HOME SCHOOLING AMID LOCKDOWN
Hero Yasmin has been tutoring her six siblings throughout crisis
WHEN Yasmin came to join her family in Glasgow it was to complete a Masters degree at university. But, as lockdown took hold, the 22-year-old found herself heading back to school in an entirely different way.
The eldest of seven, she has taken charge of home schooling her younger siblings and says that, while the experience has been tough, there’s been joy along the way.
She said: “It has been such an interesting time getting to know my siblings in this new and unexpected environment.
“We’ve all learned so much about each other and have become much closer as a family so, while it’s been hard, we are making the best of it.”
Yasmin had finished a degree in London but came to Glasgow to join her mum and six brothers and sisters to study international relations at Strathclyde University.
Having worked as a tutor during her studies, it was natural that she would use her skills to help siblings Adam, 14, Sullivan, 12, and 10-year-old Fatima with their work as schools closed.
As well as supporting their education, the siblings have learned how to negotiate life under lockdown with eight people in one flat.
Yasmin said: “We’re being really cautious as a family so we are not allowed to go outside, we just go on to the front porch to get our vitamin D and a little bit of fresh air and that’s about it.
“So there are a lot of arguments and a lot of conflicts because everyone is on edge and we are in close proximity for such a long time.
“It’s been really interesting to see how all the personalities fall into place: we have the peacemaker, we have the one who starts the arguments.
“But we don’t drag my mum into it. She’s busy so we focus on sorting out our own conflicts together.
“We do have a lot of clashing personalities but there is a strict hierarchy in a Muslim household where you respect the older ones.”
She added: “We are learning so much about each other. My siblings are certainly very expressive about what happens.”
Yasmin was born in the Netherlands after her parents came to Europe from Somalia as asylum seekers.
They then moved to London before settling in the east of Glasgow.
Yasmin, who also has siblings aged 20, 18 and three, said it has been interesting to see her siblings adapt to home learning.
She said: “My 12-year-old brother is very studious. He has a stronger work ethic than my other two siblings and when I advise him he listens.
“The oldest one is 14 and he’s not wanting to do any work so I have to nag at him a bit more for him to do it; it’s difficult for him.
“The youngest one is quite stubborn and doesn’t listen to anyone so she takes a bit more work but I don’t want to nag at them to do homework and I’m not the type of tutor to look over their shoulders.
“It’s not easy and I know there are lots of families finding it really hard but luckily I have drawn on all my skills from tutoring in London.
“The schools have sent home lots of work, which has been a godsend.”
The family celebrated the Muslim festival of Eid last month, which normally would have been a huge occasion with a meal in a restaurant and seeing family and friends.
This year was far quieter and revolved around a meal at home but is one of the many lockdown events Yasmin is documenting in a special family album.
She said: “Now that we have been under one roof, we thought of making a family album.
“A lot of people don’t do that anymore because we store all our photographs on our phones nowadays.
“For the older siblings, we have photo albums of our childhoods but the younger ones don’t.”
“We are making the most of life indoors. We are praying together, watching TV together and relaxing together and recording that in an album has been special.”