[sad] AIBU to HATE HATE HATE homeschooling?

[MrsNWT]

It's only been a couple of days and I'm f*cking losing it. I'm so depressed. We've got a small place, I have my own work to do (self employed) and I've reached my personal low trying to teach one of the kids.

What are you all doing? I'm throwing in the towel. I want them to learn and not been their screens all day and I WON'T do arts and crafts and learning activities all day long. Simply hate it.

My kids are 12, 9 and 7

AIBU to lose my SH*T already?

That should read ‘a piece of writing, maths and reading‘ each day

Glad I'm not the only one. Ds 13 won't do most of his work without me but the second I walk in the bedroom both of our stress levels rocket!

So don't do it that way. Many home educators (including me) autonomously educate (or unschool). So they learn through play and everyday life tasks.

They are old enough to largely entertain themselves. Especially if the older one helps with stuff requiring a bit of supervision (e.g. cooking) with the younger ones.

I suggest Family Link for screen time limits to automatically cut it off so you don't have to argue about it. My daughter gets 2 hours per day screen time, but unlimited time for audiobooks, which help keep her occupied while she's doing other things.

You must have books and games and craft stuff etc already? It's OK for them to get bored; that leads to creativity.

Just set your limits and stick to them calmly. E.g. tell them you need to be undisturbed at X times (other than for emergencies) to work, and pay them some attention in between that. Even if it's just reading a book to them for a while.

Nothing is going to happen if you don't do the work school has set. Again, set limits with the school if they expect it; tell them it isn't practical with having to WFH as well. But if there isn't a deadline, you could do it slowly in bits anyway.

As a person who has home educated out of necessity. Home education is nothing like school.
Let it be child led were possible. If they like coding that is a great thing to do. Baking, cooking, diy. Incorporate education into everything. There are lots of opportunities to learn in every day life. Debt, mortgages, car maintenance, home maintenance, cleaning, gardening. The list goes on.
An hour in the morning of English, an hour of maths in the afternoon along with utilizing all of the above and you will be fine.
I know some frown upon you tube but as long as they are supervised one hour watching educational videos could unlock one hour free choice for hour child. That would keep them entertained for a few hours.

As an experienced home educator can I just say this isn't business as usual for us either! Home education is far from staying home all day 'doing school at the kitchen table'. We are missing our groups, our trips, seeing friends, going to museums, parks, libraries and so on! Being stuck at home all day, every day is in no way regular home ed. There is a wonderful home ed community and support, under normal circumstances! I am so sad and frustrated about our lives being disrupted and limited right now.

I would honestly suggest not to buy all the workbooks/ educational supplies/subscriptions. Let them be kids, connect with them, figure out what they are genuinely interested in and go from there. School at home isn't a great idea right now (or anytime imo). My kids have never been to school but they have all learnt all the basics they need without formal school at home. They have so many interests and in depth knowledge too! Let your kids remember a time of connection, fun, games, baking, watching loads of what they love, playing as much as they want and generally having the best time we can give them under difficult circumstances. They will learn, just try and stop them - learn nothing day is impossible!! We can make a bad situation worse or we can look for the middle ground, find out what good enough looks like. Share what you love with them too! Ignore the hot housing and the structured schedules floating around social media. Find out how to cope as a family at a difficult time without all the added pressure of trying to achieve school at home!

*your child

Maths is everywhere. If you child has a favourite game use it. What percentage of Fortnite characters are male or female. Make a pie chart of the different Lego colours. Cooking is great for maths. Get kids to work out the area of a room or the dining table.

Totally agree with all the free-schooling but for any kid with a phone all this needs supervision or they drift off into youtube gaming vids!

@Foobydoo yep my 12YO understands insurance and how to compare a renewal. Still not taken to washing up!

If you have a garden or access to an outside space cells, food chains and photosynthesis, for example can be learnt in a very relaxing way.

Whatever the school sets your child as work keep your mind open to how they can learn it. Recreating school is not possible so do what you can.

Please don't shout at dc, I can't imagine how their little minds are trying to process everything going on around them right now!

Mine have been off for a week and done nothing yet.

I intend for the 7 year old to keep them ticking over little by little. Jigsaws, games, lashings of TV, xbox, Minecraft, films.... Creative stuff....

The world is unstable right now, we simply don't know what we are facing, every law of the unpredictable is at play.

Home for children first and foremost needs to be the port in the storm. Comfortable, relaxing and safe.
Please don't shout at them over trivial things..

Red team,

My dd has small stocks and shares isa m before the crash it had gone up by 500 pounds.

Now its lost loads.
I'm trying to educate her about the stock market (12)
V good idea re loans and insurance too!

@Aramox it is going to be tricky to adjust. If people need to work then education can happen in the evenings (unless school is providing an on-line set time interaction).

It will take a concerted effort to support education during this period but I think my message is that you don’t have to feel the pressure of replicating school.

@Lifesavesocialdistance seems like you have delivered! on line shopping is another one I’m teaching (housebound so pretty much an essential skill)

Saw this today ❤️

We all need to seriously chill about the homeschooling stuff. I was a teacher, and I fully admit that I can't, and don't want to do this (dcs are 13 and 12).
Here's what we're doing:
I have told them both they have to keep up with whatever school sends, and I will help them when needed. When they've done a bit each day, we're doing other stuff. DD and I have a huge puzzle, DS wants to learn chess. The outdoor national trust places are having free admission, so we might go to a few of those on nice days. We will walk the dog. DD and I are going to do a 30 day beginners yoga challenge. DS likes documentaries, so we'll watch some of those.
I refuse to do a strict school schedule...i figure that this is the time for us to chill a bit and figure out what we're interested in with no pressure.
Good luck, OP!

@MrsNWT (OP) you are not being unreasonable to hate it. It’s not how society is set up. It’s a big change full of uncertainty but you will find a way. Sorry you are feeling overwhelmed

We are not following the curriculum here. I have found suitable books I love (I have found free worksheets that tie in), science topics they are interested in and practical maths. We are watching documentaries, talking about thing and using the bitesize website where it can be linked in. Also lots of breaks, baking, gardening and gaming. I am sure I will hate it for periods but I am coming to terms that this will be life until at least September.

Can anyone imagine how hard it will be when schools eventually open again? Kids could have been out of school for six months or more, it will be like trying to herd cats getting them back into the routine of formal school again. Ds is 16 & hasn't really had any work set, only advice is for them to be looking at stuff for subjects chosen for A levels, but as ds says how can they when the syllabus changes nearly every year?

I’ve realised just how dependent I am on going out with mine. I realised today that it’s rare I stay in the house with both of them together at once. We’re going to go mad. My (nearly) 4 year old is an angel for other people, loves learning at nursery and excels but is a she-devil for me. My baby is in the phase of eating random shit and destroying everything.

Me ‘shall we write your name on this card?’
Her ‘no I will not’
Me ‘er ok, shall we colour this?
Her ‘no you do it’
Me stop eating the crayons

Honestly you need to relax about it. Kids are learning all the time, you don't need to be doing "lessons". Honestly do some reading sort "unschooling" , open your minds, take s step back and watch your kids, they learn whether we want them to or not, they can't help it. I found this helpful, it's from the principal of s primary school. If you force them to sit down and learn and fight with them you will turn them off learning and it will become such s negative vibe in their life. Honestly just leave them alone, and take their lead....

@MrsNWT "Also, the kids are chatting to their friends now instead of working now they're all kitted out with access to communicate."

I would say that is a good thing! One of the toughest things we are all facing will be the lack of social contact. If they are in contact with their friends it will help immensely.

Forget what the school says. It isn't practical for you to force them to learn in the way the school wants, and they can't make you comply with their timetable.

The priority is surviving, keeping you and your children reasonably happy and keeping your job. If you can somehow accomplish all that then even if no learning happens, it will be okay.

Learning will happen though. It always does, even if not in the way you expect or the way the school is dictating. Screens are not a disaster; they can give access to the world. My younger kid is 13, has never had a formal lesson, and has learned an immense amount from the internet.

Ditch the school's plan and find your own way through this.

DS(15) is getting sent work per his usual timetable. So if history is at 9 that’s when the work will arrive and the teacher will be available for questions etc. Then at 10 it could be English. They are expected to do a full school day. Assume they may get homework too. He has GCSEs next year (in theory). If he doesn’t study now there will be no time to catch up with the curriculum when they go back to school.

I am a school governor. We will be challenging and monitoring what the school is doing over the next term. Teachers are working so hard to get this work available for the pupils and in a format that is hopefully accessible to them. They will be available for help. I would encourage your children to do as much as they can. Their lives are going to be so difficult in the next few months, a sort of routine may help settle them. What they need to know isn’t going to go away. Yes there should be plenty of time to play etc but you also need to fill a day that used to be filled with school, school run, clubs, play dates which aren’t going to be happening any more.

Main thing I'm focusing on is language for DD (English, she's 3, we live abroad, English isn't her first language) and math and writing for DS.

Along with cookery, playing outdoors and hopefully some gardening.

I know it's screen time but BBC bitesize is great for learning resources also saw a list from a teacher on Facebook suggesting children do puzzles and Lego for learning and let them read help you cook and clean. It's still learning just differently to the norm this helps them also in learning to adapt

You're not home educating. You're educating under quarantine in very bizarre circumstances. I home educate. This is not what it is actually like. I home educate. I am not looking forward to the increased prejudice against it I will get because people are going to associate home ed with this time in our lives, and think it's awful. I get enough ignorance as it is.