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

[grannyinapram]

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.

I have an under 2 so I feel your pain! Do what's best for the family.

And yes - the order done is more important than the right day.

We'd rather a parent who was falling behind went back and did the maths or phonics in order rather than skipping and just doing today's list. Much better to be working a week or two behind in a topic and ensuring it's completed and the understanding is there than missing a section in the middle.

Oh absolutely shouldn't panic first and foremost and yes teachers will catch up.

We definitely have done all the maths for all the above reasons. And perhaps as the school has made it accessible - 10-15min video and a task and has been easy, and been in order. We haven't done all the poster work etc and in our whatsapp group I would say same as here - to encourage the maths and some reading and writing and anything else is a bonus. Our school has been really clear about doing the maths in order and made that easy to do.

If I had an infant child I think I would be even less concerned about following the prescribed tasks and just work on some number/reading and learning through play/read over the tasks and see which we wouldn incorporate. I would probably take the choice not to bother with some of it jus

I doubt we're that different in our approach really and definitely wouldn't suggest anyone feel bad for not being able to do it.

I think my approach is that rather than try to do it all and try and keep on top of it all and then just spectacularly give up and then miss chunks is that I'd work out what is manageable in an individuals situation and try to keep what is important (in my case maths as for my aged child theres important building blocks - but if they miss yet another idenntical comprehension I dont mind...)

The school gave all pupils Friday off and I can't tell you what a bloody relief it was for the home. I've decided from now on to have a stress free approach to Home schooling..in other words do what you can and we won't stress about what you can't..I totally understand we need a break now and again OP x

Ah I think we've talked at crosspurposes.

I was suggesting people do the maths (and phonics in infants) in order rather than skipping several days/having fridays off etc. It looks like youre saying the same thing but I perhaps expressed myself badly.

Im all up for just focusing on what's important and doing that in order and avoiding battles at home. Making time for fun and activity and being realistic about what you can fit in around life/work .

I mean yes to having fridays off - but not missing Fridays maths - do it on monday.

I'll stop now Im getting myself in knots!

And as an aside I really feel for primary teachers in all this and am so grateful to all you are doing.

If anyone is struggling know you're not the only one and do get in touch with school to see what to prioritise x

YADNBU, I've got 1 Y4 and 1 Y5, live teaching 9 - 3, including live PE lessons and assembly, everything is done in front of the screen and it's seriously pissing me off (state school) the youngest hasn't picked up a pencil since December and this week was Mental Health Week for Children and wasn't even acknowledged with the school. I would love them to say no work today or work that involves no screens. Mine end up zooming after school too because they're not allowed to talk to each other in lessons other than a 10 minute window daily. We shut the laptops down yesterday after lunch and went on a 6 mile walk, they had a whale of a time and I spent more than 5 metres away from them for the first time in 8 days!!!

Mine have stopped this week and have been playing shops instead. I’m not worried, they’re having a lovely time.

Like others, I would look at any building block work so your DC can progress next week.
Moving forward, my gut would be to be selective over what you're doing. As a teacher I think expecting parents to facilitate 9-3 for primary students is an unreasonable expectation.

I would do as another PP suggested and just check if any of the work is 'building block' type work (probably just maths and english). I would try and catch that up but not just add it on to new work - I would drop anything else next week which was not 'building block'. They will all catch up at the end but a good idea to check that they have at least sort of understood concepts so that when they get revisited back in the classroom they aren't completely on the back foot.

I wouldn't catch up and I wouldn't worry too much either - it sounds like they really needed a few days off. Our school says they are setting the mandatory amount that they have to but that every family's circumstances are different so do what you can and don't worry.

We try and do maths, spelling and English every day at least but last week DS (8) did very little as I gave birth and he spent quite a bit of time at my parents. This week we've done maths and spelling but not English as they were writing an ongoing story that we had missed the start of. We'll try and get back to it next week.

I have ds 8 and ds 6, DH works f/t and I work p/t and am at uni part time. We do one piece per day when I'm working - either English or maths. Sometimes my mum gets them to do one more while they're with her when I'm at work. On my days off we do one English one maths each. On days it's all got too much they pick the easiest thing, art or p.e, and just do that. Have had the occasional day of doing fuck all school work and just reading/playing games/doing arts and crafts instead.
We were trying to do it all at first and it was just too much. Their teachers have been very supportive and understanding, rightfully so.
Sending hugs OP I have made the decision to prioritise mental health as we need that at the moment. Therefore school work has to come second to that, but we do try our best to do something every day, if we do miss a day we just do a bit extra the next day. It's so shit but I keep telling myself it's survival mode right now.

My class (year 1) and their parents have been brilliant but somewhere in the middle of last week everybody (me included) seemed to run out of steam. So I'm certain planning a slightly easier week next week and hoping we can pick it up again after half term. Also very much hoping we'll be back at school before too long!

Completely agree, prioritise building block work to the extent possible, and don't sweat over what isn't done.

I make sure Yr2 Ds does at least one formal task daily to keep the schoolwork habit - the aspiration is a maths, reading and writing task daily but if only one gets done, only one gets done. I make sure the "one" - if we manage only one - is a building block type skill and I make sure I cover anything which is new learning he isn't secure in.
I also try to balance "focussing on the 3Rs" with keeping learning fun - as I refuse to spend all the limited available time and energy for learning on very dry worksheets so there's no time left for the things that he is actually interested in and wants to learn. It would crush the joy, curiosity and motivation and his already pretty wobbly willingness to engage in learning at all. So some days the reading+writing+maths aspiration gets binned in order to get to some of the wider curriculum topic work.
It's all about balance and trade offs. And staying sane.
Somewhere, there is a jammy bugger with no paid work demands upon them, and with well adjusted, compliant, academically self motivated kids, who ARE getting all the work done and the crafting and the sport/exercise and the self directed projects. Everyone else who says they are, is just talking a good lockdown.
To the poster who said parents don't always post any evidence of actual work, when they say it's done, I would say though that that might be a reflection of the parent's lack of time to sort the admin, not the child's lack of engagement and work on the tasks done.
I post work in bulk once or twice a week because I don't have time most days to wrestle the filing. It will be a few lines listing the tasks done, feeding back what he struggled with or seemed secure in, and pics of work where I have them/can find the written work. This is ME failing in my homework, not DS!

Just do maths and english and don't worry about the rest. We're doing a bit of history or geography if it's particularly interesting but skipping all the pshe, rs, art, music etc.

Teachers have to set a full timetable but you don't have to do everything.

@Abraxan I take your point, but my dd is not a top of the class, whizz through work at top speed kinda kid, so the more advanced kids must be bored out of their minds by 10am!

I post work in bulk once or twice a week because I don't have time most days to wrestle the filing. It will be a few lines listing the tasks done, feeding back what he struggled with or seemed secure in, and pics of work where I have them/can find the written work. This is ME failing in my homework, not DS!

It sounds like you are doing a great job and I totally understand what you mean about being short of time yourself to do the posting/admin...

But...

The reasons teachers want to see work is because very often the next lesson will build directly on from the one you just did. So they can pick up early on any misconceptions and set them straight before they become embedded, or adapt the following day's lesson accordingly. Very often this can mean totally scrapping what was planned in order to tackle something in a different way.

So if you post on Friday that your child had trouble on Monday, it's not actually all that helpful to anyone. Any response to work will be pretty much pointless, as it's out of date. The nearer the feedback can be provided to the lesson, the better. Far better to spend a minute or two the same day messaging the teacher even if you don't upload the work, as feedback a week later is pretty much pointless for all concerned.

Yanbu its impossible

My yr6 works until at least 5pm daily. No time for lunch. Homework on top. I'm doing his stuff for him on the weekends to catch up as everything is live and he just cant keep up.

My eldest has considerable SEN and is expected to follow the same work as everyone else with no adjustments for time at all. She's had to do assessments with no extra time. I'm furious.

Kids with additional needs have been thrown under the bus.

@Willyoujustbequiet have you told the school your child is working til 5 with no break? I’m sure the teacher would be horrified if they knew. KS2 children should be doing 4 hours a day max, they don’t have to finish it all. Every child wouldn’t complete everything in class.
Ask the school to give you some time guidance for example 45 minutes per lesson. When the time is up please just finish and give your child a break or they won’t cope.

@Dontlickthetrolley

YADNBU, I've got 1 Y4 and 1 Y5, live teaching 9 - 3, including live PE lessons and assembly, everything is done in front of the screen and it's seriously pissing me off (state school) the youngest hasn't picked up a pencil since December and this week was Mental Health Week for Children and wasn't even acknowledged with the school. I would love them to say no work today or work that involves no screens. Mine end up zooming after school too because they're not allowed to talk to each other in lessons other than a 10 minute window daily. We shut the laptops down yesterday after lunch and went on a 6 mile walk, they had a whale of a time and I spent more than 5 metres away from them for the first time in 8 days!!!

My son's school said for mental health week their tasks on Wednesday were to have a screen free day and on go outside - and cancelled the live lessons for the day

@Lancrelady80 I understand. But in our school the teachers aren't differentiating the work and most feedback is a generic, "well done" from shielding TA in another year group, as the class teachers and TAs are busy with the KWV kids and with preparing lessons. So there is little benefit practically to returning work more often. If we have a specific problem I would email and the teacher picks that up and responds.

Yanbu

No you're not being unreasonable!
My sons 5 and the work load is just too much, I've been trying to complete the maths phonics and English but honestly have been generally leaving the geography/pshe etc etc. I'm a single parent and ex h doesn't do any of the school work and we also have a 3 year old together who he isn't helping to take out so can get work done. If I miss a piece of work we're just getting further and further behind, I'm going to keep going at the pace we are and once it gets to half term I'm not catching up on the work we haven't competed.

And the couple of times I have asked for advice, the response is on the lines of, "Don't worry, focus on mental health and we'll assess and catch them up when they get back", which I know is meant from the best of places. But it makes uploading the work feel like a tick box exercise whose purpose is mainly to prove engagement and bums on seats. That's parent busywork and I have enough to do without busywork...