There has been a lot of talk about girls doing better than boys at school and having two sons makes me mildly anxious about their performance during the school year. Is this the year when my two sons will lose their interest and their marks plummet? What explains why some children do well and others do not? Surely, having a male role-model to relate to cannot be the only major factor to a boy’s success at school, as some argue. And why – if girls do so well – are there always girls who are not top of their class? It seems to me that – no matter whether you live in the UK or in France – for a girl or boy to succeed at school, he or she needs to have guidance and support: motivation and inspiration are required.
The school plays its part in providing this but so must the parents. With this in mind, I strive to do as much as I can to encourage my children to get the best out of their new school year.
A Place To Study
I have spent some time finding just the right place for my children to study at home. I have avoided the dining table and kitchen table in preference to a desk away from the hustle and bustle of family life. That is to say not too cut off from the rest of the house because it would be too cold and unfriendly. However, the atmosphere needs to be business-like and serious. One of my sons preferred working on his bedroom floor until I realised that the lighting was not bright enough over his desk. Finally, he
really settled down to longer periods of study when I bought him a softer more comfortable chair.
New School Year, New Things
I always buy new equipment like pens and felt tips at the beginning of the school year to help illustrate the idea that it is a new beginning and that everything is possible. Ever since the children started primary school, I have made up an extra pencil case of more ‘grown-up’ type things like sticky tape, fluid corrector, stapler and good cutting scissors to reinforce the importance of presentation and that first appearances of a piece of work can make a difference.
Getthem Into A Routine
Allocating time for school work after the children come home, but before the evening sets in, and getting into a regular routine is important. The children and I agree on homework time during the first few days of term: it is ‘timetabled’ after a piece of cake and drink or after a certain television programme. Even if they
‘haven’t got any homework’ this time is our fixed moment for putting away the day’s books in order to prepare the next day’s books. Like that, there is no panicking first thing in the morning!
Be Available
This study time must, of course, be a time when a parent is available: it is not that I stand over my sons while they do their homework but that I am there if they need me and I certainly ask them to call me at the end. Finding time after a full day’s work is easier said than done, but given all the time I spent preparing their feeds and changing their nappies when they were babies, surely, I tell myself, I can find the time now when they probably need me as much. This is an important time for me to show interest and encouragement and to give advice and direction. I thought the computer would make me redundant, but of course many children in the same class have the same multimedia encyclopaedias whereas a parent can point out ways in which to make a piece of homework more original.
This is a time when I look at details too. Generally speaking, a child will only do as well in a test or in an exam as the notes that they have taken in class allow. Often the notes are too brief or there are spelling mistakes. I encourage my children to borrow someone else’s exercise book for an evening and together we look at ways in which we can improve the note-taking.
Catch Weak Spots Early
By checking their exercise books from time to time you can actually act before it is too late. I do not let my children’s marks
drop too low over a period of time before making an appointment to see the teacher. It is advisable not to allow a troublesome subject to get to that point when a child says ‘I’m hopeless’ at maths, physics or whatever.
The reason why some pupils struggle is that there are certain subjects (languages and maths for example) which are layers of knowledge built one on top of another over a number of years. This type of knowledge-building could be compared to how one forms a snowball. As you pat snow around the existing ball, it grows, but the snow will not hold together unless you pat firmly. Using this analogy, if a child did not learn the multiplication tables at primary school, he or she will probably have difficulties solving maths problems later. If an irregular verb in French was not learnt by heart last year, it is difficult to construct the sentence correctly this year. If parents catch the weak spot early enough and reinforce what the child learns in class, that point of no return may be avoided altogether. Even extra private lessons can only do so much if a child has not followed in class for months at a time.
A Constructive Attitude
Here a parent’s attitude is important. I never blame the school or the teacher because I am a teacher myself and I can see the benefits of a three-way partnership: the child, the teacher and the parent. When I have an appointment with a teacher, I explain to my children that I am going for
advice not to sort the teacher out or give them a piece of my mind. I would not want anyone aggressively telling me how to do my job.
Playtime
It is important here to get the balance right with school work: I do not want to stress my child into being too frightened about coming home with a low mark. This is where I think extra-curricular activities have their place. Whilst introducing new skills, they are a useful break from school: exposing the children to something different. There is a risk however that these groups can sometimes be competitive. They can be time consuming too. A ten-year-old still needs imaginative play. Even teenagers need time just relaxing in front of the television and sessions with friends fooling around with their computer games.
I do not consider myself to be the perfect role model to my children: that gives the smug impression that everything I do is the right thing. I am guided mostly by what other parents have told me about their experiences: friends who have the same objectives in mind. We are encouraging our children to fulfil their potential and, hopefully, to have a successful school year.
A local market – le vendeur de melons
A local market – le vendeur de saucisson
La conduite accompagnée
La kermesse
Lining up for class at the beginning of the school day
Children in class
Une danse de classe à la kermesse
The French art of foraging
Preparation for a local brocante
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Spa deVinothérapi Caudalie
Cognac Blues Passions
Vineyards
Children at a brocante