It's hard work this helicopter mum thing. Seriously, all this hovering is EXHAUSTING. Those of you with young children who are just in the "keep 'em safe, don't let 'em do anything dangerous" stage of helicopter mothering, let me tell you when you get to the final years of high school it takes on a whole new level of demanding! Last night was … [Read more...]
Technology in Schools – A Good Thing?
The letter came a couple of weeks ago. Princess Child is going to need an i-Pad for Year 7. That will be $498 for the actual piece of equipment, another $59 for the aps required, then so help me it's going to need some pretty hardy protective casing if it is going to survive life in the school bag. That thing gets thrown about, stood on, sat on and … [Read more...]
Who the Hell Am I?
My eldest daughter, the Hippie Child worries, she's 15 and doesn't know what she wants to do for a career. The pressure starts early now. My hollow reassurances that she will figure it eventually are of little comfort. The process of discovering yourself, creating a life, establishing a career is a never-ending cycle of success, failure, regret, … [Read more...]
A Letter to My Daughters About NAPLAN
Dear Girls, The Government decided that all students would be tested in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to monitor their levels of literacy and numeracy. In theory it seems a good idea. Parents get a sense of where their child sits in relation to other kids, schools can identify problems and so on. In practice, teachers teach to the test. Endless hours of … [Read more...]
Take The Kids To Work Day
Once upon a time my children and I lived a completely intertwined life. I worked from home and they saw first hand exactly what "mummy's job" involved. As they grew older and went off to school we still kept close, I was at the school doing maths groups and reading time. Our lives were glued together. Then they got older. I went back to a … [Read more...]
Homework an Exercise in Futility
How much homework goes on in your house? Are you a fan of the after-school revision, assignments and projects? Or do you resent the impact homework is having on your family life? At the risk of launching into a full-blown rant I have to state my view of homework, it is simply an exercise in futility. It's been ten years since we first experienced … [Read more...]
