Sunday, April 19, 2020

I'm Done With Home-Schooling

This teacher is rubbish if you have a problem. 
Today, after the Pesach holiday, was the day I had to get back to my work, catch up with planning online lessons and grading incoming work. I have so much to do.

Home-schooling started up again today after the Pesach holidays. DD had to sign in at 09.00. The first two lessons were English and Maths. No problems there. Then came science.

It was a read, learn, quiz programme online. She figured out how to translate some to the information into English so we understood that the topic was mirrors, reflection, angles of reflection, etc... It's not rocket science, it's just 6th grade science and I understand all of it - in English.

The multiple choice questions were fine. If you get it wrong you just choose something else until the bell rings for a correct answer.

The questions that require a written answer were harder. First you have to understand the question. It all fell apart when I didn't understand one of the questions and DD couldn't explain it to me. The diagram looked fine to me but apparently there was something wrong with it and we had to correct it somehow, or choose another diagram - I couldn't see any other diagrams, or say what was wrong.

DD lost her temper with me and screamed at me that she's explaining but I'm not listening. I'm screaming back that I'm listening but not understanding. And shouting the same thing louder while waving her arms about at the computer isn't going to help me understand it any better. Eventually she clicked on enough points in the diagram to be rewarded with the bell.

I told her just to do what she can and don't worry about the rest. But she does worry because they have to send it in to be checked. I told her I couldn't help because she always ends up screaming at me. But then what am I going to do when she asks, "Mummy can you help me?" Of course I try to help and I end up being screamed at again.

There's approximately two minutes between the end of being screamed at and the next request for help. I cannot begin to concentrate on doing any of my own work. I feel a headache coming on and am close to tears. I feel emotionally battered.

Next question. It was a story about a village in Switzerland overshadowed by a mountain. We put the story through google translate and we had to write the solution. I told DD the solution in English. "OK, how do I write that in Hebrew?"
"I don't know, you can speak Hebrew."
I won't  repeat the whole exchange of words. I can't even call it a conversation as it quickly descended into me being screamed at - again.

I told her, again, that the only solution for us is to move to England for a few years so that I can help her with her school work. More screaming followed and now she's in her bedroom crying. I'm at the computer crying. And apparently there's History yet to do today.

DD asked me if she could not do sports. They are supposed to make a video of them doing some sort of exercise. At this moment I don't care. I'm going to watch some tv and eat, and eat some more probably.

I don't want to hear any more about home-schooling. I'm done with it.

2 comments:

  1. I can understand your statement about being done with homeschooling. However, I homeschool my granddaughters and have done so for 10 years already. It is a learning curve and will not be accomplished in the "short" time of this virus. Each day is different and some days are good and some days are not. Do the British thing and "Keep calm and carry one". You will get through this and, hopefully, you will never have to repeat the experience.
    Myra, from Winnipeg, Canada

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    1. They call this home schooling but it's actually distance learning. It's not the same thing. If I were really home schooling I'd understand what I was teaching. This is remote lessons in our second language (which we're not very good at). Usually at school DD can say if she doesn't understand or one of her friends will explain to her. This is school schooling at home. Anyway, there's a petition to stop it and make up six weeks of school during the summer instead. It only started today and so far it has over 17,000 signatures so I'm not the only one. For tomorrow another mother from her class has offered for DD to join them via skype or zoom while they do the lessons. She's thinking about it.

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