Year 8 rapidly loosing enthusiasm home ed. Help! Need some tips please

[sunshineanddaffodils]

It started so well. She was keen and motivated on Monday. Now Thursday and I feel like I'm having to constantly spur her on. How's it going in your house? How are you motivating your dc?

We've got the same thing. I couldn't believe how well they did on Monday and it feels like we've been on a slippery slope since.

I think it's understandable tbh. Maybe call it the weekend and try again on Monday? There's no way they're going to work diligently all day, every day at home for the next 12 weeks. If she's done good so far, let her do something else for a few days and come back to it.

Can she video chat some friends? Do some baking? Gardening? Paint? Craft?

You're right NuffSaidSam. I think she's really missing the normal interaction with her friends that make the lessons fun. Don't want to push it too much as it's looking like we've got weeks of this so we've called it a day for today.

Mine is doing it in a group with his friends using whatsapp video

Mine is so lazy I can't bear it. He's very bright but doing fuck all and I am worried about him getting behind. Am trying to keep him on task but god boys are lazy!

It's been like getting blood out of a stone here, not helped by the fact that I've got a massive piece of work on with a mega-tight deadline and DH is having to record a load of lectures. I've been trying to be positive and encouraging but he is so lazy, and yet is still claiming that he's doing 'loads more' than anyone else he's in touch with. Honestly I could scream.

Ds hit a wall today and we all ended up arguing

Better this evening but I’m already dreading tomorrow.

Hopefully things will improve.

Hit a wall in the literal sense

It hasn't been bad so far for us, I took advice from someone here, and rigidly sticking to the routine. From the start, we have decided 9- 11 and 2-4 is strictly school work.

My DD has been doing it for 2 weeks now, DS for a week, y9/y8 (ASD) and it's going pretty well so far but am glad I don't have to work from home as well as it needs me to help a lot mainly with the year 8 (ASD).

We getting work in all different shapes and forms as obviously schools weren't set up for this - some of it is more useable and understandable by a child than others. I'm going through all the work for the ASD child to explain it all, some he rejects or its a nightmare in terms of admin / IT so am finding alternatives or ways round things. The year 9 I'm letting work when she wants and she's doing all the schoolwork plus some seneca so that's fine. The year 8 I go through subjects that need doing each day - not to a strict timetable, more little and often but ideally on day intended. We are discussing news and issues around the work and he seems to want me to be the teacher.

I'm not that keen on DD working in groups as she did this at her old school - their definition of "group work" means one child does all the work and everyone else copies. If its genuinely group work that's fine. It was often the same one poor child each time doing everything.

DD's doing a lot of socialising via group chat with children from a few schools which is lovely. DS doesn't have social contact other than us but we've got a cat, indoor rabbit and 3 silkie chickens he loves to be with. It's only week one so would just take a break if they are getting stressed.

I would get her doing things other than school work in between that still encourage learning but are a bit different. Life skills, reading, watching a film and reviewing it, counting to ten in a new foreign language, cooking, singing.

I think the key is to have a set time for school work-morning is best, but not hours and hours. Mine have been doing a surprising amount of work in around 2 hours a day. I say surprising because they are not particularly keen students normally.
I have said morning must be for school work, and no games or gadgets until I have checked the work.
In the afternoon they have been doing other stuff and I expect a small portion of that to be reading (anything, fiction or non fiction).
If you think about it school entails a lot of faffing, breaks, chatting, so 2 hours is fine I think at year 8.
Outside of school work I am focusing on revising the weakest subjects, but just in the form of chatting about what they have been learning really.

Today has been better. History, English, a bit of art and something he needs to do on idea.org. Told him the afternoon was his after a bit of PE.

Thank you teachers for everything you do

DS is in Year 7. He’s been recently diagnosed with ADHD and so I’m having to sit with him while he works otherwise he’ll do nothing! Its definitely challenging to keep him focused. We’ve nailed it the last 3 days though and both of us have been pleased with how it’s gone.

We have been starting at 9.30 and finish at 2.30. He has a 15 min break and a lunch break for an hour where I have said he can go on his phone or in the garden. We have been covering 4 subjects a day. We are stationed on the kitchen table and we have direct access in to the garden. If he’s getting fidgety and starting to lose concentration and motivation I send him in to the garden to cycle a couple of laps of the garden on his bike for a minute or so. It’s really working well and he comes back with renewed focus! I think DS is actually enjoying the home schooling for this alone and having much more one-to-one that he doesn’t get at school.

DD in Year 9 is very organised and sorts herself out without any input from me!

Just to make you all feel better my daughter has already missed 7 months of school (yr 8) due to illness. I have read a lot about children missing a year at school and they do usually catch up. So I wouldn’t worry too much. My daughter does 4 1/2 hrs per week concentrating on maths, science and English. The tutors said in their experience the majority of kids go back and are fine.
I think the majority of kids will do less and less as time goes on. Well done to the parents that can get their kids to work for 4 hrs a day but I’m sure that’s not easy. People are working from home and secondary level is often too difficult for parents to teach, add in the fact that working online by yourself is tedious and boring.
I think everyone needs to lower their standards (a lot) and relax, it will be fine. I also think their is a lot of pressure from other people (the whole competitive issue of I’m doing more than you), there is always going to be people doing more than you. Just to add I’m a teacher (primary) but teaching your own child is a whole different matter!!!

BBC

BBC are doing daily lessons soon.

Thank you, @Standrewsschool - that's really useful to know.

How many pieces of work have other people's Y8s been set to complete over Easter? DS has 7, some of which are quite big projects, and he is not impressed!