Schooling at home? No thanks

Teachers are like magicians. They can take a child, like my 12-year-old, and hold his attention for up to six hours a day in a classroom with 30 other students and still get him to learn something.

I see little point in poking about too much at what happens in those six hours of learning. But it’s different now I’m the one in charge.

I have always considered myself to be one of those hands-off school parents — but something had to change after a week of lockdown.

Working from home comes easy to me after years as a freelance writer, and it’s been intriguing to observe how students and teachers are coping with working from home.

I’m comparing, for the first time, the education experience of my children with that of my nephews, nieces and friends in other schools/ homes.

My nephew starts his day promptly via Zoom at 8.50am and his teacher — who apparently has returned from an overseas country where online learning has become the norm — seems to have the working from home gig down. She is face-to-face with the class for three hours before tasks are provided and checked upon, and school ends at 1.30pm.

My children are usually snoozing at 8.50am. Sadly, because of their hands-off mother, the youngest one’s day loosely starts when he decides it will start.

On the English front, the 12-yearold is picking up new vocab from his 15-year-old brother. Not the kind you’d want him repeating, of course.

As for technology, our lack of a fibre connection and the increase in people working from home on the Coromandel has left many with poor internet connections.

Unfortunately, it gives my son an excuse as to why he couldn’t get onto the 15-minute daily Zoom class he should have attended.

At least he’s getting an education in IT problem-solving.

Other mum friends say they’re not too worried about their kids’ lack of schoolwork, advising that homeschooling is about keeping it real and light, following their child’s interests, and “being in the flowing”, not “in the flow” of school.

I would never have the patience or skill to homeschool. One problem is that I don’t know the answers to the questions I am testing my child on. An example:

Me: “12 x 11.” Son: “108.” Me: “Sure.” Physical education has been an easy one, and I love the creativity that’s come from my basketball-mad son in level 4, who made a hoop with a ladder and a bucket.

Juggling homeschool mothering with work as an essential worker is not easy, and I turned to my friends for support. The most helpful suggestion: “Just lower the bar.”

We may not be homeschooling geniuses but at least we’re rolemodelling resilience — perhaps the most vital skill of the 21st century.