Here are some thoughts about helping your child at school.  As a teacher and a Mum I see things from both sides.

School is a very demanding place. Every day  teachers ask you to do lots of work and some of it is VERY HARD and new and some of it is so tricky that it muddles you all up and makes you feel terrible because can’t always do it. It is also a very long day and you have to get up very early and get to school. Sometimes you  have not had enough sleep and to make matters worse you were having a lovely dream about salt and vinegar crisps and chocolate muffins. Then there is all that singing, and P.E. and making friends and coping when friends don’t ask you to play. Then there is writing stories about trips to the moon and you have not even been there. Maths lessons and you have to add and take away numbers in your head and sometimes counting forwards and backwards can make you feel a bit dizzy. And science when you have to be able to talk about why pushes and pulls are different and to you it is just obvious but it’s hard to explain why.  Then there’s art when you have to try to paint like the man who lived ages ago and he got so fed up of painting he cut his ear off just to do something different. Phew!… and then there’s homework.  You get home and all you feel like doing is putting your feet up and there’s 10 spellings to learn. It’s just not fair. Oh yes and there’s reading too and I have to walk the dog…

Children have so many challenges in the school day that when  they are picked up the worse question they have to face is, ‘What did you do today?’ Most will say ‘nothing’…well do we as grown ups like talking about our working day? Well we might if there is something to say that’s interesting but if there’s nothing then probably no. So don’t ask them they will tell you if there is something to say. Of course if you say, ‘Was everything OK at school today?’ And they say ‘yes’ you just carry on with what you are doing but if you ask that and they say, ‘No, I was attacked but a group of boys and they all had sticks’ …they instantly get your attention. So we have to be subtle and be there if they need us. I always find they hover about looking forlorn and that’s the sign they need to talk.

I never ask about homework. They should manage it by themselves and if they don’t do it the teacher will deal with it the next day. (If it becomes a big problem the school will let you know).  It can just lead to arguments and confrontations. They soon realise that you are leaving them to get on with whatever it is. If they ask for help that’s fine then find the time.

If they are too tired to read then read to them. Reading to children is very rewarding. Let them sit next to you and so they can follow the words or if they are too tired then just pop them into bed and read. These times are special and they don’t last long because very soon they become independent and want to read by themselves. They are not dependent on us for very long. Make the most of it!