Tips for home-schooling in lockdown

AS parents anxiously awaited clarity around the length of time schools will remain closed, the reality of reluctantly returning to the homeschool trenches is sinking in.

After a brief but welcome respite, mums and dads will once again be wading through the mud of harried teachers and incendiary parents’ WhatsApp groups, while also trying to hold down their day jobs, care for elderly relatives and keep their heads together.

The first lockdown was a steep learning curve for parents. They had to establish new routines, get to grips with nascent technology and brush up on their algebra skills.

This time around they’ll be heeding the lessons they learned during the last lockdown and doing things a little differently.

Navigating the homeschool conundrum once again will certainly be a challenge, so we have compiled some expert advice on howw to get through the weeks ahead.

DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF

THE vast majority of Irish parents struggled to implement a consistent home-schooling routine during the first lockdown, says researcher and lecturer Dr Katriona O’Sullivan of Maynooth University.

Between March and April of last year, O’Sullivan interviewed 45 families for a study on the impact of home-schooling on the psychological wellbeing of Irish families. Just three of the families she interviewed maintained a consistent home-schooling routine — and in all three cases at least one of the parents worked in education. The rest of the parents she interviewed said they took on the challenge with first-week-of-September enthusiasm but eventually threw in the towel.

O’Sullivan compares successful home-schooling to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Parents need time, physical space and technology prowess to excel at it. And working parents in cramped households with insufficient devices simply aren’t able to offer all three.

DISCUSS THE DIVISION OF LABOUR

RESEARCH suggests that mothers were more likely to shoulder the burden of home-schooling during the first lockdown. ‘ They were trying to manage the three jobs of childcare, home-schooling and their own work,’ says O’Sullivan, who authored another paper on the impact of the pandemic on working mothers.

Vary responsibilities during the day, perhaps into morning or afternoon shifts, which will help ease the burden.

DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER PARENTS

WHEN Katriona O’Sullivan interviewed Irish parents about their home-schooling experiences during the first lockdown, she heard countless anecdotes about competitive pandemic parenting and the tyranny of the parents’ WhatsApp group.

‘A good few mams talked about leaving the parents’ WhatsApp group or muting it,” she says. ‘Some of the mothers said they felt ashamed for not living up to this perfect parent model. Others were terrified that they were going to get sent more work.’

CREATE A DAILY ROUTINE (BUT LEAVE A LITTLE WRIGGLE ROOM)

PARENTS realised the importance of a home-schooling routine during the first lockdown. They also discovered that every family has its own rhythm — and even the most stringent routines will eventually evolve.

Try to get children to get school work done in the morning time, as concentration levels are likely to dip by the afternoon.

Focus most on the core subjects of English, Irish and maths, and be more flexible with others. PE could be a walk or playing in the garden, art can be just about anything and drama can be engaging in imaginative play or acting out scenes from their favourite story books.

TAKE BREAKS

REGULAR breaks are important, especially for younger children. Just as they have breaks planned into their school day routine, encourage them to work on completing something, with a bit of outdoor play or drawing/play to follow.

ACCESS ONLINE RESOURCES

RTÉ’S Home School Hub was a godsend to parents during the first lockdown. Parents can find the resources for all the lessons that featured on the series at rte.ie/learn/homeschool-hub/.

Parents are advised to stick as much as possible with Irish websites and resources as very often different jurisdictions have different ways of teaching maths for example, which could lead to confusion for your child.

A website developed by Irish teacher, Julieanne Devlin ( julieannedevlin.com). Julieanne is a teacher with many years’ experience and shares a wealth of information and resources, including videos of science experiments which children would love, Ask About Ireland (askaboutireland.ie) is another reputable website ideal for homeschooling.

BE CREATIVE WITH P.E

THINK about the games you played yourself as a child — hide & seek, chasing, kick the can… all types exercise that keeps kids interested, and give parents a bit of a workout as well!

Despite the winter weather, do try to get outdoors with children as much as possible. It’s hugely beneficial for mental health, and even a walk or cycle can get the heart rate going.

LASTLY...PICK YOUR BATTLES

TENSIONS were high during the first lockdown, as parents and children tried to negotiate a new dynamic. ‘Mummy or Daddy was trying to be the teacher and kids did not respond well to that,” says Katriona O’Sullivan.