Ah, the joys of homeschooling.Of course, it's been suggested we don't use that term. Our kids are "Learning at Home", using resources sent by their real school teachers. We parents are just here for guidance.
Here in Queensland (and I believe this goes for most of Australia at the moment) during this pandemic, parents have been asked to keep their kids at home for learning if they are able to. Schools are officially only open for students whose parents are essential workers or who have no other option. The Caveman and I are both essential workers, so we are in the category of parents who are encouraged to send their kids to school - and we were going to. Really, it would have been great to wave the youngest Caveman off on the first day back after the Easter holidays.
However, when we saw his report card from last term it was time for a serious discussion. He's never had a deep desire to be at school and has always had trouble concentrating and getting his work done. Unfortunately, being nearly thirteen, if he doesn't knuckle down now, he'll never catch up. We asked him what HE would rather do and he chose to try doing his school work at home. The Caveman's work hours have dropped a bit since all this started, so we knew there would be a parent at home for at least three days each week. Our two older children were happy to pick up the slack for the other couple of days, since they are currently housebound too. Our hope was that maybe, with a bit more one-on-one guidance, he would pick the work up more quickly.
So far, our theory seems to be working. It's a challenge at times, because he just doesn't have much interest in school work and can be quite stubborn about getting it done. However, those "lightbulb moments", when we can see him grasping the lesson, are totally worth it! It takes more time than we thought it would too - because it's high school there is an expectation that more work will be completed each day than you might expect for younger children. There might also be a non essential subject or two that he will fall further behind in, because we'd rather focus on the ones that really matter (Maths, English, Science, etc). We have had to remind him at times that this was his choice and he has to show some responsibility and get the work done, but for the most part he is enjoying doing his school work this way.
We get to have great conversations with him about subjects related to what he is learning and just spend more time with him, which he is definitely appreciating. If we see his eyes glazing over, he gets some outside time to kick a soccer ball around with his big brother (jokingly referred to as the PE teacher) and comes back refreshed. He also still keeps in touch with his friends from school, who are in the same situation - I never thought I'd be so grateful they all have mobile phones and internet!
The biggest thing that has struck me about our boy learning at home is that I am so impressed with his teachers. Not because I suddenly realise how difficult their job is - I have friends who are teachers, so I already knew. But because these people have had to adjust their whole working style to suit the current circumstances. We see them now making their own videos for students to watch online, lessons are adjusted to include family members and they are available for online chats to answer questions and help guide all of us through this challenging time. I think the teachers have coped with this incredibly well and I admire them all for stepping up.
I can't speak for every family - I know many parents are struggling - but we are actually enjoying this time and making the most of it.
