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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if anyone else is actually home schooling their kids?

208 replies

candyflossicecream · 23/04/2020 01:38

I feel like the only one! People keep telling me "oh they'll catch up" "have some fun" i'm trying my hardest to keep them on track, entertained and keep them away from the tv, devices, etc.
Ps. We are having fun. I just keep getting made to feel like an arsehole for teaching my kids things and it's disheartening 😔

OP posts:
BestZebbie · 23/04/2020 01:41

I am! I was surprised by the Sun claiming that this Monday was "the first day of homeschooling" when I've been doing lessons for four weeks since the schools closed already....

Leaannb · 23/04/2020 01:50

We are but really don't have the choice.They are expected to be in class on Zoom. Its mandatory for them

KenAdams · 23/04/2020 01:57

I am as well. I suspect children that aren't may struggle next academic year as you're supposed to build on knowledge you already have.

managedmis · 23/04/2020 02:01

Not really. DS is 6, I've got him doing Sudoko, some math and literacy work books but not formally 'schooling' him.

PeachesAndPops · 23/04/2020 02:08

I’m not. I’ve got two with ASD, one of which hasn’t been to school for over 6 months and hasn’t had any work set. The change in routine is too much for the other. Have a NT child who is like why should I when the others aren’t? And on top of all that my husband and I are actually supposed to be WFH so it just all feels impossible!

My NT child was working above age related expectations in every subject so I’m just hoping they won’t get too far behind and will be able to catch up easy.

But for anybody who is successfully homeschooling I think that’s great!

PotterHarryWitch · 23/04/2020 02:17

Mines been doing bits here and there. I'm still working mon-fri and am finding it hard. Feel like my teens being neglected a little as it's only me and him in the house. I'm in the office tomorrow and cant sleep as I'm dreading it. I know he'll just be on the xbox all day.

caringcarer · 23/04/2020 02:41

I am early retired teacher and I am home schooling foster child with SN every day. He finished very easy work sheets from school in second week. They are too easy for him. I listen to him read for 20 mins, then ask him open ended questions about story to check his understanding. We do at least 1 hour Maths everyday sometimes more and I also incorporate a bit of Maths into cooking which he loves to do. We have done a lot of fractions, long multiplication and long division without calculator. Then he can use calculator to check his answers. He has to weigh ingredients out then if he is making cakes I ask him how many each there will be and how many left over, that sort of thing. We also do English. Rules of grammar in sentences. We did there, their and they're today. I got him to copy out sentences to practice hand writing then pick out missing word and slot into sentence. Sometimes I print a long word and get him to see how many words he can find by rearranging the letters or Bananagrams. I have also given him comprehension. Sometimes he draws. He has been watching some educational TV programs. I found an interesting program about the Romans for him to watch. Then I asked him a few questions. Then I got him to do a little factfile on the Roman's. He can add to it next week when we watch the next program in series. For geography I pick a country and he has to find out certain facts about it by using internet. A bit like a virtual treasure hunt. I get him to find flag and copy and paste on to A5 sheet with all facts being presented neatly. King/Queen/President, currency, Capital, population, shape of country and main airport. Then 5 or 6 facts he chooses. We do this 2 or 3 times a week with different country each time. Dh has been doing Science with him as we have bought GCSE textbook from internet. He is Year 9 and he tells us he likes work he does at home better than his school. We have also looked at some revision websites. Dh has done ICT with him. He is doing Duke of Edinburgh skill cooking do learning cooking skills too typing out ingredients, equipment needed and method and adding photos of him doing the recipe. He will print and we will show him how to laminate. I am quite enjoying teaching him. He should get all his cooking skill completed thanks to lockdown.

caringcarer · 23/04/2020 02:43

He has also learned how to play chess. He has gone from level 1 to level 4 in three weeks. He plays the computer. He is enjoying it and told me he has to research better defences in order to win.

Changeofname79 · 23/04/2020 06:24

Bestzebbie- but it's been rather hols for half that time?

Mine have a full time table from school including zoom lessons so bot home schooling here. I'm not actually sure anyone has ever been told to home school have they? Why are schools not setting work?

NothingIsWrong · 23/04/2020 06:26

Would love to do it properly. Sadly my employer is also expecting a full days work out of me, and I can't do both.

Changeofname79 · 23/04/2020 06:28

Also there is no way a lot of people could home school. DH and I are accountants and working at least 12 hr days right now helping businesses with covid related work. We are having to leave our two to it, luckily they are 14 and 12. 12 yo has additional needs but is managing with a little bit of help. We are so grateful the school are setting work.

SquashedFlyBiscuit · 23/04/2020 06:30

If you look at threads on here actual homeschoolers do little academic work daily, and seem to catch up for gcse/go to college.

They also claim 1-1 you can do the work of a primary school child in an hour or 2 at home.

Im not sure I'd go that far but were doinn a maths topic a day (30-40mins?) and reading and anything else is a bonus - so skills such as baking, some gardening interesting documentaries etc!

MuddyPuddlesAndPrettyBubbles · 23/04/2020 06:31

DD is in Reception. She does drawing, writing and reading every day, then we spend 10 minutes on a maths worksheet or practising phonics or tricky words. Takes me about 30 minutes tops, thank God she's in Reception where so much of the day is play based anyway.

katienana · 23/04/2020 06:32

I've decided to alternate between maths and English in the morning, followed by reading. Then I offer some kind of activity like painting/craft. We also go out for a walk. Any more than that and I have tantrums from my 7 year old.

HandfulOfFlowers · 23/04/2020 06:34

I am doing all the work set by the school plus a few things of our own, but I work part time as opposed to full time so it's easier to fit alongside my work.

Gettingo · 23/04/2020 06:36

One of my boys just won't do the work unless I supervise, and even then it's a struggle so I've more or less given up on that and try to set him tasks that he will like better. I'm really worried, actually, how I'm going to manage. I'm still supposed to get my own work done and I haven't managed that at all. Plus, there's so much more housework than normal, and my DH feels the need to pop out and complain about the noise at least once a day. So yeah no. The other kids seem to follow along with the online school, but I still need to help them, and there are a lot of activities that start, "ask a family member..."

So good for you, OP. You're obviously doing better than I am.

DanielRicciardosSmile · 23/04/2020 06:38

Yes. DS is in Year 10, theres no time left for him to "catch up" afterwards if we don't work on schoolwork every day. I'm worried enough about him missing out as it is.

VashtaNerada · 23/04/2020 06:40

I am, pretty much only half-days though so I can get my work done in the afternoons.

Smile19 · 23/04/2020 06:41

Nope. I'm working full time from home and have to work during hours in the day as well as in the eve (key worker job). Husband is working nearly every day at hospital. I have 3 children (7,4 and nearly 2) and I'm just letting them play. The older 2 are worried about their dad and tbh we are just keeping everything as relaxed as possible for them. I plan on home schooling in the summer holidays.

mocktail · 23/04/2020 06:42

Those who have Zoom lessons, are your dc at state school or private? And primary or secondary?

Sparklfairy · 23/04/2020 06:48

Those that are really trying to keep up, as well as those who are deciding not to at all, do you worry that the divide will be too large when they do go back to school to teach effectively? Some will be so far ahead/behind that the only way I can see it working is some kind of streaming system. It's not fair on the kids who haven't worked (for whatever reason) to be left drifting, but also not fair for the ones who have worked to have to do it all again.

IggyAce · 23/04/2020 06:52

I am for primary dc the school have provided a work pack with suggestions of what is done each week. We get thru the work on a morning. Afternoons they play, bake or watch a movie.
Teen dc follows the work set online, again they normally complete this on a morning and join in with afternoon activities.

Fatted · 23/04/2020 06:54

I'm trying to do something with them everyday but it's not easy. DH and I are both working. Mine are 7 and 5 so I'm not as concerned as I would be if they were in high school. It's also a nightmare when they both have online based stuff and we only have one laptop. And did I mention DH and I are both still working full time?!

Figgygal · 23/04/2020 06:57

I have a yr3 8yo and a preschooler
The first couple of weeks or hell when both my husband and I were working but he is no further load so he is able to support the eldest while distracting the youngest

We have a regular routine of maths timetables reading he writes a diary every day to help with his handwriting we were doing a weekly project before Easter and now school are setting projects as well as spelling tests and White Rose maths. They watch a documentary for an hour before lunch each day yesterday was something about bridges the day before it was the animals of Cuba today he wants to watch something about the international space station.

Afternoons they both get some tablet time so daddy can have a break I expect. They play in the garden and I tend to finish at four so can then join in.

I think everyone should be trying of homeschooling at the moment but appreciate we have a bit more capacity now to do that

BertieBotts · 23/04/2020 06:59

We're being sent work by the school which we are supposed to submit using moodle. I find it quite good. DS1 gets on with it mostly by himself, unless he gets stuck. They supposedly have 2 hours per week in core subjects (maths, German, English) and one hour per week in the other 6 subjects. I let him choose which subjects to work on each day but have advised him to save some of his favourites for later in the week, otherwise he gets really fed up when trying to do all his worst subjects at once.

I'm mainly occupying my toddler so don't have a huge amount of time to help him, but because he's been working at home, I'm able to see what he's working on so I can add it into conversation or notice where it comes up etc. Also it's exposed his terrible Google and email writing skills :o so we've had some lessons on how to use a search engine effectively, and how to correctly and politely structure an email.

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