This is the scene at our house in KL back when my girls were in Chinese primary school. Every single day, there would be a mountain of homework piled up on the dining table — just from school. And then there was another pile of Chinese tuition homework waiting for them on their desks.
Life revolved around homework: school homework, Chinese tuition at home, more homework from the tutor, and BM tuition outside for the two older girls.
Eventually, they got so sick and tired of homework that I think it actually backfired. 😂 I knew they were hiding their homework and not finishing it, but I was often too busy with my own freelance work and running my online shop to check every single day.
Every now and then, I would check their school bags and discover unfinished homework hiding inside. Some of the piles honestly shocked me.
I really didn’t know how to handle it because, at the same time, I knew they were exhausted. Chinese wasn’t their first language — English was what we spoke at home, and both their parents couldn’t speak Mandarin. So here they were, trying to keep up in a Chinese-medium school while juggling tuition and even more homework.
Somehow, they survived all six years at Kuen Cheng 2, which was a Grade A school and, back then, recognised as a Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi. Two daughters went on to study at a Chinese Independent High School and survived yet again.
Looking back, I’m actually glad those crazy homework years are behind us. And despite all the struggles, I’m also glad I sent them to a Chinese school. Today, all three of them can converse fluently in Mandarin.
Meanwhile, their yellow banana mum is still struggling with Mandarin and has to use Google Translate. 😂🍌
So I guess all those piles of homework were worth something after all. 😆
