Primaballerina1 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Hi not sure whether anyone will really be able to answer this but here it goes. DD is in year 8 and gets 10 pieces of homework on average a week which she finds very hard to do most of the time. And as she is in top set for everything the standard is very high - she is not at grammar school though. She dances everyday of the week except for Tuesday but her lessons are always at awkward times. Does anyone have any tips for juggling school work with dance? She often ends up cramming it in after dance which means she goes to bed later than usual and to her despair she doesn't get to stretch! Any help would be fab!! Thanks Edited October 1, 2015 by Primaballerina1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Many of my students do homework in their lunch time at school and lots come in earlier for classes straight from school and do it then. It's worth speaking to your DDs school about her dance commitments so they allow her use of library in lunch time etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circe Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 For year 10 and 11 i discussed dd dance commitments with school and she then missed PE to be able to keep up with homework. Not sure if they would have done it from year 8 but as suggested above, worth speaking to the school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 My DD has always tended to get up early and do her school work in the morning. She is always tired after dancing so doesn't work well late at night, but finds herself fresh first thing and the house is quiet before the rest of the family gets up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParentTaxi Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) DD is the same age, and with the same issue - she has no dance-free evenings, though this year her dance teacher has worked really hard to put lessons for this type of age group (she dances mostly with Y9s, some of whom have started GCSE courses) in blocks so that their time is used efficiently Luckily, her school has a very strict homework timetable, so she can predict what subjects she will get, and when it will be due in. DD has used that to make a plan for a full fortnight (fortnightly timetable at school) about when she will do each piece of homework, avoiding her particularly heavy dance evenings. On Mondays and Fridays she has 3.5-4 hours of back to back dance, so she has organised herself so she doesn't need to do homework at all on those nights, She finds that there are some pieces of homework that she can take into the dance studios with her - languages, usually Maths - some that she does at lunchtime in school (though she tries to avoid that - a) she plays netball to a high standard in school and often has training, and all her friends are from different classes and lunchtime is their main time for getting together), and some that she can do in 'downtime' over the weekend - art, DT. Her usual routine Tues - Thurs is to get home from school or, worst case scenario, after-school netball match , then sit down immediately with a snack to do any homework that needs a computer or a good writing surface. She then packs anything she can do at dance in her dance bag, and sets off, using any gaps in her dance lessons to finish them off. She has a day off at the weekend - in which she might do ;'downtime' homework, as she loves art - and then clears everything on the other day, so she starts each week with a clean sheet. She is fiendishly organised - but I see that as one of the most beneficial side effects of dance for her (she also plays an instrument, though not to a high standard ... the prospect of ciounty netball, which reared its head last year, was very nearly our last straw!) She could not do this without a rigidly kept-to homework timetabe, so if the school isn't providing this, it might be something that you want to discuss with them. Her dance teacher 'blocking together' dance lessons for this age group has also been hugely helpful - is this also something that you can propose? Edited October 1, 2015 by ParentTaxi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParentTaxi Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 What i would also say is that DD - like the OP's DD, a top set pupil at a very good non-selective school - has developed an extremely good sense of 'good enough' in terms of her work. She is a perfectionist, and without the discipline of time constraints might well have got herself into a spiral of spending hours and hours on homework pieces in order to make them 'perfect'. Not being able to do this has been really healthy for her - she is now a master of 'sticking to the brief' and identifying exactly what she needs to do to be successful in that piece of omework, without overdoing any 'extras' that would take up time without getting her any extra marks. Again, a really useful life lesson, and a maturity I know I didn't have at the age of 12! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 10 pieces of homework per week actually isn't that many, at my sons school the year 8s get 16pieces a week. The key is time spent. Each piece is meant to take 20-30 mins so if you spend an hour a day on week nights then 2.5 hours max over the weekend it's doable. In your daughters case she could do extra on Tuesdsy, try to grab half an hour before school or whilst at dance. Ds is in year 9 at vicationsl school & doesn't arrive home until 8pm every night plus she has Saturday morning school. She gets into school in the morning half an hour early & does 1 piece, does one piece as soon as she gets home then does the rest on Sunday. She gets between 11-13 pieces of homework a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Parentaxi - Ds has the same sort of timetable (I've helped him though as he's only just gone into year 7. Wednesday's are very heavy as he has school play rehearsals (he's the lead followed by footie training (via s McDonalds in the car) so he does no homework on Wednesdays. Except yesterday he got overnight Spanish homework (not on the timetable should have been given on Monday) I emailed te teacher to tell Her thst overnight homework on Wednesdays is not possible (& tried to subtly but politely point out it wasn't on the timetable anyway!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParentTaxi Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 If DD gets homework not on the timetable, and she can't do it, she e-mails to say she can't do it. Her form tutor, who she has had since Year 7, is fully aware of her dance commitments, and has always been her champion if needed. It is REALLY rare, and I know that we are really lucky that the school sticks so closely to timetable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParentTaxi Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) (I do think it is key to have one member of staff, preferably a form tutor or head of house or whoever is 'pastoral', who is fully aware and supportive of a child's dance commitments, who can be a single point of contact and negotiate with other staff if needed. Certainly I have found getting DD's form tutor on side a) gave me a single point of contact for a number of subjects if there is a difficult clash (e.g. final show rehearsals or Ballet Awards weekend) and b ) gives DD the reassurance that she has backup if she says she can't get something done.) Edited October 1, 2015 by ParentTaxi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Apology from Spanish teacher received. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParentTaxi Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Excellent! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primaballerina1 Posted October 1, 2015 Author Share Posted October 1, 2015 Thanks for all the help, DD is going to set out a weekly plan for after school for homework tonight so I'm hoping that will help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 My DD is a musician rather than a dancer, but the problems are the same. We have been working on a set of "life rules" for both of us - we both tend to over-commit. For what it's worth, and they are a work in progress, here they are: 1.Get a decent amount of sleep. At least 7 hours. 2. Eat 3 meals a day. 3. Spend half an hour talking to people about normal things. Socialise - "me" time is important. 4. Work smart - how long should something take? Know before you start. Very few tasks should be open ended. 5. Practice. Knowing what you are hoping to achieve and what the goal is. Know when to stop. 6. Smile. 7. Once you commit to something no looking back. If it gets too much then step away from it but know you have tried your best. Work hard to achieve it and don't think of mistakes as failures, use them as guidance of what to do next. 8 To talk a problem through is a good thing. Putting things into words often helps solve the issue. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Planning and not seeking 'perfection' for homework have helped us. Dd does not have a homework timetable so to a certain extent she does as much as she can because never know what is round the corner. ..... She has had to drop a lunchtime club one day and does homework then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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