If you can remember a time before computers, social media influencers, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Tweets you may be giving away your age. 

The role of technology and the world wide web has changed all aspects of our lives including education. 

No longer do the massive tomes of Encyclopedia Britannica weigh down shelves in classrooms, or chalk dust waft into the air each time the glantóir was dropped on the floor. Peat is no longer brought to school for the fire, and days off for tattie hoking (gather potatoes) is also gone by the wayside. 

Notwithstanding all of these changes, there is still an important space and role for you and your family in the education of your child which no one else can undertake. 

So what are some of the things that modern families can do to support their children through education?

1) Get into a good routine

Children and teens of all ages need a good routine. From packing school bags the night before, making lunches and making sure everyone has had enough sleep.

2) Communicate with the school

This is a two way street. Keeping track of what goes on in school enables parents to know what is happening in the life of their child. And communicating with your child’s teacher re sickness or homework difficulties is also important. This facilitates the adults who play a significant role in the life of your child to get a full picture of what is going on. 

3) Education doesn’t only happen in school 

Children are sponges. Expose your child to as many different experiences as possible. These don’t have to be in person as it would be incredibly difficult to travel the world and learn about different cultures or animals in their natural habitat. 

4) Limit time on devices

Play a game of Simon Says with your children, and notice the different actions between playing football, swimming, running, jumping, watching TV or playing video games. 

5) Build on strengths

It doesn’t take children very long to start comparing themselves with others. Sometimes children who are very capable focus too negatively on what others are achieving, and overlook their own abilities and talents.

6) Celebrate the small successes and achievements 

Measure your child against themselves. Are they advancing in a subject? Has their reading improved? It may be that as they get older they succeed, or in secondary school, they come to a halt? There are still successes and achievements for our children. We just need to look for them. 

7) Values and kindness

If you stop and think about the nature of the work you do, then consider the knowledge you have acquired. 

What are the soft skills which were required but were never taught? Perseverance, time management, honesty, hard work ethic, working with others. 

Education in this field is found in all sorts of places, not just in school…sports clubs, Scouts, Guides, volunteering, church activities. It’s one thing knowing how to do your job..it’s quite another dealing with customers or team mates alongside it.

8) Look for help

Children will not all move through the educational system at the same pace. Some students will need extra support to level the playing field and achieve alongside their peers. There is no doubt about the difficulties faced by parents and schools to access waiting lists and necessary supports. However, all things and people are working towards helping the child. 

It’s not a stigma to ask for help for your child nor to receive a diagnosis of any kind. 

If I had difficulty seeing I would need glasses, if I couldn’t hear I would use a hearing aid, if I needed help with reading, I’d receive extra help. We’ve all needed a sticking plaster at some stage or another.

9) Don’t look too far ahead 

Time seems to fly by so quickly. One day your child was a Junior Infant now they’ve completed the Leaving Cert. Children will learn at their own pace. 

There are many adults who can testify to not understanding a subject in school and it was only when they left school, they became aware of its value and usefulness in the real world. Who knows where the future will take us? Are we going back to valuing traditional jobs, which were so valuable and useful during the pandemic?

Or are we pushing towards scientific breakthroughs and living on other planets?

10) And as we get closer to the big exams …

Support, feed, and listen to your teenager. There’s probably a lot of stress and fears, some realised and some not. Be their safe place to off load. Keep loving your child, no matter how much they want to quit, or whether they tell you they don't have a clue about the stresses of exams. 

Whether you do or not, now is a good time to remind them that you too were young once.