To abandon all attempts to "home school".

[ASmallMovie]

I've had enough. The learning grids, the links, two kids fighting for space on a small desk, tech problems, my own work brushed aside. Live in a flat - the woman underneath moaning about the noise. It's absolutely fucking impossible.

I want to leave them to it - they can read, play, fight, raid the fridge, set fire to the house. I just don't care anymore. This is fucking hideous.

well frankly, the govt needs to come up with a plan to identify & help children that are behind catch up when they get back to school and not pretend that there has been any kind of home school level playing field. Parents should be demanding this from their politicians.

Sympathies, I've got a 6 and 10 year old and feeling like I've done 10 rounds with Rocky Balboa after 5 hours!

The ‘falling behind’ thing is such a fallacy....esp at 7 and 10!!!! As any home ed parent will tell you. Teach them learning is fun, to learn for themselves (get them to research things they enjoy on the ipad/computer and then write a little about that for you) and the rest follows. My kids have both done really well for themselves and we had very little ‘structure’ and no curriculum to speak of until they hit 13. Your kids at 7 and 10 will be fine. Getting through the pandemic with mental health intact is the priority.

Could you find another family and form a childcare bubble to help? They might work better in another house. You could do alternate days Mon to Thurs and then Friday off school.

I work 3 days a week. On the days I wfh I’ve accepted that whatever they get done they get done. I encourage in as much as I can but I don’t see how you manage with a 7 year old and a job.

When I’m off I put my back into it and get through the work. It’s frustrating, it’s hard but I’m off so we just do it.

I am of the opinion that no parent can homeschool in the hours they are working but if you are not working then do what you can.

Heidipi, although your question wasn't directed at me I can answer a distinct YES! Single parent here and chief cook and bottle washer.

If you let me know the ages of your kids I could maybe point you in the direction of some decent resources that would give them something to do and you some time to get work done? Its bloody hard. Hang in there.

I don't think children will be going back to school until September (personal thought, I have no evidence to back this up)

I think its highly unlikely the government will make that mistake again. If they have any sense it will be midway between Feb half term and Easter so there is a natural circuit breaker after a 2/3 weeks.

It's an absolute living nightmare OP, no more to say.

I think that's it. I feel like if I try to follow these grids and lessons, not only will I go nuts but I'll also put my kids off learning. I want them to have a life-long love of learning not to be put off it cos I'm shouting at them to complete a worksheet.
I'm not worried about them educationally... they'll be fine... much more worried about the social and mental health impact of this.
I'm just having a shit day.
Unrealistic expectations in the morning... that the grid etc would make it all easier.
One is currently reading a book. The other is playing a basic chess game. that's okay isn't it? They decided they wanted to do these things. This is after an hour on the Nintendo Switch, right enough.
I just feel structure works well sometimes and for some people, but less well for others.
Thanks though... appreciate ideas and understanding very much.

@ScrapThatThen

Protect your income and take the work in this economic climate

100% this

This is why keyworkers with a stay at home parent sending their child to school is unfair.

They shouldn’t send their kids in if they have childcare ie SAHP that is true.
But schools don’t actually teach the kids who are in school. It’s childcare. The school give them the exact same sheets at school that the parents give them at home and the kids have to get on with it.
Teachers don’t have time to teach keyworker and vulnerable kids at the same time as setting remote work for each day for the class and marking what gets returned to them from the kids homes and doing the Zoom calls! It’s childcare only for keyworker and vulnerable kids.

A head teacher put up a post on fb last week that I liked, saying to his parents "Don't call it home schooling". Even to yourself. If you were home schooling, you'd have made an informed decision to provide your child's education yourself, at home, planned a curriculum and you would have chosen to become your child's teacher. This isn't home schooling. To term it as that puts unnecessary pressure and stress on yourself. As he said: this is at best, distance learning, and in most cases it's schools and families trying their best to cope with an unprecedented situation in which no one knows what to do or how to make it work. First comes family financial stability, family sanity, family safety. Everybody getting through this situation. AsMaddysays, try not to stress yourself by seeing it as an all or nothing situation. Do what helps with calmness, stability, you feeling like you're managing and can work, and then when that's established, see what you might be able to add in and how often

That sounds like a very good HT you have there. I agree wholeheartedly- do what you can and just make sure they are safe, fed and clothed and you are doing alright! Much better to have a sane, calm mum who is mentally strong and able to cope. Do your work first and foremost - the kids will catch up in spring.

@GlobeUs

I don't think you scare mongering posts are helpful

Sharing a personal opinion / thought is not scare mongering - I am entitled to have and share those. It's fine if you don't agree - no need to be nasty.

There will be no reason to keep them at home, everyone in the vulnerable and elderly category will be vaccinated by then, even if the vaccine timetable overruns substantially.

The Government are actually asking people to be careful until all over 50s are vaccinated - not just the vulnerable and elderly - and this has been stated publicly in press conferences, as well as in DHSC letters to people. They have said they need to assess how the vaccine works within all groups rather than just CEV, Frontline workers and the Elderly. All groups are not going to have received there first dose my half term, let alone their second dose.

It's very unlikely everyone in the CEV group will have been vaccinated by Summer Term - given that most of us haven't had our first vaccine yet and there's a three month period between both vaccines.

Anyway, as I said, schools closed till September is my personal opinion - I am entitled to it - and given how teachers have shared their displeasure at going into schools recently, I doubt they wanting to be go back after Easter if numbers are still high and they are still at risk.

There's a massive difference between being careful and having schools closed.

If schools limp through another two terms on top of the term lost last academic year then the Government really does need to look at repeating years, but that's easier said than done for various reasons, including a year of no school leavers, to fill unis and a year of double leavers at some point.

Op I'd try to do what you can, even if it means let kids do what they like in the day and school in the evening / weekend. Flex to suit yourself.

@TheWindowDonkey

The ‘falling behind’ thing is such a fallacy....esp at 7 and 10!!!! As any home ed parent will tell you. Teach them learning is fun, to learn for themselves (get them to research things they enjoy on the ipad/computer and then write a little about that for you) and the rest follows. My kids have both done really well for themselves and we had very little ‘structure’ and no curriculum to speak of until they hit 13. Your kids at 7 and 10 will be fine. Getting through the pandemic with mental health intact is the priority.

I actually really needed to read that right now. I quite enjoyed homelearning last time. The school didn't provide much, so we came up with a lot of our own stuff. Going on nature rambles, taking note of what we saw, and then going home and drawing and labelling pictures of what we saw. Reading poetry together and then writing their own. I made a luck dip bag of characters, places and events, they'd pick a few and have to write a story about them.

DS loves maths so played lots of maths games, both on BBC Bitesize and IRL. DD likes history, and loved listening to the Homeschool History podcasts and then making PowerPoints about what she'd learned. We also read a lot, and did spellings and timetables.

This time around, the school has really stepped it up, and the workload is massive. I'm in bits trying to get it all done every day, but panicking at the thought of not doing it, because I'm so worried about them falling behind. They're super bright, and deserve a good education. I don't feel I'm doing a good enough job at providing it.

@DateLoaf

This is why keyworkers with a stay at home parent sending their child to school is unfair.

They shouldn’t send their kids in if they have childcare ie SAHP that is true.
But schools don’t actually teach the kids who are in school. It’s childcare. The school give them the exact same sheets at school that the parents give them at home and the kids have to get on with it.
Teachers don’t have time to teach keyworker and vulnerable kids at the same time as setting remote work for each day for the class and marking what gets returned to them from the kids homes and doing the Zoom calls! It’s childcare only for keyworker and vulnerable kids.

The headteacher from our kids' primary has told us that 250 of the usual 600 children are in school. There are usually 3 classes per year group so currently 2 of the 3 teachers per year group are teaching and the other us setting online work for children not in school. I really don't think it is just childcare this time.

I'm just having a shit day.

You are totally allowed to have a shit day. I hope things improve for you.

One is currently reading a book. The other is playing a basic chess game. that's okay isn't it?

Its absolutely ace! I think you already have this...just chuck the worry in the F**k it bucket. Sounds like they are doing just fine.

So they're both productively and independently occupied, there's no fighting going on, they're not needing you to drop everything - that's not just ok, that's great! Start with that. Start with can you get a few hours a day where they're busy, occupied, calm and happy and you can work. Then you can think about your capacity and the priorities you might want to add in. As the HT I quoted said: my teachers have been panicking, throwing lots and lots of work (all review work, no new concepts) at families because they had no time to plan and are afraid of not giving enough. Don't feel pressured by worksheets.

I have seen families have jars (you might want a different one for the 10 year old to the 7 yr old) with things they can choose to do while mum works and put in there the things you think they could do alone and enjoy that are engaging and useful as well as things that would keep them productively calm and busy. Like, read a book. Play a level on your chess game. Build a model with lego. You'd know what they can do and they have a source of ideas to keep them going.

@ASmallMovie We have all lost our motivation but it’s also the time of year and weather. We were taking photography, doing author led classes, planting seeds, baking etc first time round

This time I and they have lost enthusiasm and I think that’s understandable enough. Don’t beat yourself up for not being happy clappy mummy and also ease yourself in. Week 1 is just getting used to it. Maybe by week 3 we will all have a bit more space for enthusiasm

OP I would just do something like workbooks for KS1 or 2 bought online which they can do themselves, along with a bit of Bitesize or Seneca online, while you work am, then later in the day take them a walk or something. / park.

This made me smile. I only pick 3 things to do a day, because 1 hour at home is worth 3 at school. I was quite smug about it all. Until this morning...when i had a melt down and threw the books on the floor and had a cry. All hope abandoned here too - for today anyway!! Xxx my poor boys xx

Greebo ( I LOVE your username btw)

I think the schools are covering their arses because they know they’ll be the scapegoats for the government if and when the going gets tough on this. I feel so incredibly bad for anyone in the teaching profession at the best of times with all the bull they have to put up with...but especially so nowadays.

If your kids like maths then there are apps like slice fractions and squeebles that cover division and tables and multiplication. Audiobooks are a life saver when you need time out and ours loved the horrible histories series so you can get some edutional stuff in there too. There are some incredibly good documentaries around at the moment...Attenborough series on bbc at the mo and The Planets by Brian Cox, and. Even things like Inside the Factory. Anything that captures their imagination.

It honestly is so much more important that they are mentally well. A mentally broken child wont learn anything.

I find it easier to just not try to do too much each day.
Today we did a couple of hours of quality time. Tomorrow I have work commitments so he'll be on sumdog and bbc bitesize or reading himself. Wednesday I can do a couple more hours. Thursday and Friday are yet to be planned.
This morning he was reading the Dennis the Menace joke book to himself and if you think about it jokes are excellent for English as they're full of homonyms and plays on words, similes and metaphors... but he doesn't need to know that - I just spend ten mins after asking him to explain the jokes to me.

“It’s childcare only at school for the key worker and vulnerable kids”.

Not necessarily. It depends on the school. The children currently attending our state primary are doing the same work as their classmates who are at home but they do have a full time teacher in the classroom with them teaching face to face, providing help etc.

@turtletattle

well frankly, the govt needs to come up with a plan to identify & help children that are behind catch up when they get back to school and not pretend that there has been any kind of home school level playing field. Parents should be demanding this from their politicians.

Sympathies, I've got a 6 and 10 year old and feeling like I've done 10 rounds with Rocky Balboa after 5 hours!

I don’t think this needs ti government. Most schools do their best to identify those that are falling behind. I also (perhaps naively) assume that most of those that will be struggling it’s because both parents are working and perhaps when this is all over they might be able to afford some tutoring for any big holes.

Please OP remember that you have had and will have longer to cope with this than you would have had if there had been a competent Tory government. Remember this in any election you have a vote for in May and in the next General Election.