Resources

Practical help for Australian parents, from someone who teaches.

No jargon and nothing to sign up for. Written by a practising Australian teacher about the things that actually come up at home, from maths anxiety to choosing senior subjects.

Practical

How to help with homework without doing it for them

You 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
Wellbeing

Maths anxiety is real, and it is not the same as being bad at maths

You have watched a capable kid shut down the moment numbers appear. Here is what is actually going on, and what helps.

6 min read
Curriculum

Why fractions break so many confident Year 5 students

Your 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
Transitions

Why capable students dip in Year 7

The Year 7 dip is so common it is almost scheduled. Understanding what actually changes makes it much easier to handle.

5 min read
Senior

Choosing senior subjects: what actually matters

The 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
NAPLAN

What NAPLAN actually tells you, and what it does not

NAPLAN generates more anxiety than almost anything else in primary school. Most of it is misplaced. Not all of it.

5 min read
Literacy

What to do when your child hates reading

Reading is the thing every other subject is made of. Here is how to rebuild a reader who has decided books are not for them.

5 min read
Practical

What your child’s school report actually means

Reports are written carefully, and not always plainly. Here is how to read one, and what to do about it.

5 min read
Study skills

Why rereading notes doesn’t work

It is 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
Transitions

Starting Year 7: the six months before high school

Your 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
Wellbeing

Exam stress: what helps and what makes it worse

Some stress is useful. Some is destructive. Here is how to tell the difference, and what to do at home.

5 min read
Practical

Should 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
Curriculum

Times tables: why they still matter

It feels old fashioned in a world of calculators. It is one of the highest leverage things your child will ever learn.

5 min read
Why we write these. SubjectMate is built by a practising Australian teacher, and these articles are the advice that comes up most often with parents. They are free, they are not gated, and you do not need SubjectMate to use any of it.