Homeschooling Help

[Pippedydeadeye]

Fair play to the tutor’s entrepreneurial spirit though.

[Dáire]

And there I was being terribly amused at all the clothing companies rebranding with their photos of models lounging on sofas and taglines like 'your new at-home wardrobe' and 'what to wear when going nowhere'. I wonder who else can suddenly reinvent themselves as your one-stop lockdown solution?

[emma_p]

I did not know a lockdown tutor was an option!

[Luce]

Well, you're allowed to work so why not!

A huge part of why I'm not standing over F is because, frankly, I don't really care how much effort he's putting in It's all busy work which is fine and if he does a good enough impression of looking busy then that's fine by me. If Theo could fake it then I'd be leaving him to it as well!

I can't bring myself (today, at least) to care any more than that. I run my eye over his submissions and can see where he's been a totally lazy arse and where he hasn't but he'll soon work out that that won't work at high school.

[olive]

If I could afford it I’d totally be paying for an online tutor to outsource all this to.

[Luce]

So would I, in a heartbeat! I'd actually pay anyone to just get my children to talk to someone other than me.

[Kleio]

Cube isn’t faking it. He just appears after 20 minutes and says he’s done so can he go on the xbox. Nope, get out and do some more so I have have some peace!

A lockdown tutor sounds lovely actually.

[Ismee]

H (y7 age 12) has a full on school day so is ready at her desk at 9am. She does do video WhatsApps with friends while working and they do it together but I don't mind that at all. She gets on with it and never asks for my help, thankfully as I don't understand most of it.

Z (yr 4 age 9) is pretty good at getting on with it and quite likes the creative stuff.

TBL (yr 2 age 7) does a bit and then moans. Trying to get him to write is a painfully slow task. He works much better at school.

We are doing our best. I am in work tomorrow and Mr Is will have the three of them plus be working so I don't think the younger two will get much done.

Sorry for everyone who's has a shit day.

[Toast]

I'm not sure what I'm doing on this thread really but I thought this might be useful. My neighbour mentioned it to me, from the BBC (sorry about the formatting, it's copied from the live feed and I don't know how to do a better link):

Always wished David Attenborough was your teacher? You're in luck...

In normal times, UK children would be returning to class today after Easter - but with schools still closed, most remain at home.

In a bid to help educate the nation's schoolchildren during the lockdown, the BBC is offering 14 weeks of curriculum-based learning.

Sir David Attenborough, Jodie Whittaker and Professor Brian Cox are among the famous faces stepping in as "supply teachers".

What the stars will teach:

Manchester City footballer Sergio Aguero will help youngsters learn to count in Spanish
Sir David Attenborough will look at geography topics such as oceans and mapping the world
Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls will deliver a maths class for 11 to 14-year-olds
Professor Brian Cox will teach science topics such as force, the solar system and gravity
EastEnders actor Danny Dyer will give a history class for five to seven-year-olds on Henry VIII

[Texaco Shirley]

L (yr 8) has class work set according to his normal timetable and just gets on with it. A had not very much maths set today but we’re still catching up with some maths and English from before Easter, they also have a class project based around one of the learning packs on Twinkl so we’ll crack on with that once we’ve caught up. He works on his own and just wanders in with the occasional question.

L’s school suggested they work 5 periods of 45 minutes with 2 half hour breaks which means they’re finished by 2. We’ve banned devices till then so at least they don’t whinge for them every time they finish a task. If they have a spare 10 minutes they can read, draw, do a puzzle etc. After 2 they can do what they like.

[Ruby]

I've watched all of the BBC secondary lessons today and I've sent the timetable out to my students. I'm not sure how useful they are for teachers but they will definitely fill some time for parents.

There's also a Homeschool History podcast on BBC Sounds by Greg Jenner, the Horrible Histories historian.

If your children won't do school-work independently and you need to do some work, I'd just give them something to do that's vaguely educational that they will do on their own? Will they sit and watch a film or play on an app/online game? Will they make something out of Lego or Playdoh? "If you do x, I'll take a photo of it and send it to Miss Wotsit/Grandma etc."

Saying, "oh well we might have to call Miss Wotsit and ask her what to do" or "well, you can choose not to do it if you want but that choice will disappoint Miss Wotsit" are also good strategies. My chaps are far more likely to do work for their teachers than for me.

[Loralei]

I properly lost it was W by 10am, screamed up the stairs for S to come down while he was on a conference call and then cried for about an hour. So yeah. It's all going dreadfully well.

I've had a similar day, Smal. Sympathy.

J has been a fucking turd all day, starting with a screaming match with his dad before he left for work, and culminating in me yelling at him a few minutes ago that if I heard another word from him tonight he could kiss goodbye to his xbox. The time in between he's veered between surly, aggressive, argumentative, winding up and contrite. He took all day to just about do his Maths and Literacy (badly) which makes up about half his day's work; he's usually done by lunchtime so he can have the afternoon to himself. I would cheerfully have given him away at times today, if anyone was daft enough to take him. The minute P walked in the door I locked myself in the bathroom for a 2hr bath. I am on enforced leave for another week, which I hate, but the thought of trying to manage all this while trying to work next week makes me want to cry.

[Estrella]

We did our first day of it yesterday. They have 5 apps plus YouTube as resources and have to do pieces of work and submit them in an app. S is 6 and can’t read or understand all the instructions and J is confused by a lot of the stuff too. There’s no way they could be left on their own. I ended up in tears by 9.15am. And then I had a Teams meeting with my Exec Director that I had to cut short because they kept coming in and asking questions despite me telling them to not unless it was an actual emergency. I’m over it and have no idea how I’m going to be able to do my actual job at the same time (MrE is working from his actual office at the moment). It took me about 20 mins to write a simple email asking someone to set some meetings up. But the app is “policed” - they have to check in every morning and their work needs to be submitted.

[Squirrel]

My children y2 and y4 are doing almost nothing. C will do a bit. G does absolutely nothing. They will play a bit of SumDog but that’s it.

They refuse to get dressed because they know getting dressed means starting work. They avoid me and play until they end up fighting with each other. They eventually get dressed about 11, mess around for ages, click in and out of things on Google Classroom to waste half an hour, then declare it lunch time. After lunch they play, then it’s time to walk the dog, then by about 3pm it’s not worth starting.

[smalex]

I'm overwhelmed and tired of it and our school have been very good at saying nothing is expected and they aren't taking anything back to mark. The expectation that they demand anything back is ludicrous. A genuine strain on mental health. Where is the demand for this coming from? I genuinely don't know anyone who wants the work marked.

I'm sorry its been a shit day all round. I've only got the demands of one child, I ought to have a word with myself.

I definitely see the benefit in outsourcing this if you can afford it.

[Luce]

I have a cut off of 3pm, no matter what has been done. From 3pm it is a normal after-school day. I need a deadline and so do they.

They refuse to get dressed because they know getting dressed means starting work. They avoid me and play until they end up fighting with each other. They eventually get dressed about 11, mess around for ages, click in and out of things on Google Classroom to waste half an hour, then declare it lunch time. After lunch they play, then it’s time to walk the dog, then by about 3pm it’s not worth starting.

This sounds like a pretty typical day to me. Sounds like your two are getting exercise, they're playing together even a little bit so that is teaching them negotiation skills, conflict resolution, computer skills for clicking in and out of Google Classroom etc. They're learning perfectly how to get by in a crisis and you're doing brilliantly, Squirrel. Especially if you've not clobbered them or locked yourself in a cupboard by 11am with gin. I can't even have a 'getting dressed' argument anymore, it just isn't worth it. I don't give a shit if they're in PJs all day anymore - Theo has daytime pyjamas now and even goes in his walks in them. T and I have very little laundry to do as a result.

I'm very grateful that mine take it turns to be absolute fucking monsters. I never get a day off from it but they seem to at least be team-players with regards to giving me a breakdown.

If they start to whinge about more "school games" ( ) then I give them an option of that or a board game. They inevitably choose a board-game but I'm fine with that- it needs reading skills (Theo) strategy and patience skills (Felix). Before they start the day they know there will be no devices after 10am or before 3pm so they've at least stopped nagging me for that. I've also learnt that I reckon I'd be a good teacher but that I never, ever want to do it. The patience required is super-human and I now look at all teachers quite suspiciously ;)

Stay strong, sisters. This is absolutely fucking shit, there is no getting around it.

[Squirrel]

Yes C has been out in her onesie or PJs several times. She has a set of leggings and a top that are actually a skiing base layer, but she wears them as both pyjamas and normal daywear. I think she wore the whole thing including underwear for about three days day and night without getting changed . G won’t go out in his PJs so he will get dressed eventually.

[Squirrel]

Today she inexplicably put on her school polo shirt and cardigan with leggings and wore this all afternoon, despite not apparently intending to do any school work.

[Loralei]

Today she inexplicably put on her school polo shirt and cardigan with leggings and wore this all afternoon, despite not apparently intending to do any school work.

Berty did exactly this today!

[Squirrel]

Back to school!