Five agents share their homeschooling hacks and hilarity

AGENCY: Blue Bay Travel, Stoke-on-Trent

MUM TO: Jaxon (5)

Although Jodie has worked in travel for 20 years, joining Blue Bay Travel as a personal travel advisor just two months ago means she’s now juggling learning new bookings systems and company practices with homeschooling her five-year-old, Jaxon. The duo approach homework sheets in short bursts – a little in the morning, a little self-study while Jodie answers customer calls, a little more after Jaxon has had his tea, and also a little at the weekends.

“Schools send you timetables, which is great if you’re not working, but if you are it’s almost impossible to follow,” she says. “So we do the homework as and when we can, and try not to get stressed.”

Jodie also finds that having Jaxon around is a good talking point when liaising with customers, although it hasn’t stopped her from looking forward to 8 March, when schools are expected to reopen. “I’ve got my fingers crossed on that one!” she laughs.

FUN FACT

On a couple of occasions after noticing the house was unusually quiet, Jodie discovered Jaxon had been amusing himself by emptying all the kitchen cupboards and filling the toilet to the brim with all the toilet tissue within reach.

TOP TIP

Structure the learning in short bursts to suit the child’s attention span and reward them with snacks or playtime in between. “I have a table full of snacks such as grapes beside me and take Jaxon out on his scooter at the weekend as a treat,” she says.

AGENCY: Butterfly Travel, Nailsea

MUM TO: Jasmine (16) and Jake (13)

After spending all three coronavirus lockdowns homeschooling her two children, Felicity has found a healthy balance between supporting her dyslexic son, Jake, in some of the subjects he finds trickier with her role as travel agency director. Working in her home office with her every day where she can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t get distracted on his phone, Jake does a mixture of self-learning and online lessons. Meanwhile, Jasmine studies self-sufficiently, allowing Felicity to keep up with holiday amendments and January bookings, which she says are ramping up. “I’m not a teacher and I never will be, and we’re still trying to run our businesses as well, so there have been lots of tears between us – we just have to do the best that we can and muddle on,” she says.

FUN FACT

To motivate a reluctant Jake to study Shakepeare’s Othello, Felicity upped her powers of persuasion using the promise of a Domino’s pizza for lunch.

TOP TIP

Add a social element to schoolwork by encouraging children to team up with a friend and classmate on a video call, so they can help one another with their studies.

AGENCY: Iglu Cruise

MUM TO: Annabel (11), Poppy (9) and Teddy (6)

Based in Liverpool with a job as a travel agent, a husband in the army who is away most months of the year, and three children under the age of 12, Jennifer has her work cut out for her in normal circumstances. This means that finding the time to fit in homeschooling around her job has been a real challenge, but Jennifer’s 9am-2pm and 2-8pm shifts at Iglu Cruise have allowed her to take on teaching either in the mornings or the afternoons.

“I love my job so much that I treat it like a break from everything,” says Jennifer. “I think teachers deserve a medal!”

Annabel, her older daughter, is autistic so requires the most help with studying and Teddy needs some support too, while Poppy is mostly self-sufficient. In order to keep the kids motivated, Jennifer rations Wi-Fi access and rewards them after study with time on computer consoles, watching TV, ordering a takeaway, reading magazines or going out for a walk and some fresh air. Meanwhile, Jennifer motivates herself with the thought that there’s light at the end of the tunnel and she’s not the only travel agent mum struggling through homeschooling. “We’re all in it together,” she says.

FUN FACT

As well as homeschooling her three children and working as a travel agent, Jennifer is also learning Spanish, which means she’ll be able to further help Annabel learn the language for school.

TOP TIP

Make use of online learning apps and websites such as BBC Bitesize and seek out Facebook groups offering free resources.

AGENCY: World Explorer Holidays, Cardiff

MUM TO: Evan (13)

After realising that juggling two jobs with homeschooling Evan wasn’t viable – Evan has cerebral palsy so also needs help with his mobility – travel agent and insurance product manager Paula decided to enrol her son in an online school. This meant he could achieve consistency in his study schedule and have face-to-face time with his teachers.

“He was lacking direction, and I was having to sit with him in lesson time, so we enrolled him in a private online school last March,” explains Paula, who says additional benefits include that the lessons are recorded so students can recap, and classes are split into groups for activities.

Paula also believes this approach to homeschooling will benefit her in her travel career once Covid-19 travel restrictions are lifted.

“Children can do the classes from anywhere, so you can take them abroad and be in a destination with them that you want to advertise, or make some videos and promote resorts to customers,” she says.

FUN FACT

After the Hansen family dog made an appearance in Evan’s virtual classroom, the teachers decided to implement a “pets day” for all furry friends to join in the fun.

TOP TIP

Set up a dedicated work area in a spare room if you have it. Add a noticeboard with a timetable, a radio, a clock etc. “You can’t expect kids to do their lessons in a good way if you’re not giving them things you would expect in your work environment,” says Paula.