Perhaps it is because my daughter is preparing to move to high school next year (in Germany, you enter high school as of fifth grade), but school has been on my mind a lot lately. In fact, the more I talk with my friends who already have high school-age children, the more unsettled I become. They bemoan about how involved they have to be as parents for their children to survive the academically challenging subjects. According to one friend, even music class is cause for alarm. I've heard horror tales of failed Latin exams, late-night cram sessions, and missed dance practice because of school. It all seems a tad overwhelming.
So here's my approach. Sink or swim. We either swim along and do what's required, with a life vest (that's me), or we sink and move to the bottom of the ocean where the water's colder and the vision dark. I don't know about you, but I wasn't planning on majoring as a tutor for the next ten years so my children can make it through high school.
My mom proudly tells me she never once helped me with homework. I remember that every time I hover over my son's head as he battles tears and mathematics. Where is the joy in learning? It appears to have purchased a one-way bus ticket outta here.
The mixed message lies in the school's demand for a hands-off approach while calling us parents forth as to why we didn't intervene sooner when things go awry. It's an unsettling prospect to think my kids' workload will overshadow their childhood...
