To think I can’t home school and wfh full time?!

[Fuckfuckfuckshit]

I’m a single mother with a 2 and a 6yr old and have a demanding ft job in an industry that is currently extremely busy due to C19 (food). I tried to do some work with my 6yr old on day 1 in between conf calls but my 2yr old needs more attention and it was impossible to distract him. Is anyone in a similar position making this work?

Mine are older but my 11yr old is literally in front of the TV and YouTube all day while I work.

Yes the same. It's a nightmare. Constantly feel like I cant get anything right, I'm being stretched too thin. I'm just glad it's the weekend and hopefully I can get my head back into a better place. I dont know how long I can keep this up for. Dodging from room to room on conference calls. Urghhh.
Stay strong!

You have made me feel better thank you. Feel like I am failing at everything

If you work in food aren,t you a key worker? So can you still send ch to school? (my ch sch would take them.)

I wouldn't worry too much OP. Remember in some European countries your 6yo may not even started school yet. You can only do your best.

It's impossible with young kids. I am currently failing at both.

I’m meant to be working 20 hours a week with a 11,10 and 7 year old. The 10 and 7 year old have special needs. Youngest has especially complex needs and dh is locked away in the office working full time. It’s difficult. Don’t beat yourself up. As my dh says we’re all just trying to get through this time and you’re on your own and trying to work and it must be really really hard.

Their school may not take them. My children's school is only taking children where both parents are keyworkers and neither are able to work from home at all. So despite having two keyworkers in the house my children are staying home.
Really don't stress about their school work, especially at their young age.

We have a 7yr old & a 5 yr old with Sen. We’re both working from home. It’s hard. They’ve had probably an hour of schooling since Monday 🤦‍♀️

We’re focusing on survival. We HAVE to work (also very busy at the moment -financial services). They might not be getting much schooling, but we’re focusing on staying employed so that we can feed them and keep a roof over their heads.

They’ve watched a LOT of tv & you tube. & thank god we bought the 7yr old a ds for Christmas.

I'm not doing any school work mon-fri and I'm going to do it all Saturday & Sunday to take the pressure off

Prioritise the job, for sure- you’ll need that long term.
I’m making it work by working late at night- mine are a bit older so the days are easier but hopefully if yours are younger they are in bed a bit earlier so you can start before me?! Catch up on everything you possibly can in the evenings, and just try and keep the plates spinning during the day.

On conference calls this week I have already had loud interruptions of "mummy blow my nose" and "mummy I need a poo". Just enforcing any education by stealth when I can.

You're not failing. I'm in the same boat. DP is a key worker working 12 hour shifts. I'm WFH and trying to keep up with the daily emails from DS's school. I can't do it. I have to have multiple phone and video meetings every day and it's all I can do to stop DS loudly asking for more food/another TV channel/telling me he needs a poo during those, let alone devote myself to maintaining his education. I'm struggling already and we're only on Day 4. I don't know what the answer is, but you are definitely not alone!

It's absolutely ludicrous.

I'm fearful this whole thing will turn into 'women stay home while men get the jobs'. It often happens during times of unemployment.

As it is, you just have to pretend you don't have kids.

Same! 6 and 11 here so better able to entertain themselves, but fuck me am I sick seeing competitive home schooling on social media.

We’re just getting through the day here.

Saving our walks for the evening helps - separating day and night a bit.

Two ft working parents here. Very young kids at home. We are in survival mode with lots of TV and playing! Doing a bit of school on weekends but generally not caring. Can’t do everything. They will be fine and catch up I’m sure!

Same position here. My job are piling on the pressure and asking us to account for every minute and I feel so guilty that the dc are not getting my attention and not doing enough educational stuff during the day. I’m going to do two “schoolish” days on the weekends I think to make up for weekdays lost to the iPad.

I'm in a similar position, sorry, no advice.... . I too would love to hear how it can be done successfully!
Currently in a state of as have been told by the school we should have enough home schooling work to see us through until the end of June.

Yes to competitive home schooling! It's so demoralising.

I'm working full time, with a 4 and 7yr old. I've been starting my work at 5am so I can finish earlier in the afternoon and spend some time with them then. While I'm working, they fend for themselves (obviously I feed them!).

That said, my youngest taught himself how to ride a bike today and I'm pretty impressed with that. They are learning to get on with things and find things out for themselves.

I just think it's teaching them to be self sufficient and not need entertaining by me all the time.

I am the same. Three children under 11yo, a key worker DH out/busy most hours and no chance of sending DC to school

I have been working until at least 1am each morning and our youngest wakes me up by 6am.

There is NO way this can go on until September, even the thought of two more weeks is scary.

I have a colleague has two pre school kids, she works PT and is now wfh. I've just said do what you can when you can but don't stress it.
We are supposed to share the work but i'm keeping her tasks to things that are not time critical and doesn't need 100% concentration.
My ds is teenager now but i remembet that guilt of trying to do both and feeling like i failed both sides miserably

I'm in a similar boat -- have a 9 year old who's at home. I'm also wfh. My industry probably not quite as stretched as yours but its insanely busy.

To be honest I think you have to accept that you will not be able to home school optimally. Almost no-one is. I think the schools accept this.

In theory I have a full timetable of school work which has to be adhered to. In practice if two of those timetable "lessons" are done I consider that to be a success. So if I manage to set my DD a "comprehension" and she completes 20 minutes of it in a relatively quiet moment I consider that to be a good outcome.

If she ends up watching an hour and a half of crap on youtube or playing Minecraft, so be it. I am also supplementing with a lot of digital "lessons" (such as David Walliams reading his books or various digital exercises on Mangahigh etc). It's not a "taught" lesson in the proper sense but its vaguely educational.

If there's enough of a structure to make it feel like a non weekend day and your kids are digesting anything I think you're doing pretty well.

You physically cannot be expected to do a FT job and be a FT teacher. If you muddle through enough for your kids to have learned a bit a day then that's a success.

Don't go too hard on yourself. It's tough enough for everyone at the moment.

Same here. Two FT parents, typically 12 hour days, three kids 1,3 and 5. I've been up between 3-5 am every day to try and just stay on top. But there will be mass redundancies after this so need to keep going !

Teacher here. Don't try. Seriously, this isn't Home Schooling. Home Schooling is a planned, thought out, researched decision by parents for a whole raft of reasons. This is Home Learning in response to an unprecedented situation. NT secondary kids can mostly be allowed to get on with it if school have told them what to access and how. Some chivvying maybe, but unless they are in Y10, much of the work should be revisiting prior learning rather than trying to teach new topics. As for primary, meh. If they can do a bit of times tables practice great, some age appropriate spelling, again great. Most importantly reading, them to you, them to themselves, you to them when you can. Your job is the priority as it keeps a roof over your heads. A bit too much TV, YouTube, gaming won't be the end of the world and I guarantee however little you think you are managing to do, there will be others doing even less. Take care.

I have my husband working from home too and we take it in turns and I feel like I’m failing in my end of the bargain- I’m just so busy and I’m the only one with a small child so no one understands how hard it is. I’m so stressed and so sad that I’m not giving him the attention he needs and that I’m not as patient as I should be. I feel for ya, and all the parents trying to make the best of it.