spelling, piano practice, crochet, whatever, they lose interest, get sulky, get annoyed with me, get upset...Honestly, I am really and truly useless as their teacher.

Thankfully I have no intention of ever training as a teacher of kids, let alone forcing anyone to pay good money to endure my (on current evidence) misdirected efforts. I'm probably being too pushy. Or not engaging with things the way they do. Or showing my anxiety too much. Or using words that are too big. Or something.

The thing is, why can't some schools recognise that not everyone can teach? I really want my kids to learn. I will do what I can to support what they do in school. I'll happily nag them to do homework, spellings, times tables etc. I may even have some subject knowledge here and there. But unfortunately I'm a rubbish communicator to anybody under 25 and if I try and teach the kids stuff myself they are guaranteed to end up hating it.

It's not your fault, all DCs hate their parents teaching them stuff, unless they want to know.

DD2 is impossible until a bit of maths utterly throws her and then she's fine, but it happens only very rarely.

Parents are teachers of last resort.

I am a teacher and my dd will not allow me to show her anything from swimming, playing piano to writing and maths. Very frustrating but she won't be told (by me anyway).

'I want to do it my way' is the normal response!

But you do teach your children, all the time. And they teach you. Not in the formal way that school does it and not the same things but it's just as valuable, if not more so.

I was a nursery nurse in a Reception class for 8 years prior to having children, ds1 (8) will still insist I know nothing about letter formation/handwriting. I can aid the teaching of other children, just not my own, in the more formal sense of teaching.

Hello OP

I an H. educating dd at the moment and it is a completely different way to how they learn in school. It works fine for us and we get on well atm

However, when my older 2 were at school, try as I might they would not relate to me or what I was doing. It was a running battle and in the end I supported, helped if asked, did the nagging to complete homework etc and that would have to be enough.
Maybe they are so used to being taught by a teacher in a particular way that everything else seems alien to them.

Totally agree! I just let ds do his homework on his own now. He's 8 and of average intelligence. If he doesn't understand it, I just send it back to school saying that! I'm fine at maths and very good at English, but I'm rubbish at explaining stuff. It's caused tears and arguments in the past, not worth it.

My mum was great at helping me. My dad, not so much! His 'help' almost always resulted in arguments, tempers and tears. He wasn't horrible or anything, just not very good at teaching. Unfortunately I've inherited his teaching skills rather than my mums.

For maths and science mum used to get dad to show her, then she would help me!