Ever since I began grade 1, my parents have been giving me school work to do at home as home-homework. Work like Mathematics and English not actually assigned by my teachers but from home itself. If you are wondering why they are giving me the workbooks, there is an easy answer, so I can be prepared. They teach me before so that when I go to school, I will not just know what to do but I will also learn different methods. My parents give these workbooks to make sure that I can be as smart as I can possibly be and to be prepared for not only school but for life.

My mom goes crazy whenever she sees books. If she is around bookstores such as Mastermind and Chapters-Indigo, or look anywhere books are sold for example Value Village or Salvation Army Thrift Stores. Then next thing she will sit down one morning or afternoon, date the pages with dates of the month, specifically Monday to Friday. I will always get a dose (that is what she calls it) of one page of Mathematics and English. By the way, I forget to say, she remove the answer sheets which are normally at the back of the books so. So for me is a routine, I just open the workbooks, do the indicated page for the day and give them to my parents to mark. If I do not understand anything, I normally ask my brother (who also has his own dozes of home-homework). Sometimes if my parents do not agree with the methods the books give, they teach me another method which I use.

There are some benefits of having at home-homework to do at home

  • When I am at school I understand what is being taught to us much better
  • I am able to share with others the methods that I have learned from home
  • I am able to learn new ways to do things
  • I am able to do the work I have been taught fast enough and finish early then get time to play

The big question I think you guys are asking yourselves is “does she really like doing the home- homework?” Well, with my mom there is no answer like “I don’t like”, she will always say, “if giving you extra work is wrong, tell me what is right for you”. Since we started this from the time we were small, it has now become part of our Monday to Friday routine. So yes now I like doing the home-homework because I learn lots of new African ways of doing Mathematics (so is my parents say) that maybe I would have not known if they did not share with me. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like I did not have to do it and I get in trouble for that. I have now learnt to get the home-homework out of the way first before I do other things. My mom even bought us a book called “How to do Homework without Throwing Up” which really helped us to stop nagging about homework.

Whenever my parents are giving us home-homework, they always say “practice makes it easy and perfect”. Very true I am always ready to take new challenges as the home-homework have really helped me and my grades have improved and stayed high every year.

And guess what, I even realized this was not just my parents way, whenever I go for play dates at my friends’ homes, I see them with the same home-homework books my parents give me. Now I now it is okay.

Angela-Acaye.