how is homeschooling going, just had a cry and abandoned it

[coffeelover3]

so ds is in year 7 and every day they start at 9am and work until 3pm, with a teams meeting where work is set, and then they have to photograph it and upload it. it's just getting me down - there's been lots of tears - it's a huge amount of work, and I'm wfh as well - have done very little this week, and what I've done has been in the evenings or after 3 when 'school' is over. I hate having to nag him to do it. Plus its quite complicated, the teachers all seem to use teams differently - some set up a meeting and have folders for the school work - others put links to the work in the chat and you have to email them the work, others use sharepoint, others use 'go for schools' to put the work onto. Plus they are setting homework. I cant bring myself to "make" him do the homework atm, but I suppose we will have to tackle it over the weekend. I'm going to be catching up on emails and work stuff over the weekend too. I feel like I'm constantly working, cooking, printing stuff out, helping ds - he is not very independent, I'm trying to work on that, but he needs me to sit with him and help explain what he has to do. I'm so worn out, and it's only a week in. How am I going to sustain it. I know millions of us are in the same boat, just looking for others and how they're managing. I feel so mean making him sit at the table for 6 hours a day - tbh we haven't done everything. Yesterday he was told to make 9 posters for music - 9!!!!! In the end I roped in dd, and we did 3 each and uploaded them. It's unrealistic...? And so boring - every lesson is 'watch this video then do the work sheets'. HOw are others coping, feel like I@m cracking up. And work due to get busy next week. something has to 'give'.

The head teacher did home visits during the summer lockdown. It's times like these when I wish I had more confidence and less guilt. It's like when the school come down like a tonne of bricks about attendance. There are parents taking their dc abroad on holiday without a care in the world and I feel guilty for taking my dc out of school early to go to the dentist.

Mother Pukka has made an online survey in support of working parents which I would encourage everyone to complete & sign if they can today. Home schooling is not sustainable and the government need to take action to help us

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2021WorkingParents

There is a heavier work load in Yr 7 than kids will have been used to at primary. Plus more subjects and learning depth.
My DD is Yr9 and generally manages her time and learning well, but I think it helps that I check in regularly with her, ask what she's doing and suggest a few time management skills. Plus providing snacks and treats and making her come out for walks.
You know what best motivates your own child. I think they need to be doing something but if you really think it's too much, then feed back to the school.
This time round DD's school are doing a lot more online and with teachers present. I think it feels a lot more like school this time. There's not a lot of spare time between 8.30 and 3.30.

Obviously this won't work for everyone, (or perhaps none but a few) a pal of mine had problems settling their DC to work last lockdown. They decided to go 'to school' so went out, walked around the block then came in and sat them down at their 'desk' with all their stuff around them and told them they were now in school and had to work as they would there. They were to imagine the DP was their teacher and act as they would to them.

It was a novelty so they got into it and it became the routine.

A week in and people are struggling it’s awful. Our lessons haven’t been set yet but I have one 15 year old exam year - he has a set plan. A 9 & 10 year old. So depending who gets what work we will mix it up trying to make it fun and see how we go. 9 year old has sen and 10 year old can work independently on some things.

However we live in a teeny tiny temporary house. My 19 year old is trying to do his course online too. 3 youngest share a room. I don’t have to work from home so I have NO idea how those of you who also have to work can manage with younger kids, motivate teens on exam years to make sure they are doing what they need to do. Highly stressful!!.

Can you use headphones and online learning? I realise this is a privilege that not every one has access to.

@wishywashywoowoo70

I'm feeling thick too as sometime don't understand it myself and how to explain it to her. Got quite tearful myself yesterday thinking I can't do this because I'm too stupid. There was a word in her English I'd never heard of before! A maths problem I had to Google

Please don't feel like this. DH and I both have science doctorates (biochemistry and astrophysics) from Oxford, we regularly have to google the DCs maths to help them with it, they use terms we didn't use at all and many things they learn at a younger age, eg my DDs learnt BODMAS at primary, I didn't learn it till secondary (and my DSis says she can't remember learning it at all!). And DS is in Y3 and reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at school and there are loads of words (often archaic military terms) I don't know in it.

This is a scary thread. In Scotland, about to attempt our first home schooling with DD (5, in P1) tomorrow (schools in our council have been off until now). Heard from friends in other council areas that P1 pupils are expected to do six hours of work?? I have DS3, who is very full on and gets agitated if we are ignoring him. Work four days a week, DH full time. Actually can't see how we will do this.

To everyone being patronising/dismissive here (looking at you @Wolff) you do realise that a lot of us have jobs, yes?? So playing teacher is giving us another job to do? So we are doing two jobs plus childcare, and a lot of us won't have jobs after this because we won't be able to perform them?? And DC act very differently in the classroom than wth their parents? Seems all very obvious to me but clearly not to others....

Janina
Thank you. I know I should feel like that it's been over 30 years since I left college but the schoolwork has enhanced my feelings of being a bit dim. I've worked in a job for a long time but I'd never get this job now. The younger people who are employed are so bright I'm already feeling it from work. I don't much care in work though as I'm where I want to be in terms of hours and the flexibility the job gives be.

I don't want to feel like a can't help my DD though. I want her to do well and I will hold her back if I can't help her. I've lost confidence over the years with lots of things because I think I'm thick so I avoid a lot of things.

There were times in lockdown one when ds and I were both crying trying to work out something. Spag is the work of the devil! I am educated to postgrad level and felt awful.