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How taking breaks boosts creativity and persistency at school
As summer break rolls around, many parents find themselves torn between letting their kids unwind and wanting them to stay academically sharp. In a world where productivity is often glorified, it’s easy to think that filling the summer with tutoring, camps, and enrichment programs is the best way to help students get ahead. But what if the real secret to their growth lies in taking a true break? Research and real-world classroom observations increasingly show that downtime, especially over summer, […]
From Distraction to Distinction: Pros and Cons of Digital Learning for Teenagers
Pros and Cons of Digital Learning for Teenagers: I remember a lot of things about being in primary school but one of my fondest memories from the time is the smell of fresh books. I remember the excitement I would get when we’d have to change textbooks once we moved to a higher level and the sheer joy I’d feel when I saw and touched the books. This continued for years and it was one of the most exciting things […]
The Productivity Revolution: How to Study Smart for GCSE and A-level
How to Study Smart for GCSE and A-level: Having two teenagers who are both in the final year of GCSE and A-level respectively, means the notion of “hard work vs smart work” is a constant topic of conversation in my household… If you ask anyone which is better: smart work or hard work, the answer is a no-brainer, as the Americans say! My son and I have completely different points of view about the importance of hard work. When he […]
The Intentional Parent: How to Advocate for Your Child’s Education
How to Advocate for Your Child’s Education: I’m using the word “tribe” here as I struggle to come up with a better word, despite the risk of this word being open to all sorts of interpretations. In my three or so decades as a teacher in the English secondary education system, for half of which my role also includes being a parent, I’ve never met a single parent who does not care about their child. Every parent cares about their […]
Leveling the Playing Field: Personalized Learning Strategies for Teenagers
Personalized Learning Strategies for Teenagers: Following up from my last blogpost…. The notion of fingers not being equal should not be interpreted as some people being inherently better than others as human beings, as that is not only dangerous but untrue. Yes, some of us can do certain things much better than others; each individual has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. The eagle is happier soaring high in the sky whilst looking for its prey. If you want […]
The September Spark: How to Improve Academic Performance Through Nurture
How to Improve Academic Performance Through Nurture: Many parents actually enjoy the relative peace and tranquillity now that the children are back at school, particularly when they are working at home. It’s not only those who work in a school or college who will understand what I mean by optimism in the air at the beginning of a new academic year, parents do too. As a parent, I usually make the point of going with my son and daughter to […]
Beyond the Screen: How to Spend Quality Time with Teenagers
How to Spend Quality Time with Teenagers: I don’t know if the summer holiday in your household is any similar to mine? I’m beginning to get that familiar feeling, that “the anticipation of the summer is sometimes better than the reality of the actual summer”. This is not about the weather in the UK at present, so I’ll do my best not to dwell too much on that. Considering June was all very sunny, we should know better not to […]
The Great Debate: Choosing a University Degree: Passion vs Career Prospects
Choosing a University Degree: Passion vs Career Prospects: For me, yesterday was one of those days when events turned out differently than I had planned. I won’t say it is a wasted day necessarily, but I had to invest my time differently from the way I had anticipated, as I decided to go to a university open day with my seventeen-year old son. I had discussed the open day with him the previous evening and he assured me that it […]
The Final Mile: How to Keep Your Child Motivated for Exams
How to Keep Your Child Motivated for Exams? Now the summer exams have started for GCSE and A-level students, many are relieved as they have realised that it’s not as bad as they had anticipated it was going to be. Other teenagers wish they had been better prepared. As for the parents, we are not there in the exam room with them, so it’s difficult for us to fully understand what is going through the teenager’s mind. The key point […]
The Power of the Support Team: How to Support Your Child During Exams
How to Support Your Child During Exams? For parents who have children in the final year of their courses GCSE or A-level (Y11 or Y13 – 5th form and U6th), they will experience what goes on when their child is preparing for an exam twice. One at GCSE and the other at A-level, and I can only relate to half of that experience so far and I don’t know if I’m looking forward to the other half. It is now […]
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