Corona – and the "homework MADNESS"!?!

These days I hear from many parents that they are under extreme stress.

It is caused by the huge amount of homework their children are expected to do. Presumably everyone whose school-age children are now at home is experiencing this. But there is another way: here is a report by Pia from Vienna.

I am a mother of two myself; my younger daughter is currently in Year 4 of a primary school in Vienna’s 23rd district. I work, and at the moment – because of the corona crisis – I am doing my job within my own four walls, like many others. On top of that come the usual household chores, of course. Before 13 March 2020 my daily tasks (work, household) were still more or less manageable and could be juggled, but the additional burden of home schooling my daughter is enormous. In my own circle, too, I keep hearing and reading that teachers are literally swamping their pupils (and therefore now the parents as well) with homework and exercises. And one has to bear in mind that most parents have no teacher training and are unable to teach their children the enormous amount of material.

Yesterday – as many times before – I spoke once again with one of our class teachers, who is responsible for handing out the assignments, and heard her personal opinion.

In her view, the enormous pressure on children and parents is not appropriate, because she rules out the possibility that there will be marks for this term. There will very probably be a separate arrangement for that in the near future.

It is certainly good for the children to “keep at it” with their learning – but in this extraordinary overall situation it is far more important to emphasise the social side of family life. That means the unnecessary pressure on children and parents has to be absorbed and softened by the parents. Nobody needs to fear or worry that the children will get bad marks at the end of the school year. In her view, assessment is not possible anyway, because teachers cannot tell who actually solved the tasks or corrected any mistakes. This teacher herself gives only a few tasks and worksheets, which are rather easy and can be done without pressure. For we must not forget that children are already under heavy pressure at the moment (from the crisis itself, which of course they notice too), and on top of that they have been deprived of personal contact with their classmates. So there is reason to fear that many children and parents will be pushed into a psychological state of emergency that inhibits the children’s normal development – and in the worst case might even make psychological support necessary.

Dear parents,

• Do we obediently follow the teaching staff’s often completely excessive “demands”, which tip the mood at home?
• If so, how does this situation feel?
• How self-determined do we feel in what we are doing?
• Is this what we REALLY WANT?

If not, this would be the hour to begin a life of personal responsibility.

Tips for the brave: First learn from the story of Sun Tzu (Chinese general and philosopher, who presumably lived until 496 BC). Then go through the history of the Vietnam War. If you would like to join a study group on this, leave a comment and I will get in touch. Once you have an idea of what self-determination means, start learning the really important things with your children. Your children will tell you what those are. You just have to listen very carefully …