Page 22 - Jigsaw March 2021

Homeschooling ..................................................................................
Six year old Jemima and her Mum talk about homeschooling...
My husband works full-time and I work 20 hours per week. We have daughters aged 6 and 2. I had a chat with Jemima, who is in Year 2, to find out what she thinks about home schooling. I’ll send this to her teacher (hi Mr N) as a piece of ‘work’. Got to get those easy wins.
So Jemima, what did you think when you heard you wouldn’t go back to school after Christmas? “It felt quite nice. I thought YES I won’t have to miss my Mum and Dad. Because when you go to school again for the first time in a little while it doesn’t feel comfortable and it feels a bit weird.”
For us it was despair, then ‘WE’VE GOT THIS!’ then despair again. It’s been that cycle on repeat since.
Do you want to keep doing school at home? “A bit no, a bit yes. I like all the hot dinners that school make, they are really good and I like seeing my friends and actually doing work there, not at home. I want to stay at home so I’m not missing you and Dad and Emmy and Lily [our dog]. Because I have lots of people in my family (I mean my house family) it means I have lots of people to miss. That’s my opinion.”
Jemima has trouble with her hearing and finds it easier to concentrate online than in
a noisy classroom, so that part has been great. It’s been a daily battle to get her to
do anything outside of the online lessons though.
What’s been different from the last time school was shut? “I only did a little bit of work last time school was shut. Now we’re having TCs [she means teleconferences – been listening to Dad] it’s good. I have to get up and rush to get to the computer in time, that part’s annoying. The other part’s fun. I like answering questions. Especially with my new pens.”
2-year-old Emmy goes to the childminder four mornings a week (hi Hannah). If she didn’t go I don’t know how we would manage. Thrapston Primary School has been fantastic. The 1.5 hour online lesson
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is the only time during the day I can totally concentrate on work.
How do you think it’s been for Mum and Dad, working and helping you with school? “I think you find lockdown a little tricky because you have to take care of me and Emmy and it’s difficult.”
AGREED.
What’s been the best part of lockdown?
“My favourite part of lockdown was the snow. It was so fun because then I was going sledging and building snowmen and having snowball fights.”
It’s been lovely having more time with the girls, especially for my husband.
What’s been the worst part of lockdown? “I miss Phoebe! Stupid virus. I miss my family. It will be different but nice when I actually see them. Also sometimes people threw snowballs at me and it hurt a little bit.”
Both our employers have been very flexible but juggling the demands of work and home has still been difficult. There’s no line between work and home anymore. We’ll all benefit from having a bit more structure when school starts again. Whenever that might be.