Remote Learning
We've now started week 3 of term 2, with the kids learning at home.
Turns out educating kids is a full time job, who knew?
The first half week was the worst. Ms5 was willing to give it a go, but also keenly missing her teacher, friends, and I think not being able to have a birthday party hit home. She ended up quite tired and emotional, but was putting a brave face on it.
Mr8 on the other hand didn't want a bar of it. Nothing but complaints, stalling, surly or outright angry responses, and general lack of cooperation. Essentially he was missing the structure of school and his friends as well, but in a less agreeable way.
I was very glad when the weekend arrived. My mental reserves were all burned up.
If they are in the same room, they are more interested in each others work than their own. If I put them in different rooms I end up buzzing between them and a lot of nothing gets done.
In theory they say the kids can do all this stuff by themselves, they have to at school, we just need to point them in the right direction. In practice if I'm not watching over them they sit and do nothing until I got back.
Week 2 was a considerably improvement as we all got settled into the routine. I now knew where things were, and that I really needed to go over the work the night before, print worksheets and make a to-do list for each of them. I've built in allowance for them to be distracted by the other. "Yes, you can watch Mr8's tutorial video as a treat, then you have to do your own work". (She now has a surprisingly firm grasp on subtraction and how to draw eyes).
Mr8 still seems to suffer from an inability to do the work in front of him that defies my attempts to help and advise. On good days we'll move on to something else, but other days he really *really* wants to get his work done... and will sit stubbornly staring at it for half the day refusing both to do it or to walk away from it. Some mornings he goes into my office to start early, he's trying, but still struggles to get things done. If I can get him outside and active for a while it seems to help a lot, but he doesn't believe there's any connection.
Ms5 spent week 2 quietly sad and not want to do things. "I'm not in a colouring mood", and when you're in Prep a lot of work seems to involve drawing and colouring. It breaks my heart to see my little artist force out a half-hearted outline in grey then ask if she's done now, and can she watch the video of her teacher again?
Week 3 has started better, she got everything done in good time today, even used some colours. Unlike her brother she is quite happy to go outside at regular intervals.
I guess in summary, it's hard, but we're doing ok. Learning a lot, some of it school-related.
Turns out educating kids is a full time job, who knew?
The first half week was the worst. Ms5 was willing to give it a go, but also keenly missing her teacher, friends, and I think not being able to have a birthday party hit home. She ended up quite tired and emotional, but was putting a brave face on it.
Mr8 on the other hand didn't want a bar of it. Nothing but complaints, stalling, surly or outright angry responses, and general lack of cooperation. Essentially he was missing the structure of school and his friends as well, but in a less agreeable way.
I was very glad when the weekend arrived. My mental reserves were all burned up.
If they are in the same room, they are more interested in each others work than their own. If I put them in different rooms I end up buzzing between them and a lot of nothing gets done.
In theory they say the kids can do all this stuff by themselves, they have to at school, we just need to point them in the right direction. In practice if I'm not watching over them they sit and do nothing until I got back.
Week 2 was a considerably improvement as we all got settled into the routine. I now knew where things were, and that I really needed to go over the work the night before, print worksheets and make a to-do list for each of them. I've built in allowance for them to be distracted by the other. "Yes, you can watch Mr8's tutorial video as a treat, then you have to do your own work". (She now has a surprisingly firm grasp on subtraction and how to draw eyes).
Mr8 still seems to suffer from an inability to do the work in front of him that defies my attempts to help and advise. On good days we'll move on to something else, but other days he really *really* wants to get his work done... and will sit stubbornly staring at it for half the day refusing both to do it or to walk away from it. Some mornings he goes into my office to start early, he's trying, but still struggles to get things done. If I can get him outside and active for a while it seems to help a lot, but he doesn't believe there's any connection.
Ms5 spent week 2 quietly sad and not want to do things. "I'm not in a colouring mood", and when you're in Prep a lot of work seems to involve drawing and colouring. It breaks my heart to see my little artist force out a half-hearted outline in grey then ask if she's done now, and can she watch the video of her teacher again?
Week 3 has started better, she got everything done in good time today, even used some colours. Unlike her brother she is quite happy to go outside at regular intervals.
I guess in summary, it's hard, but we're doing ok. Learning a lot, some of it school-related.