A short rant about remote learning 2.0

Sooo here we go again. Remote learning 2.0, aka home schooling, as I’m (not affectionately) calling it.

If you’ve got primary school age children like me and live in a part of the country where coronavirus cases are once again rising the chances are you’ve suddenly been promoted to school teacher – and classroom assistant and playground monitor and dinner lady – again.

Where we are (East Sussex) primary schools have closed although nurseries remain open (for now), and the situation is due to be reviewed in two weeks.

We got a ping delivering the happy news less than 48 hours before our older two were due to return to school after the Christmas break, and like many working families life has once again been thrown up in the air.

Of course, we’ve all got to do what we’ve got to do to keep everyone safe and stop the spread of coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.

As a mum of four with a baby, a pre schooler and two older ones the task ahead feels overwhelming because it’s simply not possible for one person to do the job of two teachers while looking after a baby, producing all the meals and trying to keep some semblance of order at the same time. I know because I failed spectacularly at it last time.

Another thing that irks me is the assumption that we can suddenly drop everything to home school our children with less than 48 hours notice, and not only that but we have the spare equipment needed to access the remote learning.

I know that in the grand scheme of things we’re personally very lucky – we both work from home, we don’t have bosses to plead with for flexibility and we do have more than one computer. I also know it’s not about me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be cross.

So, for those of you in the same boat who will be wearing multiple hats for the next few weeks, or worse, and are also feeling cross and overwhelmed, my advice is this:

Do your best without losing the plot or don’t do your best and don’t beat yourself up about it
Mute unhelpful group chats and social media or don’t mute unhelpful group chats and social media if that helps
Breathe and breathe some more
Eat all the chocolate then eat even more chocolate
Remember we’re very lucky, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now

Because whatever happens it can’t be as bad as last time, which for me meant home schooling two while entertaining the three year old and looking after a newborn while recovering from child birth and surviving on minimal sleep. Can it?