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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

We took 3 days off homeschooling Aibu to not try to catch up?

75 replies

grannyinapram · 06/02/2021 08:52

It was all getting too much so I just shouted 'get those books put away!' and that was that, aibu to wait until Monday to start again, they have been reading and drawing with the odd speech bubble but nothing else.
There is a timetable to follow from 9am to 3pm and even after cutting out little bits like handwriting and spellings and app games/website games we still weren't finishing everything. I do believe its impossible.

OP posts:
DonLewis · 06/02/2021 08:54

We closed the laptop on Friday afternoon before school was finished too. It's so close to half term, the kids are knackered, fed up with live online lessons (although they have been brilliant and I admire the school and the individual teachers efforts) and being stuck indoors.

I don't think we'll be the only ones.

JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows · 06/02/2021 08:54

It IS impossible. How old are your kids? If they're primary aged a 9am-3pm timetable is insane (I'm a teacher BTW).

Is their school pressuring you to complete home schooling every day?

I've skipped a couple of days this week as I am actually delivering remote learning as well as home schooling. But I just send a very short email to their teachers saying "please don't expect any work sent in today we are taking a day off" and they've been fine with that.

TingTastic · 06/02/2021 08:56

How old are they?

To be honest, I wouldn’t try and catch up now if you can’t even keep up with the work set. However, I would reach out to the teacher to explain and ask what you should be prioritising

DDiva · 06/02/2021 08:58

A 9-3 timetable is ridiculous. Enjoy your weekend. Start again Monday but work out your priorities and do what you can. This isnt school at home, its emergency school......

cliffdiver · 06/02/2021 08:59

It depends.

If it's old learning, which they're secure in then I wouldn't worry too much.

New learning, I would absolutely compete it.

Original poster
grannyinapram · 06/02/2021 08:59

primary aged.
I honestly feel like a tyrant and has definitely caused more than one tantrum/ shouting match

OP posts:
Findahouse21 · 06/02/2021 09:02

I would look at the work set over those three days and identify if any work if 'building block' work that if missed will make it hard to move on in that subject. I'd focus on doing that, as especially for ir maths I find that it can hamper progress later on. So this week dd has been working on subtracting a single digit number. If she isn't secure with this, then next week's work will be much harder.

Original poster
grannyinapram · 06/02/2021 09:02

It is new learning, which is why I am so worried. But with 2 under 2s to mess around with aswell its just not possible. We don't even have a separate room for them to work in as their bedroom heater is broke (and too expensive anyway) so its like an ice room in there. we are all stuck in the living room and its chaos all day.

OP posts:
bathorshower · 06/02/2021 09:03

We're being selective about what we do anyway (Y3). The only thing I'd ask is do any subjects have work that builds on itself - for DD, that would be maths, she wouldn't be able to do Friday's maths if she hadn't done Thursday's. Could be similar in foreign languages or science (not sure of the age of your children) - might be worth checking so they can join in next week.

Bleughbleughbleugh12 · 06/02/2021 09:04

YANBU! We did the same.

Whoopsies · 06/02/2021 09:08

Don't worry about it. Last week we got to Thursday lunchtime and I gave up for the week. My only reasoning was that my mental health wasn't great and I needed the break. I emailed his teacher and said just that and she said to enjoy the break and start again fresh on Monday. We were all so much happier for it.

Theimpossiblegirl · 06/02/2021 09:08

Teachers are in an impossible situation, they really don't expect it all to be done by all families but are being told it all has to be new learning and that Ofsted could come and check on the home learning provision so it had better be good enough.
It used to be the Ofsted and SLT pressure filtering down to the teachers, now they have no choice but to pass it to the parents too. I'm sure your child's teacher would love to hear you're putting mental health first.

JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows · 06/02/2021 09:11

Even if it's new learning I highly doubt it's a crucial life skill that, if they don't learn today, they will never learn

SpencerGregson · 06/02/2021 09:13

I have largely given up with my Y4. Any attempt to work prompts a non stop barrage of weeping and wailing and means I can't support my other 3DC (don't even want to think about my own work).

I have spoken to school but there doesn't seem to be anything they can do, so we have bought CGP workbooks for English and Maths and are working through those. We are making sure we read and he is reading plenty of fact books (he loves a fact book and is currently working his way through the dictionary Confused). He was ahead in maths and English so I'm hoping this stops him falling back too far. He is still attending the daily class zoom call and dipping into the set work but I would rather he do less work and learn stuff than string the whole process out, get massively upset and then complete some very half hearted work that teaches him nothing.

It is rubbish but you can only do what you can. I got to the stage where I realised I was becoming public enemy number one and just don't want him to feel that with everything else at the moment.

I am also going to have to let school and my oldest DC's school know that none of my children will be present at lessons next week as DH has three days of non-stop meetings and we don't have the broadband capacity. It's just not possible to do everything at the moment.

Let's hope it's not for much longer!

thewinkingprawn · 06/02/2021 09:14

I agree to try and get the building blocks stuff done this weekend. I know it’s hard. My DD Y4 was ill on Thursday and Friday so couldn’t do it but I can see maths, English, french, computing, science hovering in there. We will do the English and french simply because otherwise next week will be harder and I will have to go through it anyway for her to get what she is supposed to be doing next week. I for one am glad the teachers are giving work that teaches them something new. For them to stand still in their learning for another 3-4 months this year after the debacle of the first lockdown would add to the awfulness of this situation for kids.

thewinkingprawn · 06/02/2021 09:14

English and maths not English and french 😀

Pollypocket1235 · 06/02/2021 09:17

I was listening to an amazing webinar (on child MH) the other day which confirmed what I knew already (but was great to hear it from someone else).

The most important thing we can do right now is to focus on building up our children’s confidence.

It’s up to the schools to ‘catch them up’. We are focusing on learning but lead by the children. Enjoying the time together. No one is learning well with stressed/distracted parents and it’s potentially causing more harm than good.

autumnboys · 06/02/2021 09:17

I’ve got a year 6 child. I can see now, from year 5 & year 6 remote learning that they cover the same things, obviously in more depth year on year, building on knowledge. Teachers will be expecting gaps and planning on filling them. Don’t sweat it (and I say that as a parent who is covering everything, every week. We have our own reasons for that, just as other families will have their own reasons for not).

Iknowwhatudidlastsummer · 06/02/2021 09:18

Primary? even "new learning" shouldn't take days to catch up!

We are a week away from half term here, what about yours?

I'd just find the concepts on bitesize so they are introduced to them and know what you are talking about. Reduce next week work to absolute minimum

and don't stress about it.

My kids are doing remote learning too, but I am refusing to stress more or work harder than when I was at Uni!

Imagine you had booked a holiday next week and they were missing the last 3 or 4 days before half term.. you wouldn't stress about school, so why should you stress now.

Emeraldshamrock · 06/02/2021 09:18

I skipped Thursday and Friday both primary I'll start fresh Monday.

TryingNotToPanicOverCovid · 06/02/2021 09:24

I would do the maths as that often builds on each other.

We have videos and tasks for each lesson and at the beginning of the maths videos are told to make sure you do the previous days one first.

Similarly with some of the writing taks over the week they build on what is their earlier in the week.

However ours dont end up 9-3 really. In theory each lesson is 10-20mins video plus a 20-30 min task but with a short video and an easy task can be done quickly. And the spag ones are 5mins with a worksheet so we're usually done by lunch.

Its tricky isnt it. We were of the "play and do our own thing" last time round but this time with actual new content and the curriculum continuing I personally dont want gaps in the basic skills.

I can take gaps in their wider knowledge although we aim to at least listen to the other videos even if we dont make the poster/write a fact file etc.

Potcallingkettle · 06/02/2021 09:26

I think if you keep doing the maths and English your child won’t fall behind. Anything else is a bonus.

sherrystrull · 06/02/2021 09:29

@Theimpossiblegirl

Teachers are in an impossible situation, they really don't expect it all to be done by all families but are being told it all has to be new learning and that Ofsted could come and check on the home learning provision so it had better be good enough. It used to be the Ofsted and SLT pressure filtering down to the teachers, now they have no choice but to pass it to the parents too. I'm sure your child's teacher would love to hear you're putting mental health first.

This is absolutely right. Teachers are told to provide a full day. Many people won't cope with it (myself included) but others will want that and more. Don't worry about trying to do everything. Another previous poster explained about focusing on maths and English. This is also great advice.

Coasterfan · 06/02/2021 09:31

We ha e 5 lessons set a day, not live lessons. I also work 12+ hours a day and DS needs support with all of his work. The week before this one I was on zoom meetings all day every day and we would do 2 hours 8-10pm just maths and english. I hoped to catch up the rest but we haven’t been able to do I have written off that weeks timetable. We are still behind this week so going to do a couple of hours over the weekend. I don’t feel bad as he gets plenty of down time in the week. We can only do what we can do, just focus on what’s important, which is sometimes no school at all! Hopefully they will be back at school soon!

Sally872 · 06/02/2021 09:34

We focus on the numeracy and literacy and the other stuff is only if time allows or cut down versions. Eg watch a power point on Internet safety answer questions then make a poster becomes watch the power point and have a quick chat.

For my 5 year old I look at the tasks, focus on the ones he needs the most and try to drop the the other ones into day to day life when I remember eg counting together while he is in the bath or spelling out letters, playing eye spy. Also watch number blocks, squiggle etc.

You can't possibly do it all especially with two younget ones. I aim to he finished by 12 so I can start my own job. We just cram in what we can. And would take a day off school if we needed to.

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