It’s been a while since I wrote about our everyday life.
My daughter, now in the 9th grade, is preparing for her high school entrance exams.
Summer vacation is just around the corner, which means the exams are about six months away.
Time is flying—half the year has already passed! And I have a feeling the next half will go by even faster.
She started becoming more conscious of the exams around the 8th grade.
Until then, she was more of a cramming-the-night-before type.
But she gradually began preparing for tests two weeks ahead of time, and now, she reviews and previews her lessons daily—no more last-minute rushes.
And no, it wasn’t me who taught or pushed her to do this.
That’s probably the athlete in her.
She used to swim competitively for about eight years, and I think that mindset is still in her bones.
Once she decides to go for something, her focus is incredible—though the contrast between that and her “lazy chill mode” during breaks is equally striking.
She’s using the same method she learned from her swimming days:
Set a big goal, then break it down into medium and small goals.
Once she’s clear on her end goal, she works backward, creating a plan step by step.
She did that almost every day back then, and now she’s applying the same system to studying.
She’s always thinking:
What do I need to work on right now?
What are my weak points?
How should I move forward from here?
She even writes down her test results, compares them to her previous scores, and analyzes them.
Then she sets new goals based on the results and maps out her plan again.
There’s a specific high school she really wants to get into.
She’s been figuring out on her own what it will take to get there, and she’s giving it her all.
We debated whether group or one-on-one tutoring would work better for her, and in the end, we went with individual lessons.
She started going in April of 8th grade.
Back then, she used to score in the 30s on her math tests—but now, she’s consistently in the 90s!
That’s three times higher—math has actually become her favorite subject now!
According to her, the secret was just solving tons and tons of problems.
She also gets along really well with both her school math teacher and her tutor.
They cheer her on, boost her motivation, and really stay close to her throughout the process.
Thanks to that, she’s been steadily and consistently working hard every day.
Right now, her weak subject is English…
But honestly, she’s doing better than she thinks.
She passed the Eiken Pre-2nd Grade exam on her third try.
The issue seems to be her nerves during tests—she tends to make careless mistakes.
She second-guesses herself and changes correct answers because she’s not confident.
But I believe, just like with math, once that fear turns into confidence, things will change.
She seems to realize this too, and lately she’s been working hard on English every day.
She’s also started working on past exam papers—apparently that’s super important.
She’s collecting as many as she can get her hands on and plans to go over them repeatedly.
Her tutor’s been giving her tips on how to tackle this part too.
We’re really grateful for that.
Last year, in 8th grade, we went to a few open houses and school info sessions for schools she was curious about.
This year, we’ll revisit the one she’s applying to and also check out some new ones that became candidates.
We’re especially hoping to find a school she’d be happy to attend as a backup choice with “preferred admission” status.
But honestly, that’s the hardest part—finding a school she likes enough to feel okay about if it’s not her first choice.
My daughter is very strong-willed (for better or worse), so she’s been saying from the start:
“I’ll choose the school I want to go to. Mom, don’t butt in!”
So I try to keep my distance.
(And if I make suggestions with good intentions, we end up arguing.)
When I talk to other moms, I hear things like:
“I can’t find my kid’s motivation switch!”
“At this rate, there’s no school they can get into!”
“They don’t even want to go to any school!” (and they’re not even looking…)
Everyone seems to be stressed out and struggling.
They’re meeting with teachers again and again to figure things out.
If it were just about ourselves, it’d be easier.
But when it’s about our kids, we just can’t help worrying about everything.
Sometimes, even though they’re our own children, we have no idea what they’re thinking.
Parenting really is all about patience and endurance, isn’t it?
When they’re little, it’s all sleepless nights and physical exhaustion.
But they’re so cute that the frustration kind of balances out.
As they grow older though, the cuteness fades, the sass increases, and you’re left with just… stress.
Plus, we’re nearing our menopausal years now—already irritable, and then bam, teenage attitude!
Right now, her three tutors are going all-in to help her get into her dream school.
They’re going over past papers together, creating strategies, and doing everything they can.
And she can feel their support.
Just yesterday, she quietly said to me:
“There are so many people I want to repay. I really have to give it my all.”
She wants to get into her dream school for herself—but also to make all the people cheering her on happy.
That feeling of being supported is now a big source of motivation for her.
So from here on out, my job is simply to support her from the sidelines.
I’ll leave the academics to the pros.
I’ll take care of the daily logistics, schedule school visits, and most importantly—keep earning money to pay for tutoring!
Oh—and become her personal stress-release punching bag! (← probably the most important role of all)
All I hope for is that I’ll see the biggest smile on her face this coming February,
and that she’ll be walking happily to school next April.
Let’s charge through these next six months together!
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