Parents told do not stress over home schooling
Parents from Oban, Lorn and the Isles have been sharing their experiences as they take on the mantle of teacher during the lockdown.
Last week the Oban Times invited a group of mums to tell us of the highs and lows that had come as a result of bringing the classroom into the home and received a large and varied response.
‘He wouldn’t sit for me as he says it’s embarrassing, but he sits and learns with his big sister who is doing a fantastic job,’ said May Mackenzie who is finding it hard to know what to teach her son who is starting primary one in August.
‘Last week Early Years put up the Gruffalo to learn and read. We have to remember they have to enjoy what they are doing,’ she added.
Catriona Banks has opted for more of a school of life approach and has taught her daughter to ride her bike.
‘She is delighted with her achievement,’ she told us.
Hazel Kelso’s five girls are in Gaelic medium education and in five different primaries which she admits has been a huge challenge.
She told us: ‘The teachers have included videos in their daily learning to explain what they have to do so that has helped a lot. We felt really stressed at first but have decided to just do what we can and like others to teach some life skills.’
While Alison Jones commented: ‘Information overload has been difficult. There are loads of online resources which are useful but which also take hours to sort through.’
Having listened to some of the concerns from parents, Argyll and Bute Council’s policy lead for education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, agreed that lockdown was a difficult time for parents: ‘We fully understand parents aren’t trained teachers and we don’t expect them to be,’ she told us.
‘Our teaching staff are working tirelessly to continue to provide a wide range of educational resources for children.
‘The last thing we want, however, is for parents to put unnecessary pressure on themselves. From our very youngest pupils to young adults in our secondary schools, every child is at a different stage on their educational journey and every child has different needs. Parents need to do what works best for their household.’
Charlotte Reffin, who works in a school herself, revealed that an hour into her first day of homeschooling, her daughter asked when it was home time and her children also set alarms in Alexa for their break times. ‘We like the structure of having things to do,’ she added. ‘The kids have work set by their teachers, but we don’t spend all day at it so the kids get plenty time to play.
‘Some days are better than others but we do what we can and don’t stress about the rest.’
Councillor McNeilly agreed that a ‘no stress’ approach was best for the mental health and wellbeing of both parents and children.
‘Like us all, children have had their whole routines turned upside down and are going through a lot of uncertainty at the moment,’ she said. ‘There are lots of things parents can do to promote learning at home without making it appear like a ‘school day’. For example, baking, playing with Lego, reading books, searching the internet to find facts, watching educational programmes on TV, playing games etc.
‘I can’t stress enough though that the one thing that children will remember from this time is being at home with their family and having fun.’
Councillor McNeilly concluded: ‘Please, please don’t feel guilty about what you are or aren’t doing. We’re all in this together and we’ll get through it together.’