https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 11 May 2026 19:36:53 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913658 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 11:31:56 +0000 krispi 2913658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This week is spring break for us. Instead of all my plans to catch up on assignments we missed, we've thrown all instruction out for now. She's not motivated to do any of it, and I don't have time to sit with her and make sure it's done while also working. We've also had a major spike in meltdowns and whining this week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913655 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 10:58:36 +0000 lindseykaye 2913655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@muffinsmuffins: Charts and rewards! We haven't tried incorporating this in a formal way yet so thanks for the reminder :) And good call working the concepts into other activities. We do this where we can but DD can almost always tell when we're doing this and calls us out hahaha</p> <p>@petitenoisette: These are good ideas and something her teachers already incorporate into the assignments most of the time. So, on one hand it's nice to have the flexibility and options for each student to participate and learn in the ways that work best for them (and we don't have to come up with it!). On the other hand sometimes it leads to decision anxiety (what do I choose?!?). In those cases we just walk back from that and revisit later or help to simplify. Sometimes we try to just offer what we *think* she will be interested in first to keep that from happening, and if it looks like the first idea isn't being received well and move on to other options.</p> <p>The good news is that today is a good day so far! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913642 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 07:18:05 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2913642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son is in SK in Canada so all of kinder is play based but I will look at what the teacher sends us each morning (just simple non mandatory activity) and work them into our play time outdoors and indoors without him realizing. This won’t work for actual worksheets but maybe you could be like hey since we figured this out while we were outside playing, let’s write it down so teacher can see! I also lean on reward charts and stickers and m&amp;m treats haha bribery is my friend! But really I was getting huge push back so I made a picture schedule chart and let him check off each task we do each day and somehow we’ve gotten in 30-45 mins of actual learning time each day this week just because it’s on the chart 🤷🏻‍♀️ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913636 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:30:04 +0000 Miss Ariel 2913636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We’ve basically given up for my Pre-K daughter. A lot of what is provided by her teacher are videos, so she’ll ask to logon just to watch YouTube videos.</p> <p>Apparently this week is their spring break, but it took till today for me to realize that’s why no new assignments were being posted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913633 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:08:57 +0000 Becky 2913633@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD is 6.5 and also in 1st grade. Our district gave really reasonable work (all review), and doesn’t require us to check in. We aren’t really able to assist with her schoolwork since we’re working, and I’d say it takes her an hour tops to do a combo of computer work and worksheets focused on math, literacy, and handwriting. I also expect her to read on her own (but some days she reads a ton and others barely at all—it balances out) and do a chore I assign. If there’s a worksheet or activity she gripes about, I usually look at it and agree too—and often it’s something I hesitated asking her to do in the first place (usually a worksheet—either from me or her teacher so no fault to the teachers!— that seems pointless, boring, or redundant or could be better achieved with a real-life application).</p> <p>When your daughter isn’t doing schoolwork, what is she doing? I think the key to our sanity has been that, outside of that one hour of work, everything else is self-guided. I don’t stipulate when she needs to do her assigned work, and if she and her sister are occupied with anything at all and not fighting, I let them carry on without interruption. I’m not worried about her falling behind. It seems like there’s something every day that’s a natural learning experience, like playing Monopoly for the first time and having her count the money/make change—that’s math and life skills! </p> <p>Sometimes I get stressed thinking about the SAH moms who are doing science experiments I don’t have the time or bandwidth or supplies for but then I remind myself that some of her classmates are doing that, the majority are doing what we are doing (getting in what they can), and some aren’t doing any schoolwork at all whether by family choice or family circumstance. They’re all going to go back to school and be with each other, and just like before they will all be at different places educationally despite being in the same class. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913617 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 17:04:39 +0000 petitenoisette 2913617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If there’s a particular activity that’s not working for you guys (like a worksheet) I would just skip it. For your example, would she be more into writing outside with sidewalk chalk or even making letters shapes with found objects? Not to make your lives harder by having to find different ways to “teach” her but if you can get her more interested maybe she’ll soon be more open to other more “boring” activities. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913612 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 16:16:43 +0000 lindseykaye 2913612@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone!</p> <p>I just want to reinforce that her school and teachers have been AMAZING through this and are setting completely reasonable goals with every single 'assignment' or activity being optional. They really only ask that we check in once a day and we complete what we can depending on our kid, the day, our family situation, all of that. She is in a small K-2 classroom with 2 teachers, and they are very project-based and focus on individual learning needs and style. They are wonderful and we have followed their lead.</p> <p>We never push the assignments and we do ample breaks and allow her input as to what we work on and when. DH is there for support or lets her work independently if she's feeling up to it. But a single worksheet writing words that start with the letters in SPRING today took like four hours to do (this is obviously including the many breaks and they took and time for other activities). There was initial resistance right off the bat, frustration with trying to think of things, her getting mad at DH for sounding things out with her instead of just telling her how it's spelled, and then not liking how the eraser marks looked on the sheet. But it's done!</p> <p>Some days have been a breeze. Yesterday and today were not. She's always taken direction from other teachers so much better than from DH or myself, and peer motivation is big for her. Without either of those things I think it's just hard. We had some time today to just let her vent about the changes and how we're all trying and doing our best, but it's just going to be different for a little while and we need to try to all be helpful and kind. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913594 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 14:05:21 +0000 Kemma 2913594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just a thought but what a kid learns in a day at school they can learn in a much shorter period of time at home so don’t feel like you need to spend hours at it! Maybe set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon and call it good. </p> <p>And just as an example, my 7yo’s school runs from 9-3 but 1.25 hours of that is recess and lunchtime, there’s thirty minutes of sports each day, thirty minutes of sharing and reading time, probably another thirty minutes of transitioning between activities, roll call and listening to notices etc so active teaching time is probably much closer to three hours a day. And that three hours involves one teacher and 25 students.</p> <p>My experience with little kids also tell me that they really only concentrate for a max of thirty minutes so maybe try doing lots of small blocks of schoolwork rather than sitting for long periods of time? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913592 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 13:48:09 +0000 LemonJack 2913592@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would just focus on whatever you feel is most important and skip the rest. We’re fortunate that our kindergartener isn’t getting too much stuff, and new assignments aren’t given every day. Even with that, we’re told to only do what we can and not stress about it. Right now I focus on having her prioritize reading every day, both herself and with me. </p> <p>I’m a teacher too, so I’m trying to figure out that balance with my own students. I want it to be meaningful, not too time consuming, and I don’t want it to be boring. It’s hard to adjust everything from in person learning to online! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913590 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 13:15:56 +0000 ChitownRo 2913590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m literally not doing it for my kindergartner. I hope they don’t hold him back for lack of participation. He says it’s too boring - which it is. He already complained that school itself was boring (he’s at 2-3rd grade math and reading at home, so kinder curriculum isn’t cutting it). But now it’s just the boring part of school without the social/physical aspects </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913589 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 12:59:39 +0000 meganmp 2913589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a teacher and homeschooling is rough! The one thing that has been helpful for us is to set up classroom expectations. I had my kids come up with them- what do we expect from each other? They came up with doing their best, focusing on the task at hand, stuff like that. When they lose it, I refer to the chart that we all signed. </p> <p>I've also tried to look for the teaching point that is in the lessons. If the kids aren't doing the thing exactly as their teacher said but they are still able to achieve the point of the lesson, I call it good. It's so, so hard and I can commiserate with you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/at-home-schooling-struggles-vent#post-2913584 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 11:58:27 +0000 lindseykaye 2913584@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DUDE. At home schooling is not going well over here for my 7yo first grader.</p> <p>She struggles with motivation all. day. long. My DH is trying his best, but also seems to be struggling with making things more complicated than they have to be and giving her help/corrections which just end up deflating her confidence and are the opposite of motivation.</p> <p>I'm newly WFH and the energy it takes me not to intervene is staggering. </p> <p>The whole thing just sucks. That's all. </p>