A Balancing Act
So after our first tiring week of balancing homeschooling with full time employment, how are we all describing the experience?
Craig Heap, Holmes Miller Director, describes his family’s experience so far.
Our household has succinctly summed up the experience as horrendous!
More importantly our son has decided it’s not going well and has confirmed that he likes school a lot more than home schooling.
Can’t disagree there!
At school it seems he is forced to do things and work to deadlines. Strange, I thought that’s what we were doing but clearly our approach to trying to get him to compete tasks is just not the same.
It all feels very daunting knowing that this is likely to go on for quite a while yet. The fear of trying to balance home schooling with a busy work schedule is steadily building!
So, what have we learned?
Teachers are great at what they do.
My kid seems to really like his teacher and does everything he can to be a good pupil.
My kid doesn’t like us as his teacher and at home he takes every opportunity to push boundaries and try things that he wouldn’t do at school. Never known someone to need so many pee breaks in an hour long lesson.
Learning has to be fun.
If only Fortnite or Minecraft had the education curriculum built in, my son would be sorted. My son tells me it does as he needs to use Maths to figure out someone’s health (?).
Technology is wonderful. The amount of online content available is mind boggling.
The highlight of the day is that face to face live session at either 11am or 2pm where the class has some face time with the teacher. We are promptly kicked out of the room when this is about to start, perhaps so we don’t see him flip back in to the lovely wee lad we’ve heard so much about at Parents nights who sits attentively, listening to the teacher and soaking in all the learning.
It didn’t take long for the realisation to set in that this wasn’t going to be an enjoyable experience for my son or for his parents.
Can these learnings influence our school designs?
Kids can learn anywhere but a safe and comfortable environment suited to them makes learning easier.
A variety of learning spaces to suit a variety of learning preferences is key.
The opportunity for movement and flexibility as part of learning as kids just can’t sit still.
Make more of existing resources in the local area, whether that be woods, play parks, nature walks, libraries, kitchens, workshops etc to help learning.
Outdoor learning must take more of a centre stage. Less VE of the landscaping!
Technology will play a bigger part. IT accessibility and training need to be integral.
So as we are about to embark on week two, what’s the plan :
Routine is good!
Get up and ‘Eat that Frog!’, he is more interested in the morning.
Spend the time with him, no distractions, block out time in the diary.
Try and make it fun and relatable.
Don’t give in to the distractions!
No toilet breaks during class!!
Little bits at a time.
Shouting doesn’t work!
Don’t fall for his tricks and tell him the answers! Make him do the work.
Don’t beat ourselves up that we are the worst teachers in the country!
Whilst hugely trying I have taken great comfort knowing we are not alone and being able to share our experience with friends and colleagues has been liberating.
So if any of you have any hints or tips of how you are coping I would love to hear your stories.
We can do this!
