I made a promise to myself in high school: do well in the HSC and you never have to study again. I buckled down and spent months memorising modern history facts and opinions, ancient history facts and opinions, art history facts and opinions, literary facts and opinions … I ditched science a few years earlier and had enough units not count maths, thank god, despite all the money my parents threw at coaching. I was true to my word. I did well in the HSC and I never studied again (apart from some ill-fated attempts to learn French and Spanish, and an occasional “avoiding litigation” multiple-choice refresher test at work). I didn’t even go to university, something that never fails to create a stir when I announce it … So I am mighty pissed to find myself doing homework again, this time with my children. I am not a patient person, an eight-year-old failing to know the answer to 2 x 1, or a six-year-old not being able to read “ship” sets me off. I know, getting cross isn’t the way to handle it, it just makes their little minds freeze in terror, but come on. I worry my lack of enthusiasm for homework is partially to blame for the Sprogs’ less-than-stellar achievements. Sprog 2 is supposed to read to me every night and I’m supposed to drill her on her sight words every morning, but it’s so tedious and ire-inducing. It kind of fell by the wayside on the cruise. We were too busy watching ventriloquists performing until 10pm to read. So Sprog 2 is back to square one, which is bottom of the class. The Sprogs aren’t dumb, they’re pretty smart (at the very least, Sprog 2 is rat cunning). But they don’t seem poised to climb any great scholarly heights. And I’d be ok with that if it wasn’t for the oppressive guilt that it’s my fault because I don’t embrace homework like it’s a bowl of sticky date pudding with caramel sauce. I’ll have to face my failings when Sprog 1 does her NAPLANs in a few weeks time. Husband went back to work yesterday, offering tips over his shoulder about helping Sprog 1 study as he sprinted to the bus stop. He’d like Sprog 1 to do well in the NAPLANs, he thinks she can, but he thinks she’ll be too scared to work out the answers and will resort to guessing instead. So I’ll be spending my afternoons helping her, in my gentle and encouraging way … How could I have been so naive, thinking I’d never have to study again? And it’s only going to get more intense, as the Sprogs chug through primary school. Was it like this when I was in primary school? I remember a bit of Dr Seuss reading at the kitchen table, but not the maths, spelling and assignments constantly bombarding me now. Apparently year 5 is even worse – a couple of hours work every weekend. What’s that all about?
ANY TIPS ON MAKING THE HOMEWORK PROCESS LESS PAINFUL?
housegoeshome 
I can’t begin to tell you how much I hate homework. I had a big rant about it on my blog a little while ago. There are studies to show it is of no benefit at all in Primary school or early high school and very limited benefit in the later years of high school.
Re NAPLAN it is one exam on one day. It can be impacted by so many things – they had a headache, they were stressed whatever. The sad thing is the kids do compare notes when the results come in and even though I didn’t care about the darn thing it turns out my kid did! She wanted to do well and was disappointed when she didn’t. But we have survived.
I could go on here for ages – it’s socially unjust, here we are fighting with our children to get the bloody stuff done – what about the kids who don’t have parents who give a damn? They are behind the eightball every day before they even walk into the classroom.
I also feel it is impacting on their childhood – like you I don’t remember homework like this as a child – the occasional project which you basically copied from the World Book encyclopedia and you were done. My kids have decreased their extra curricula activites to cope with the demands of homework (our highschool loads the homework on from day 1 of year 7 – my youngest who will be there next year is already stressing about it).
And I’m really sick of all the “you’ve got to be ready for highschool” nonsense that is piled on them in Year 6 when they increase the homework considerably. It’s making an anxious child even more frightened and taking all the fun out of being the big kids in primary.
At one point with my eldest who was uptight about year 7 exams I basically said “sweetheart when you 20 you won’t even remember what you got in this test – just give it your best shot – but in the long run it doesn’t matter”. Because of the pressure the school puts on them I’m finding myself in the position of going against the school in a bid to calm my children down – they seem to be under tremendous pressure.
Sorry for lengthy whinge. You’ve hit a nerve!
Oooh, I remember that blog. Loved it. You should have put a link to it on your comment. Will try and do it.
Outsource to a tutor.
I’ve been considering that … might even be more desirable than a cleaner …
Number one: Naplan is not about how smart your child is. It is about how well the schools are doing at teaching your child.
Number two: I think kids learn to read at their own pace and no amount of us stressing is going to change that. My kids have both been slow to read, but Hope, 12 is now a voracious reader, chewing through a couple of books a week.
Number three: How many people actually remember doing homework in primary school? I sure as hell can’t, and I can read and add up!
Wise words Sam, they make me think about the NAPLANS in a totally new way. THX
Homework is a pain, Patrick actually says that he likes school, just hates homework. We make mornings homework time so the afternoons and evenings aren’t consumed by it. We get up pretty early so it works for us.
Leo does his Grade 3 Naplan as well this month. Your friend Sam is right, it’s about how well the school is performing. No-one but you (and the teachers) will see your child’s results. I just tell them to relax, read the questions and do their best.
Funny how we’ve ended up with kids the same age. If I’d started earlier I might’ve had another. I’m hoping once Sprog 1 beds down basic concepts like how to tell the time and the months of the year she’ll be more self-sufficient, I’ll just have to nag. And reading will click with Sprog 2 soon … I hope …
I agree with Sam, the Naplan is about the school’s teaching and the cirriculum, what they really want to do is track schools progress. But, also, over time kids trending away from learning ie when they turn 15, which kids, where they go to school and social factors.
My Homework Tips: I try to see it not an outcome that MUST be achieved.
But something that is preferable. It’s for kids to learn responsible working practices, planning, time management and for my little monsters, conforming to rules.
I try to leave it up to them mostly. With daily requests for updates on progress or reminders for the non-conformist ones.
Often I ask them to go through and do the questions they understand and come and see me after. Or start with easy ones first such as spelling. That way it’s less daunting.
We definitely go through phases of total disdain/battle of wills to get any work/readers done.