Un-homework And Other School Stuff

I’ve found myself worrying, the few times Kings stands in for me to do Rockstar’s school stuff. Part of it is because school/kids stuff makes Kings very tired in a way scanning a hairy derivative term sheet never did. And then there’s that other reason. For eg I’d fill the school uniform order form while I was still in hospital with baby, having taken into consideration new baby laundry tying up the washing machine (and dryer) and explaining this to Kings a few times, yet sure enough when he gets there the shop lady will say “you’re buying too many items” and Kings’ll be Hmm? Yes. Dis Is True. Too Many Items

<looks back at iPhone and carries on messaging>

<forgets to communicate we have a new baby and the washing/ironing will be piling up>

<buys whatever shop lady suggests>

And then the helper will fry Rockstar’s only PE shirt, necessitating another trip down to the uniform shop, and Kings’ll email me “Did I Only Get One PE Shirt?”

The way our family functions is characteristic of Did I Only Get One PE Shirt?

Conquering Hero Rockstar coming home in his PE kit (I worry my eldest is a nerd, without enough “practice” in physical activity because all my friends sent their kids to various sports camps and I somehow didn’t get round to it because of Putonghua camp – so when our helper meets Rockstar at the bus stop each day she brings his blades/ skateboard/ bicycle. Rockstar started cycling early – like, 2.5 yrs old on a BMX that was actually too big for him, and I still feel bad I didn’t get on Kings’ back harder to pack the bike in the boot when we took JD for walks and as a result, Rockstar’s still using training wheels 2 years later)

So anyway. Meet The Teacher’s, where parents sit in their kids’ classroom for a preso on housekeeping and how to support their child’s learning. Whilst I very much appreciate the cavalry driving all the way across HK in between client meetings to make Meet The Teacher when construction works turns my baby into a screeching gremlin I wouldn’t knowingly inflict on any of my well-meaning unsuspecting babysitting friends, I am still a bit apprehensive of missed information.

(There are things my other half is extremely good at. Many of them involve math or complicated derivatives. Maybe even brokering finance-related deals. Keeping track of schoolwork and whether Rockstar eats hard-boiled eggs…….. N-ot so much.)

Still, he tries. This time I get an email with typed up (brief) notes… AND a rather endearing I Did It – This What It’s About! phone call – which is quickly upstaged by a narration of unexpected pouring rain, another parent having an asthma attack, and the police telling all the parents who drove to Get Their Vehicles The Hell Out Of The Way.

Hadn’t realized it was pouring 😀 The parking thing… not too surprising. I always have this idea parents in Hk would much rather chalk up umpteen parking offenses than – God forbid – ever be late for their kids’ school thing. (Sure enough, Kings starts his phone call with a triumphant “I wasn’t late!”)

Among Kings’ notes is a reminder to read to Rockstar/ have him read aloud 10-20 mins every day. We are barely keeping up with that, Rockstar reads whatever, whenever, and I don’t consider bedtime reading as really counting because by then he falls asleep halfway. Note to self: better check if he’s getting enough reading in.

Rockstar’s also been having a one-pager weekly summary of alphabet writing to revise, plus phonics (Rockstar’s favorite subject – besides Break and Music). And there are umpteen games on the school’s Virtual Learning Environment that Rockstar still hasn’t finished exploring.

I mention because I keep meeting parents (both somewhere within the ESF umbrella and outside it) who will say kids don’t get enough (sometimes “any”) homework, etc… And I’m kind of “um.. what?” Maybe they all mean the usual textbook exercises of yore that get graded and sent back… Because to date we certainly haven’t managed to make it through exploring the entire Virtual Learning Environment of English and Math games for brushing up skills (and I think I saw Putonghua in there too)… Plus we are supposed to assist in reading at home 3 times a week, according to Kings’ notes, and then of course the aforementioned daily 10-20 mins reading…

One of my favorite pics – I call this “We Shall Find A Way To Walk The Dog At Least 3km Every Saturday On Top Of Her Twice Daily Waterfront Park Walks So Help Us God.” This is a pic of Rockstar on my laptop logged on to his school’s VLE practicing some numbers addition game while Kings is already zoned out on his own laptop. Younger male insisted on being “Just Like Daddy On His Laptop” instead of say, walking the dog with me (I rest my case about the nerd-quotient of the two males in our household – just wait til Ms Rockstar starts martial arts!) O-kay, Daddy does his work, Rockstar shall do the school VLE games.)

Just behind Rockstar, Ms Rockstar is asleep across Kings’ lap (no, it really wasn’t easy – note the half-finished bottle of breast milk next to Kings’ screen) and the whole circus is camped out in a crowded Delifrance cafe, much to the amusement of the Delifrance crew.

Where’s the phantom dog of the afore-titled pic? She is on sit/stay about 5 feet away at the entrance, waiting impatiently for me to bring her on the hiking trail in the boiling sun, after settling everyone else. At one point I left her to get some stuff at Park n Shop and when I got back she’d disappeared – patrons seated outdoors would point to where she had decided to wait outside Starbucks next door instead. Can’t imagine why, bigger door entrance, more escaping aircon?

Ps: I do wonder quite a bit at the seemingly “general small talk consensus,” of other mums who will often say things like “ESF is quite laid back” etc… Compared to the very traditional local schools, or…..? Cos I never found them that laid back if you really follow all the parent involvement suggestions to help your child’s learning (or is it because that is outsourced to helpers where you then have “elephant-spread” i.e. super wide range and quality of involvement)… Unless you tell me Rockstar is actually “behind” or something, because it’s not like he gets outside tuition, which btw I’ve also had other mums tell me I need to supplement Rockstar’s learning with… (I mention cos the mum comments do affect my confidence levels in my own parenting though I try not to let them <sheepish>)

Besides, according to TopschoolsHK on 11 July 2012 ESF IB diploma 2012 candidates had a 96.8% pass-rate – higher than the 95% of a certain international school who is known for giving very heavy homework workload (yes, by same “general small talk consensus” ). So I just wonder where these “general small talk consensus” comments like “laid-back” and “not enough homework” and “lots of homework” come from. Also, it would imply how different “reality” can be, compared to what you might pick up from said small talk…..!