May 28 part 2 

While I’m at it .Homework!A major bugbear of mine.Its ramped right up here and I’m guessing Australia is following the same pathway.Its ok with me to do some basics but not at my expense .With both parents working ,time is at a premium in most households . At the moment I can be sitting with both my kids for up to 2 hours a night . We are getting lost in expectations . Ok your going to laugh and say your not working Howie why worry ?Its the fucking fight I have every night that shits me . And if I ever get a meaningful job here ,the kids will not get my help . Hello tutor.The push is big here. We were confident ,almost cocky that the Aussie system had our kids ready. No. They both will repeat next year .This is actually a relief for both EJ and me . Tex is not happy ,after establishing his friends he will start again . He’s embarrassed but hopefully it might give him a better chance. Leroy is not fussed. We thought he may stay up but as I previously stated they are well ahead . Grade 1 here would likely be grade 2 and up at StMacs .Theyre doesn’t seem to be any holistic approach. It’s performance and performance under pressure that counts for a lot . I get it ,but it troubles me that kids who fall behind  will have to walk a precarious path . In Australia we’ve got other avenues for those kids . Here you can still make a good life without being a good student but your going to have to work much harder . It’s a jungle at the bottom and the pathway to trouble is so much easier to find.Youve got to get that degree and you have to pay up front.The kids are smart around here and they have to be to keep this lifestyle .They can’t fail