Homeschooling - how are you feeling this evening?

[Jouuuuuuuuule]

I work 4 days (now from home) and both dc (junior school) have learning schedules with daily live video assemblies thrown in. Younger dc needs a lot of handholding, I have to sit next to him, get him started, explain the tasks etc.

I feel so anxious and stressed about 7 weeks (or more of this). I basically feel like a rabbit in the headlight and just want to go to sleep.

How are you all feeling?

For this homeschool to even work we need the work sent to us each Friday do we can arrange to split the support between the parents and children..

This whole last minute shite just presupposes parents are sat there ready to help!?

@Vick99 no pressure from my children's school as they've sent barely anything out, but would like my children to progress so some school support would be helpful.

Without advance notice I don’t know which meetings to cancel/postpone/rearrange.

I’m overwhelmed and fed up. I know it’s awful for everyone. Just think this could be handled better!

It's the juggling with work and having literally no time to yourself by the time bedtime is over. That's what I find really, really hard.

Yep.

@CloningIsTheOnlyAnswer

For this homeschool to even work we need the work sent to us each Friday do we can arrange to split the support between the parents and children..

This whole last minute shite just presupposes parents are sat there ready to help!?

Yep, i could have done with getting everything printed off and ready tonight as I have work calls starting at 8.30am tomorrow lasting until at least lunchtime, but it hasn’t come through yet.

It's the juggling with work and having literally no time to yourself by the time bedtime is over. That's what I find really, really hard.

Yep.

Also got a 4 month old baby. So it's all fun fun fun.

Please remember that the amount of work sent is set by government. I'm setting lots for my class but as a parent wfh & 2 days in school whilst dh wfh with both our dc off all week I'm concentrating on maths and English in morning. Anything else us a fun add on for if it when we have time.
We can do this!

[quote ellenleaves]@Vick99 no pressure from my children's school as they've sent barely anything out, but would like my children to progress so some school support would be helpful. [/quote]
Absolutely we want our children to progress, but I think as parents we have a tendency both to overestimate how much they learn at school and underestimate how much we have to offer as parents.

I was playing a game with my son today which involves really basic addition, something we did loads of in the first lockdown. I was shocked at how much he'd regressed after a term at school.

And reading/handwriting often get left behind during busy school weeks, whereas now we have time to really focus on them and bring him on. In my view, a few weeks focussing on the basics can be hugely beneficial.

6 year old DS, 4 year old DD, both me & DH wfh. My parents are vulnerable so we do their shopping etc. DH’s dad really poorly in hospital having been diagnosed with advanced cancer last week. Trying to keep everything together but it’s hard. So tired from the mental and emotional load. Homeschooling will probably take more of a back seat than I would want but DH and I can’t do it all. Something will have to give.

True @Vick99. But playing addition games, setting tasks around things they want to learn, getting them to practice handwriting etc still takes time that is hard to come by with 2 KS1 kids (who are at different stages and like different things), a toddler and a full time job.

@Vick99 mine thrive in school as they like to impress their teachers! My eldest came on loads being back last term (youngest reception). I'd really like some school support personally. But looked at the planned curriculum for the term and doing my best.

@AmoElCafe

True *@Vick99*. But playing addition games, setting tasks around things they want to learn, getting them to practice handwriting etc still takes time that is hard to come by with 2 KS1 kids (who are at different stages and like different things), a toddler and a full time job.

Oh, absolutely! I'm definitely not saying it's easy especially if working full time (I'm finding WFH part-time hard enough) but personally I find trawling through a load of instructions and online stuff set by the school (much of which doesn't work the way it's meant to) so much more time consuming and stressful than just thinking up simple but beneficial things myself.

Trying to be optimistically

Year 10 senior school does 5 live lessons work set and submitted all on teams between 8 30 and 3.

Years 6 junior school much better this lockdown better work sent home and she does it independent.
Class Google meet every weekday 9am and work set and submitted on Google classroom.

My year 5 small primary sen is much harder.
His school uses seesaw and has 11am teams class meet.
He has his own ta in school so he's not great at independent learning.
I get him read a chapter every day and do tt rockstars times tables go full time.
Walk the dog or just dance on switch.
Introduce some bcc lessons tomorrow between 9am and 10 .45. Then 15min break and class meet 11am then work set by school plus activity creative and fitness in afternoon.

Toddler 2.5 delayed starting preschool until Easter now sept at this rate.

Throught about preparing lunches night before or even doing packed lunches and laying out fresh clothes or pjs making day run smoother.
Created a tidy reading corner that can also be used video calls and not show how messy our house is with all 4 at home.
Husband working.
Lockdown 1 I worked so its a lot easier just focusing on them.
I'm taking it day by day and doing my best.
Told school with 4 kids I will do what I can.

I wouldn't say I'm stressed about it all but whenever I see yet another ParentHub notification I think FFS what now. I was even woken at 10.40pm one evening, I'm bloody sick of them

I hadn't realised they were doing live stuff until DS came and told me last night and had to hastily get a webcam, now some tutor had said they should not be in a bedroom but communal space, though no one else should be on screen

I've only just figured how to forward all the links they send to ME for DS, send them to him FFS

@cloud9ine

Just stay calm and offer carrots and sticks when required. Reward good behaviour and good work. Remove screen time / lock under stairs etc when they are playing up.

Keep it light, keep it fun, dont get stressed and just do what you can.

Great idea, I might lock myself under the stairs!

I feel like I'm drowning in my own pit of anxiety.

Eldest DC is KS1 so I get it's not high level stuff but she like many, missed so much school last year, I worry massively about her.

DC2 is particularly demanding at the moment again, she's teething and has turned into a demon child. She makes it almost unbearable to think with the constant crying and clinging to me. I just don't know how to juggle work and homeschool with her.

To top it off, had an argument with OH this evening during an episode of DC2 screaming for no apparent reason (we are both lockdown loco and we both snapped at the same time to each other).
He's packed his bags. Hasn't left yet but hoping he'll do the bins before he does.

Sorry to hear how anxious so many of us feel. I hope it will be not as bad as we expect. I've been so worried that I woke up at 4am, which is unusual for me, and haven't been able to back to sleep. So now I will have to face a full day's work with many video engagements, homeschooling including live sessions on about 4 hour sleep.

@Jouuuuuuuuule

Sorry to hear how anxious so many of us feel. I hope it will be not as bad as we expect. I've been so worried that I woke up at 4am, which is unusual for me, and haven't been able to back to sleep. So now I will have to face a full day's work with many video engagements, homeschooling including live sessions on about 4 hour sleep.

Same, I got to sleep around 2am and up again at 5. Toddler got up at half past 5. Just wish the work would come through so I can print it up before I have to start my 4 solid hours of work phone calls this morning.

Mine have to start today and I am honestly dreading it as terrible as that sounds.

One has additional support needs and does not want to do any "live" class lessons or be involved in any of the online discussions/chats with her classmates for lessons.

Whereas other is too chatty and really needs help to focus on tasks.

I have two very young children to look after also and my baby will not be put down for very long at all and needs a lot of attention and slightly older one is very high and had been going through an assessment as showing signs of autism.

I feel like I'm stuck under water and desperately trying to keep head up.

Partner doesn't understand at all and was meant to be off work but he has changed plans last minute - yet again and as always!

The one who was going through assessment was due to begin a nursery placement but can't now due to closures - which I agree with and don't want to risk any spreading - but leaves me panicking how I'm going to manage.

Tried speaking to him and all I got was other mothers cope and what would I do if there wasn't a pandemic. I did say well nursery place would be available which is one of the issues. But he chooses not to listen.

I am literally dreading today. I don't know how I'm going to manage.

@CoffeeWithCheese they've made today's work available today and said it must be uploaded today Apparently we can expect a phone call on Wednesday so I will mention it then.... although last time we were meant to have a virtual parents eve, they phoned DH instead of my number which I jotted down on the appointment sheet which meant we missed the call!

Good luck to all. We've got a ridiculously easy piece of comprehension, 2 lots of English, 1 lot of Maths and TT Rockstars to get through.

Our suggested PE activity is ‘go for a walk to a green space’ which made me laugh a bit . My nearest decent green space is a car ride away and has police patrolling it checking you’re from the right area (we live on a border so it’s actually a different county, therefore not allowed apparently).
Plus by the time I finish working it will be pitch black.

Sick is how I feel. I had a KW space last week but school gave now said it's only available if there is no adult in the home at all, to reduce numbers from 20% to less than 5%. KW DH is away this week working and KW me in COVID related meetings most of the day. All home learning from school is addressed to parents not children (with a complicated whole school timetable that needs a lot of deciphering), so needs a lot of adult supervision as instructions not helpful for children and questions from children not responded to for days.

Ours is going on at 9am too and it’s a pain in the arse at that time trying to start printing things instead of just getting on with the work.
I was going to ask the teacher if it was possible to put it in the night before but my DSis who is a teacher made me feel very unreasonable for considering doing so

I explained to our school last year the situation wfh parents were juggling and it’s seems they actually listened. We’re getting work uploaded the night before and no unreasonable demands as to handing in deadline so I can send it all back in the evening when my own work is done. It also looks like they are aiming it at a level where kids can crack on without interrupting their parents every 30 seconds.

They’ve also decided not to do a scheduled timetable but allowed parents to chose when in the day to get the work done which also has wfh parents in mind.

These small changes have made the impossible possible. For anyone struggling just tell the school as if they don’t know they can’t sort it out.

Well I am currently in tears over home schooling and so is my year 5 so it's going shit in my house. I can't do this.