Our kids experience so much stress with school these days, mostly because of the number of work that needs to be done in just a few hours. For instance, students in Indian international schools in Singapore like the Global Indian International School are required to take a secondary education certification exam which will help them get accepted to any university around the world.
If that sounds like a doozy, just imagine doing it. The pressure of passing the exams on top of being able to make the project deadlines is not exactly ideal.
As much as you want to help them, you are also busy with your own work. By the time you get home, they would be too tired to get their schoolwork checked, and you would be exhausted to look at it. The good news is, there are ways to manage the demands of your work as well as help your kids with theirs.
Find a tutor
One of the first things you can do is find a tutor for your kids who can help them during the weekdays. Make sure this tutor constantly updates you with their performance, immediately alerting you when there are problem areas that need your attention.
Check their homework during dinner
Yes, some of us have rules for bringing work on the dining table. But if you want to be on top of their schoolwork, you will have to make certain exceptions. In this instance, you might consider checking their work while you are having your dinner. In this way, you are still able to help them personally.
Schedule weekend studying
This might be met with whining and groaning, it is the weekend anyways. But explain to them how important it is that you know how they are progressing in school. And since you are not completely available during the weekdays, you can help them study in advance during the weekend. Keep it to a maximum of two hours though, they still have to make the best out of their weekend break.
Prepare everything the night before
It is important to emphasize that for this work, both parents must help each other prepare school lunches, clothes, and everything else together. One of you can go out and buy the groceries while the other one cooks them. You can also both talk about which kid to focus on the morning so that no one is frazzled the next day.
Create a family calendar
So that you know if there are exams coming up, you can create a family calendar where your kids can put their exam and project dates there. Tell them to mark which work needs to be prioritised so that you can advise them while they are doing it. This family calendar can also be used for scheduling bills, events, and other important affairs.
This going to take some getting used to. But if you include this into your daily routine, checking up on their homework plus preparing reports for yours is not going to be too much of a problem. �
