DON’T NAG, ENCOURAGE

High school means more homework, but …

HOMEWORK will increase dramatically in high school but experts have warned parents not to ask nagging questions about it when their child first enters Year 7.

Instead, they should focus on helping their child with “soft” skills like organisation and dealing with the different personalities of teachers in a bid to bolster their child’s relationship with them to ensure academic success.

Australian Tutoring Association chief Mohan Dhall said students faced having to adjust to having numerous teachers and being surrounded by more students.

“Parents probably need to back off on dumb things like ‘have you done your homework’ to helping them understand patterns in timetabling and how to get a handle on the different approaches different teachers take and managing friendships,” he said.

Many schools will have a Year 7 camp early in a bid to forge strong friendships and foster wellbeing among students and Mr Dhall said par“Students ents should monitor who their kid befriended by inviting them over to the house to socialise.

“If a child doesn’t have good character, is a bully or has inappropriate behaviour, it is appropriate for a parent to say ‘I don’t like this guy’,” he said.

He said children would most likely come to a similar conclusion once a parent had highlighted it.

Meanwhile, the academic side of things radically steps up a gear, with University of Sydney Shakespeare expert Prof Liam Semler advising parents to encourage students to read the online synopsis and to not be afraid of not immediately grasping the tricky Elizabethan language.

will find their way to Sparknotes whatever you do because they will be looking for simple summaries of the play,” he said.

“Although academics might complain that it is dumbing it down because it gives you the original and a modern translation on the other side of the screen. We have to be fair and say it does actually help to start to find their way.”

He said similarly they could watch the movie version because the language was so archaic and they will need help getting their bearings.

Australian Catholic University’s Dr Michael Chambers said in the day before school started, it was best to try and familiarise a child with the basics like where the canteen was and getting assigned a locker.

“A really good idea is to go over those communications from the school so that they’re clear about what to expect. You don’t want them going to the first day without a clue,” he said. Parents should ultimately stay involved in the life of the school by reading school newsletters and keeping abreast of what was going on.

IF A CHILD DOESN’T HAVE GOOD CHARACTER, IS A BULLY OR HAS INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR, IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR A PARENT TO SAY ‘I DON’T LIKE THIS GUY’. AUSTRALIAN TUTORING ASSOCIATION CHIEF MOHAN DHALL