Homework "ishooos" year 8.....

[Theas18]

I have the opposite issue to deal with from a lot of parents and I'd like to get it right this year for my 12yr old.

Background- v bright girl (form prize for academic achievement across the curriculum last year) at highly selective school. Very organised generally and on top of things.

However, also blooming well needs to get stuff done and get to bed at the right time- ideally by 9 not stopping work at 10!).

We have guidance as to how long home work should take. She really puts "her all" into it and has a perfectionist streak (*that's not to say she doesn't procrastinate at times too!) particularly if there is art/drawing involved. Written work is a bit faster.

Last year she could spent many hours doing art- I totted up 4hrs x4 weeks plus a day at half term to finish a 4x1hr task . Unfortunately she got 3 house points and the teacher adored the result.....ARGH!!! So she has been "rewarded" for taking blooming ages.....

So far we have have geography (draw a cartoon strip of the water cycle) taking 3hrs instead of 1.....maths 90 mins instead of 30 (to be fair it was 5 sides of 2 columns of sums so I think he set far too much rather than her making heavy weather of it) and art "prep" taking an hour finding stuff on the net- argh!!

I keep threatening to take her work away and write "R spent the 30mins homework time working hard and this is how far she got" but I haven't yet....

I guess I need to get a stopwatch out and let her work to that to see how long it is really taking her. like her siblings every last point matters and she doesn't see that the difference between 98 and 99% isn't worth the extra time spent!

[webwiz]

DD2 was exactly like this till about year 10 and then other interests started to crowd in (mostly facebook!). She was still hardworking and a high achiever but she lost the urge to "give it her all".

If she's happy doing it I'd leave her to it.