Those leaves 🍁 are turning. Autumn is coming.

Well actually the last few nights it has felt like winter has already arrived. It’s been freezing. Heating and lights full on. Jumpers (sweaters) most definitely are out of storage. I’m not very organised but I do always remember where I put my million jumpers. Normally I have all of them on at the same time.

So school starts on Monday. Our Son will not be returning at that time. If and when he returns is a matter of much uncertainty.

“Dad have school decided what is happening on Monday then ?”

Not yet Hawklad.

“Has school sent you the new codes so that we can check the online pupil pages for each subject?”

Not yet. Until we get these then we are basically stuffed.

“So what will I be doing?”

Not sure as yet. I don’t have the school timetable. Don’t know what the subject teachers will be looking at.

“As I’m now in a new set we won’t even know any kids we can ask to see what they have been doing.”

No. So I can’t speak to any parents and see what they have been given.

“So basically Dad we will be winging the homeschooling thing.”

Yes definitely winging it.

“So a bit like your cooking then. Bit of a disaster…”

Yep, but at least it won’t be dull.

“If it’s bad then I’m going back to bed. Just to let you know.”

Don’t worry son, if it’s that bad I will be resorting to building lego sets…

***********

As it stands the plan is

  • Follow the school timetabled lessons for the day,
  • Email the individual teacher for a guide to what we should be doing….. not entirely hopeful about that. Failing that will see if any lesson notes have been loaded onto the pupil online pages ….. these are often blank or feature very brief notes loaded days after the lesson,
  • Look out for any homework tasks being posted. Submit these to the teacher somehow,
  • Try to find relevant videos online for him to watch. The BBC and other countries have some good resources,
  • Send copies of any work he does to the teacher …. somehow.

Yes winging it sums it up perfectly. I’m actually quite relaxed about the schooling side. The key is for our son to be in a good place. Assuming he is not at school for this half term, then it’s just about keeping him from falling too far behind the rest of the class. Certainly not looking for him to get gold stars. If keeping his hand in means he gets the school day done in an hour, then so be it. More time for him. More time for him to try and reconnect with his happy side.

The key thing is.

Yes we are doing school but it’s not the priority.

68 thoughts on “Turning”

  1. Personally I think you have the best attitude about this right now. Keep him up to speed but reduce the pressure. Make it fun where you can. Focus on what is important for him right now. Small steps working to feeling comfortable and reducing anxiety around the bugs and cleaning etc. Happiness and contentment is the way for him to learn and develop, the rest will come in time. X

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  2. What a beautiful photo. Only quiet spirits can notice the hidden beauty Nature keeps away from busy sight.

    I hope at least a few of your son’s teachers will willingly provide some help. Teacher websites, British homeschooling (?) blogs might be able to provide some support. You might need to support- shop at different places.
    It won’t be easy – but Gary, you’ve proven to be a very smart and resilient parent.
    That will take you both very far.

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  5. I think you have a great plan. I am still winging it. And when the tears start, we leave what we are doing even if he is “in” a class. It can wait. It doesn’t matter. I agree with you that school is not the priority.

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  10. Wow, photo envy here!😉
    School really isn’t a priority. Hawklad is brilliant and the stuff they were teaching him was pretty useless most of the time IMO. How many of us use even half of the stuff we learned in school?
    Winging it is the way to go. Birds “wing it” and soar!😉💌💌

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  11. I read this after reading your post “Lost Friends” as that is strangely how it came up in my feed. You shared a dream where your career path was influenced by the slip of a pen. I think you said Economics became Home Economics. It struck me because I feel like I am the worst teacher and yet I keep getting stuck in that role too. I recommend the educational version of a slow cooker whatever that might be.

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      1. Me too, lol. If I could only figure out what it is. I just read that surprisingly sloths are very good swimmers. So I think educational slow cooking involves lying on the beach watching Amazon prime movies while occasionally slowly rolling into the water for some sort of exercise.

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      3. That’s great if he can do that and in my opinion he should totally be accommodated that way. My kids being more severe need even shorter bursts. When COVID first started EJ had a lesson on flamingos and how the shrimp they ate that contained beta carotene turned them pink. He loved it and after that I decided we would work in a way that turned us pink, lol. Little shrimpy bits at a time. It’s so much pride and ego to keep forcing these kids to do what doesn’t work for them. Every once in awhile though there is a magical moment where something clicks and they hyper focus and I never interrupt that for a break.

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      7. It makes me go a little bit crazy in fact, lol. Something clicked for my oldest with Star Wars and he was literally completing workbooks on his own for fun that were Star Wars themed instead of just zoning out on his IPAD. He has very few verbal words and then out of nowhere I’d say something about Yoda and he’d be like “Mum! It’s Master Yoda!” Okay then! So of course the crazy part is I buy anything Star Wars I can find. Way overkill.

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      9. You are right :). Some of us who were raised religious still struggle giving ourselves permission to do so. Thanks.

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  14. I’m glad that your relaxed about it. Time to reconnect with his happy side is exactly what he needs right now. No rush. He will get there in good time with lots of love, prayers and a super dad. ☺

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  18. I don’t really like your schools lol… so I already have an attitude with them just from what they tell me

    But my daughters school sucked last year and this year they do soooo much better 👏👏👏

    Although they put focus and thought into it – which I don’t know if your schools do? We gonna find out huh? Seeing as they don’t want the homeschooling

    That’s ok… I think you got it, probably better than them… and your kid – he’s pretty smart already… got a good head on shoulders so you probably be fine.

    I wish you knew other parents though … then you have a group to work with or off of – even if just support and sharing what doing.

    They have to have some kind of home school groups somewhere around you?? I’m am curious cause I think that would be sooo beneficial!

    But whatever – ready teacher? 😘✌️

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      1. Is there any umm? Websites that local people post on? Maybe you could connect that way with other teenage parents ? A community section or something?

        I don’t know if you do Social Media – I do not… but sometimes they have local community groups? Like on Facebook – that’s how a lot of cancer people came into my life

        It does help if you can find it. In some cases social media can be helpful.

        I just personally don’t like social media – I stay away like the plague lol ✌️ it is too heavy for me for many reasons

        But could help you if you have that – possible good resource

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      3. Oohhh hang on – I have a link…

        I don’t know if these would help… and I don’t know what your specific area is… but down at the bottom under Yorkshire – there are some links that might help?? All these links are in alphabetical order according to town/area

        They seem to be yahoo groups and you have to subscribe and join the group or you can’t get in.

        Can’t hurt to email and ask to join or to point you in right direction? 🙏🙏

        Don’t know if you don’t ask lol 😘✌️ hope it helps some!!!

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