Parent guides

Practical help for Australian parents, from someone who teaches.

Short guides on homework, reading, maths anxiety and the school years, written by a practising Australian teacher.

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PracticalHow to help with homework without doing it for themYou have felt the pull to just show them. Here is what to do instead, in the form of questions that actually work.5 min read WellbeingMaths anxiety is real, and it isn’t the same as being bad at mathsYou’ve watched a capable kid shut down the moment numbers appear. Here is what is actually going on, and what helps.6 min read CurriculumWhy fractions break so many confident Year 5 studentsYour child was fine at maths. Then fractions arrived. This is one of the most predictable wobbles in primary school, and there are good reasons for it.5 min read TransitionsWhy capable students dip in Year 7The Year 7 dip is so common it is almost scheduled. Understanding what actually changes makes it much easier to handle.5 min read SeniorChoosing senior subjects: what actually mattersThe advice at the school gate is mostly wrong. Here is what genuinely matters when your child picks Year 11 and 12 subjects.6 min read NAPLANWhat NAPLAN actually tells you, and what it doesn’tNAPLAN generates more anxiety than almost anything else in primary school. Most of it is misplaced. Not all of it.5 min read LiteracyWhat to do when your child hates readingReading is the thing every other subject is made of. Here is how to rebuild a reader who has decided books aren’t for them.5 min read PracticalWhat your child’s school report actually meansReports are written carefully, and not always plainly. Here is how to read one, and what to do about it.5 min read Study skillsWhy rereading notes doesn’t workIt’s the most popular study method in the country and one of the least effective. Here is what the evidence says to do instead.6 min read TransitionsStarting Year 7: the six months before high schoolYour Year 6 is about to become a Year 7. Here is what genuinely helps, and what is just anxiety with a worksheet.5 min read WellbeingExam stress: what helps and what makes it worseSome stress is useful. Some is destructive. Here is how to tell the difference, and what to do at home.5 min read PracticalShould your child do schoolwork in the holidays?The honest answer is mostly no. But there is a specific exception, and it matters.4 min read CurriculumTimes tables: why they still matterIt feels old fashioned in a world of calculators. It’s one of the highest leverage things your child will ever learn.5 min read

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