“These kids are driving me mad…” said every mum in the UK, at some point in the last couple of weeks…swiftly followed by ‘Yes of course I understand calculus’ and ‘Joe’s on!’
We have found ourselves in the position of being mum, chef, cleaner, referee and now teacher over the last few weeks. Something we were most definitely not prepared for.
Here’s a guest blog from mum Vanessa, who runs Cirque Skills Pathway in Doncaster. Cirque are an alternative education provider, who offer a more interactive style of learning. She’s here to tell us about the free online courses that are available for parents to help us a little in our home schooling journey!
After two weeks at home, it seemed that all that my kids did was bicker and argue, with me in the middle frantically trying to set some sort of a new routine of home schooling, working from home and everything else! The kids had endless energy, despite struggling to sleep at night, whereas I could sleep standing up at literally any time and have absolutely no energy. You can guess who was winning in our daily battles.
Sound familiar?
I had an ‘enough is enough’ moment recently…before the Easter break I was struggling to keep up with a year 3, 4 and 6 curriculum at the same time. Not that I’m expected to fully ‘keep up’, but the online work set by my boys teachers is proving a challenge in terms of getting the kids motivated and it is entirely different from the less mainstream subjects that we provide at Cirque. They were happy to engage in an odd blast at times tables rock stars, but I couldn’t enthuse them in anything else.
I found out that I was eligible for some free online courses funded by the local authority to help combat stress as a parent and improve home life by putting some basic teaching in place at home.
The Introduction to Teaching course is all about helping kids at home, understanding what teachers do, and creating home-based learning with simple items from around the house. I started with an easy one. I completed a micro-teach on making Easter cards, which really improved my confidence, and made a whole lesson for the boys to enjoy, with me in control! I’ve found they are energised, focused and burning more energy throughout the day, so sleeping a bit better and I am now totally prepared for the next few weeks ahead!
It has helped me hugely in my approach, meaning that our days have been more organised and less stressful. We have obviously enjoyed the Easter break, but my approach to crafts, or setting things like lego challenges has been different. I am ready for the next few weeks of home schooling, my own work and whatever else is thrown at me, on my terms. It has given me a mental boost too as I’ve done something for me. “
To take part in a FREE online course to help you understand the role of a teacher and really simple steps to help you at home, contact us at Cirque to see if you are eligible.
Contact hello@cirque.org.uk or Tel 07949 801034
Online courses are funded via Cirque, through Doncaster Council.
Visit Cirque Website
