To dread homeschooling

[Johan23]

I’m in Scotland where the schools don’t go back to the 11th, and for a week it will be remote learning (I imagine it will be longer). In the last lockdown my son was still at nursery, so we didn’t have to homeschool.

It was still a freaking nightmare working from home as he wanted our attention all of the time.

Our work is going through a ridiculously busy period, and we are all expected to just “get on with it”. But, I am totally stressing as I really can’t bear to go through all this juggling again.

@Whattimeisdinner

I do have an idea, my experience of home schooling was sub standard - and that's a fact

Take it up with the school.
My DC’’s experience of home schooling was far from sub-standard (and that is also a fact).

I took it up with the school and I know other parents did - the response we got was "we are too busy, we cannot provide"

In any profession, if things are not working out, you work with your stakeholders to find a better way. You don't say "computer says no" on repeat

Whether it's through lack of support from the government or just plain inability to evolve, it's been a wholly woeful and damaging experience here and I know I'm not alone.

And whoever said it's the problem if the school leadership is absolutely spot on, they do get paid a handsome salary and should in the 9 months they had, have ready a much better provision in place, but I'm afraid I won't believe it until I experience it.

"lack of support from the government"

Yes, you've got it in one.

My experience as a teacher during lockdown? Approx.1/3 of students completed work to a good standard. Many not at all.
My day was spent setting, marking work, online lessons.
A good chunk of the day was spent on the day was also spent on the phone to parents of children who weren’t engaging. ‘I can’t get them to do anything’ ‘They won’t get off their Xbox’ ‘They don’t get up until 1pm’...
Remote learning is a home/school partnership.

And whoever said it's the problem of the school leadership is absolutely spot on,

I agree.

For a week it's fine.
For months or indefinitely it will drive us all to despair. I will lose my job. Employer could be understanding but business is business. Feral and unhappy kids, with way too much TV.
Everybody suffers.

I took it up with the school and I know other parents did - the response we got was "we are too busy, we cannot provide"

Then you say ‘You are legally obliged to provide’.

We had

NO teacher phone calls
NO online lessons of any form
NO online assemblies
NO marking
NO feedback

ONE emailed sheet of links to bitesize or twinkl type worksheets a week

Home/school partnership hmm..

And a local hub that served all schools which only some teachers who volunteered needs to go at most a day a week.

@Whattimeisdinner

My experience as a teacher during lockdown? Approx.1/3 of students completed work to a good standard. Many not at all. My day was spent setting, marking work, online lessons. A good chunk of the day was spent on the day was also spent on the phone to parents of children who weren’t engaging. ‘I can’t get them to do anything’ ‘They won’t get off their Xbox’ ‘They don’t get up until 1pm’... Remote learning is a home/school partnership.

Look I'm not disputing there are teachers who have broken their backs, but at my school there was nothing, no calls, no videos, no lessons and DJ you'll forgive me for using my experience, not someone else's, as my barometer

It is tough for teachers as well who are delivering on line lessons to students as well as supporting their own children at home. There are no winners in this but given that everything else is closed and cases are still rising what are the options?

@SantaAssociationRepresentitve

It is tough for teachers as well who are delivering on line lessons to students as well as supporting their own children at home. There are no winners in this but given that everything else is closed and cases are still rising what are the options?

Yes this is only the same as working in any job whilst schooling, only being a teacher you at least know what you are doing

There's a lot of comments about...'if teachers aren't going to offer full time education, furlough them'...
I work across schools, many, many school staff would accept furlough rather than be in the unsafe situation that they are in.

But what then? Be careful what you wish for.

Some teachers were not delivering on line lessons. Some schools did very little and hid under the government stopping the curriculum statement. Yet other schools recognised this wasn’t enough and provided much more. Some teachers were fantastic from posts on here.

Yes it’s difficult for everyone but if you are being paid - you could do something, even a weekly email would have helped enthuse children.

It doesn't matter how competent a teacher you are, it's still very difficult to do your day job and provide support to your own children simultaneously.

@ByersRd

There's a lot of comments about...'if teachers aren't going to offer full time education, furlough them'... I work across schools, many, many school staff would accept furlough rather than be in the unsafe situation that they are in.

But what then? Be careful what you wish for.

Yes let's all go on furlough, hibernate and bankrupt the country

Why on earth would you furlough teachers who are needed.
If it’s a choice - I quite fancy a break from the nhs.

@christinarossetti19 yet many people have to do this.

Same here, Whattime.

We all worked significantly more hours teaching from home during lockdown... I have no idea how my colleagues with small children of their own managed (well, I do actually, they were up until 4am some days making video lessons). Recording lessons, making worksheets, marking submitted work, phoning every single family in our tutor groups twice a week, logging every piece of work submitted for house points, being in school to mind the KW children, making referrals to SS, delivering food parcels and, later, supermarket vouchers, attending CPD on how to do remote learning, attending subject enhancement CPD, making home visits to families who didn't answer the telephone, live "availability" forum for students to ask questions about the work...

It was the hardest four months of my life. But the last four months - teaching hundreds of students every day with NO hands, face, space - has easily been the scariest. I've been petrified every single day.

@Tierful

We had

NO teacher phone calls
NO online lessons of any form
NO online assemblies
NO marking
NO feedback

ONE emailed sheet of links to bitesize or twinkl type worksheets a week

Home/school partnership hmm..

And a local hub that served all schools which only some teachers who volunteered needs to go at most a day a week.

Same experience but minus the weekly email sheet We had nothing at all One phone call the whole time of lockdown

There's a lot of comments about...'if teachers aren't going to offer full time education, furlough them'...

Are people saying that? Close entirely?

Furlough? As in get paid but do nothing?

To everyone who got nothing during lockdown- What the hell were the staff at your school doing? We were flat out. How did they get away with it?

[quote Pomegranatespompom]@christinarossetti19 yet many people have to do this.[/quote]
Yes, that's my point.

Teachers with their own children are in the same situation as other working parents.

I have worked from home for 9 months, most days start at 7am latest, I finish up at around 5.30 to cook kids dinner then work all evening most nights.

It would take me all of 5 minutes a day to upload the content we received, probably not even 5 minutes... so do please tell me, given there was no marking, no feedback, no lessons, no calls - what were you doing with your remaining 7 plus hours a day?

Some of the teachers on here sound fantastic and I have family who are teachers in other areas of the country who worked so so hard.

Our local teachers did not.

I'm am so incredibly anxious about going through all that again.

Look I'm not disputing there are teachers who have broken their backs, but at my school there was nothing, no calls, no videos, no lessons and DJ you'll forgive me for using my experience, not someone else's, as my barometer

From where I’m standing that is inconceivable. We would have been sacked!
Everyone in this position should complain.
I was at my computer or on the phone every day.

@iamusuallybeingunreasonable

I have worked from home for 9 months, most days start at 7am latest, I finish up at around 5.30 to cook kids dinner then work all evening most nights.

It would take me all of 5 minutes a day to upload the content we received, probably not even 5 minutes... so do please tell me, given there was no marking, no feedback, no lessons, no calls - what were you doing with your remaining 7 plus hours a day?

Jinglingmod has already provided her experience.