School days are very different

SCHOOL days are the best of your life.

We all remember that saying and at the time the majority of us never believed it.

I don’t know if it is true or not, as hopefully there are many years ahead, but my own school days weren’t too bad.

Yes of course, I had the usual ups and downs that is part and parcel of life, school days and teenage life, but from the standpoint of being a parent today and working in a local newspaper I really see a huge difference in today’s school days and what I and friends experienced in the 1980s, when there was some school sport, Irish debates for the select few, school quizzes, Young Scientist exhibitions and possibly an overseas trip to France or Germany to help you put a little of the new language into use.

Nowadays school life is much more interesting, both in primary and secondary school.

There is no end of activities to get involved in, with endless competitions, projects and events to relieve the boredom.

Just take a look at this week’s edition of the paper, with the fantastic costumes designed by secondary students in Louth County Councils’ Trashion Fashion.

Students have created amazing designs from recyclable waste material and the creativity is quite astonishing.

The pupils in St Joseph’s NS enjoyed a visit from Mairead McGuinness MEP and they designed artwork related to the European Union and Brexit for the visit.

That is just this week’s edition of the newspaper. Virtually every week there is something going on in local schools.

Today grandparents are visiting a number of schools in the town.

In transition year, students complete various out of school activities, such as learning to drive a car, while some go skiing and others complete the Gaisce Challenge.

There are trade fairs with mini companies and in primary school, students work on various Green Flag projects.

School doesn’t seem so bad these days.

Of course, there still is homework and exam pressure, but I wonder will today’s school children still be having nightmares about their Leaving Certificate exams thirty years after the fact.

Today’s school going population have plenty to grapple with, including social media and online bullying which is very serious worry for parents, unhealthy peer pressure seems stronger than ever, but surely today’s students emerge from their school days better rounded individuals than previous generations thanks to the more varied curriculum.

I WONDER WILL TODAY’S SCHOOL CHILDREN STILL BE HAVING NIGHTMARES ABOUT THEIR LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMS THIRTY YEARS AFTER THE FACT