Homeschooling adjustment

[ngchase]

Hi All,

My wife and I are considering homeschooling this fall for our son. He is currently in first grade at a local parish school and is doing very well there. With the pandemic he has been home with us and while it has been far from perfect we have enjoyed our time with him at home.

My question is on discipline and having the kids complete the work. He has struggled listening to my wife and has generally be more negative and frustrated. I think this is due to the lockdown and not being able to see friends, go to the park, go to soccer practice, etc.

We are looking for tips for getting him to do his work and be engaged. He is very bright and loves school. Do the children adapt to learning at home and does it just takes time?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Allegra]

Are these the assignments the teacher chose to put on the internet during a crisis, or assignments designed for your son with his level and interests in mind? I think if he has ownership of the assignments, he will automatically be more engaged, especially if he can see how the assignments relate to “real life”.

 

[catholiclala]

It’s a lot for him to adjust to at once. It’s hard for adults to be home, not see friends, and work during this time of crisis. Imagine for a kid. He’s probably frustrated and is struggling to adjust and misses his peers. Every parent I talk to now has the same issues and no easy solutions.

 

[blackforest]

When I started homeschooling, there was a “bumpy” period when my child was getting used to me in the role of teacher. Remember that right now, you’re doing school-at-home, not homeschooling. There’s actually a tremendous difference. I agree with @Allegra that it’s easier when the lessons are tailored to your own child, something you’ll be able to manage as a parent.

When restrictions are lifted and/or it suits your personal comfort level, find a local homeschool support group and get connected. (Many of them meet for park dates over the summer). This will give you access to knowledgeable parents and help your little guy make some friends.

Finally, you and your wife should figure out your own philosophies and styles before you choose your approach. What Kind of Homeschooler Are You? – Eclectic Homeschooling

Blessings!

 

[TheLittleLady]

What parents are doing now is to homeschooling as MREs are to family dinner.

This is a way to get through in a time of emergency/crisis.

He is in 1st grade. If you were homeschooling, you would have found a curriculum that works for your child. It might be sitting at a screen, or it might never use a screen but be very interactive between parent and child and everything in between.

I’m a very middle aged lady who was homeschooled before that was a term My parents choose The Calvert School and it gave me an excellent foundation and instilled a love of learning, a lifetime curiosity.

For High School, the curriculum was very different, it was all workbooks and I hated it. If the information was something I already knew (much of it I’d learned before or in my independent reading), I was not allowed to simply take the test. Working each page of the stupid workbook was part of my grade. That model made me hate most of high school learning (I did take some other courses, through the college, etc that kept me from total burn out!)

So, if you want a 1st grader engaged, sitting him at a table or screen is not likely to work for more than 6/7 minutes. The trick is to break it up into small bites, make it interesting, make it fun. And know, I have been an executive in a multi national corp and I’ve worked for mom and pops, now for the Church. Not one time have they asked what my grades were in first grade