Marsha Maung:: Freelance graphic designer and writer

No matter how hard you try to downplay the importance of homework, it will somehow surface in one form or another. I have always been the kind of mother who focused on learning-through-play method of education. I opine that the more fun you have at something, the more you will learn.

However, after having succumbed to pressure from my husband and my relatives, Joshua is finally in Mandarin-based kindergarten. Tonight, his eyes teared over as he related how his teacher asked him why he didn’t complete all his homework. To his defense, he was coughing, wheezing, sneezing and was feverish throughout the week! So, he missed an entire week of school. As with Chinese schools, homework can be brought forward, therefore, he’s got some catching up to do.

So, when he didn’t complete his homework (with my permission – how can you force someone who is running a 39.2 degrees fever to do his homework is beyond me) his teacher gave him some kind of shelling. I am not sure the kind of shelling and the level of reprimand he received, but it was bad enough to make him cry beyond bedtime. Joshua is the kind of guy who would tear up at anything – the emotional one. Jared is the one who couldn’t care less if you threatened to blow up his school bag.

I am thinking about sending Jared to the same school next year because I see that Joshua needs a lot of help with his Mandarin. Two years is not enough. And I am not keen to send him to YET another tuition. I will only do so if we cut one of the other classes. I am thinking to myself, “Will Chinese school change my Jolly Little Jared into one solemn guy?” I can only tolerate one Joshua, I don’t need two of them to be solemn and sad all the time.

But then again, like me, it’s very hard and it takes a lot to bring a guy like Jared down. No sooner are we down, we bounce right back up again. Either pretending nothing happened or have already forgotten what all that commotion is about.

I am not too happy with the teacher chastising my son for not doing his homework when he’s sick. I will have a word or two with the teacher tomorrow…and we’ll take it from there.