Families adjust to home schooling again
Families across the country have been readjusting to home schooling their children again after England entered lockdown in the new year.
Such families include Teresa and Lee Stokes, who live in Essington, Wolverhampton, and are both working full-time alongside home schooling their two youngest children, Nellie, eight, and Alfie, 12.
Lee works for the Ministry of Justice and works in a downstairs office space and had done before Covid-19, while Teresa is a school nurse with Wolverhampton NHS and shares the living room with the two children.
Teresa said: “We decided not to take our key worker places for them at school, because there are others who really need it with parents who have to go out to work.
“I am normally the first port of call for them if they have any questions, then it is Lee. Sometimes it can be hard for me to focus on my own work.
“I have created home schooling packs and put a timetable in place with instructions on what to do at lunch and break times, which they have together. It gives them some structure.
“They also have a reward chart where they can earn stars for screen time, otherwise they would be on their screens all day for school and then all evening too.
“As I still have to work, they do have to be fairly independent and I do think that it is a good thing they are learning mum isn’t always here to help them.”
The family have tried to make their home school experience as similar to school as possible. They still walk Nellie downstairs to get her coat and kiss her goodbye when she goes ‘to school’ - and they have even created a separate girls, boys and staff toilet.
They have encountered some problems along the way. Lee added: “How they are both taught now is different to how we were taught and we don’t always know the way they are meant to do something.
“The other day, Nellie was really upset because she was struggling with a maths problem, Teresa and I both couldn’t work it out, but then Alfie came in and saved the day. He’s a maths wizard.”
Both children are adapting to the positives and negatives of home schooling. Alfie, who attends Cheslyn Hay High School, said: “Sometimes setting up for the live meetings can be tricky, but I get to finish earlier and make my own food.
“I miss being able to do science experiments, and I would prefer to be in school so that I can get a teacher to show me how to do things and see me.”
Nellie, who attends St John’s Primary School in Essington, added: “I miss school, seeing my teachers and friends, but being at home means I can have cuddles with my dog Dottie and I don’t have to get up as early which is nice.”
Teresa added that fellow parents and teachers have been very supportive as they all cope with the challenges.
She said: “We’re in a Whatsapp group with other parents too, so we have a really supportive network.
“Both schools have been really good as well.
“Teachers jobs have changed so much so quickly and it is a real learning curve for everyone.
“Of course, there are some bits that still need to be tweaked and aren’t perfect, but they have been great.”
