24 January 2024
UNESCO declared the 24th of January the International Day of Education in 2018 to celebrate and reflect on the role of education in peace and development.
Education is a human right. Yet there are 250 million children and youths out of school and 763 million adults who are illiterate1.
This got me thinking about my own education. My teachers inspired me to pursue the paths I followed and in many ways shaped the person I am today. In high school, my geography teacher was an amazing man, who managed to deliver the compulsory curriculum in an engaging, fun way. His ability to relate to his students and make each lesson exciting forged a love of geography and the natural environment, which I then went on to read at the University of Durham.
My love of education then steered me down a different path, when I was offered the opportunity to go back to university as a sponsored student to study for a second degree in Mental Health Nursing. It may not have been the career path I had in mind, but I loved every minute of my training and have built a career in the field. I have been very fortunate to have received an excellent education delivered by genuinely caring teachers.
Not everyone is so lucky though!
How can you help?
There are many charities that you can sponsor a child’s education, such as World Vision, Save the Children or School for Life.
If you want to sponsor a child a little closer to home The Smith Family supports children all over Australia. Education may be free here in Australia, but 1 in 6 children are growing up in poverty; and where a family has no regular income, necessities such as food and bills are more important than school uniforms and stationery. The Smith Family provides a child with their learning essentials.
Another great way to get involved in UNESCO’s #RightToEducation campaign is to spread your knowledge and skills. Most primary schools offer reading programs, where volunteer helpers are very much appreciated. When my children were in their early primary years, I volunteered weekly to work with children in the classroom and found it incredibly rewarding. Try reaching out to your local school ……… I’m sure both you and the school will benefit immensely.
You can also impart your knowledge to those closest to you. We live on the opposite side of the world to all of our family, including grandparents. I am aware that my children miss out on some things that I took for granted growing up, particularly spending time with their grandparents.
It may feel like you have very little in common or much to teach in the ever-changing world of technology. Yet you have so much accumulated knowledge to share about a world before the onslaught of technology. Teachings don’t just have to be academic. You might want to teach life skills such as cooking or sewing, that will benefit children later in life, or about their family history and cultural background.
Not only will the children in your life benefit from your time, care and wisdom. You may find that engaging with the young encourages you to be more active mentally and physically. To read more about the benefits of maintaining an active brain, read 8 Ways to Keep your Brain Healthy as You Age.
If you do feel like picking up some new tricks in the technology department, take a look at my blog Tech Savvy Seniors and Staying Safe Online.
Never too Old to Learn New Tricks!
We all know the saying ‘ you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. Well, it is absolute nonsense! Ageing has the benefit of accumulated experience, meaning you know what you want to learn, and how you want to apply it and can link it to experiences already acquired.
Many studies have shown that ageing can bring about positive cognitive changes, for example greater vocabularies and emotional intelligence2.
The key message here is basically that you are never too old to learn, so make 2024 the year you learn a new skill, take a course or share your knowledge with others.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop”
Confucius
So what are you waiting for?
- UNESCO (2024) International Day of Education, International Day of Education | UNESCO, Accessed 14/01/2024.O ↩︎
- National Institute on Aging (2023) How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking, How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov), Accessed 19/01/2024. ↩︎