by Simon Rae, Lifestyle Tutoring For Kids

Have you noticed that while everything around us has modernised and become more visually appealing, classrooms still remain the same as they did when we were children?I drove past my old primary school the other day and while there were some changes to the face of the school, my old kindergarten classroom hadn't changed at all.

I worked at a school where the classrooms had been built from scratch ten years earlier. Apart from the modern looking 'glass walls', it was still a classroom. Uncomfortable plastic chairs that often didn't sit square to the floor. Artwork and examples of children's writing hung up on display around the room.Cheap, thin carpet underfoot. Bags hanging in untidy locker areas. Four fans in the ceiling to combat the summer heat. A tiny oil heater to protect the occupants from the cold of winter. Of course this took pride of place at my desk and whenever people would wander past those 'glass walls' they would of course assume that I was the most popular teacher in the country!

However, one major change has occurred - from old blackboards and shiny whiteboards, technology richSmartBoards have been born! Today, educators have access to untold amounts of information, literally at their fingertips!

But is this changing the way we educate, or is it simply providing the use of a fancy blackboard for teachers to write on? Is it simply adding extra pressure on educators to tap into this source of information at a time when we are already trying to squeeze too much into our day?

I get the impression that many people now see a fancy board, a new software program or a new app and think, 'this must make educating my child faster!'

If only this was the case.

Whilst this makes learning more aesthetically pleasing for your child, they must still go through the process of 'learning'. It's unavoidable. It doesn't matter if you're writing on a blackboard, a whiteboard, a SmartBoard or a surfboard, i always goes before e, except after c and 5 + 5 will always equal 10.

The process of learning core English and Mathematics skills is a rite of passage and one that we should always try to improve upon, but not rush through thinking that faster is always better.

There is a simple reason why our curriculums are so packed.There is a lot to learn. And learning takes time.

Experienced teacher Simon Rae is the Director of Lifestyle Tutoring for Kids which aims to aims to educate and build children's academic, personal and social confidence.

Read his other articles on The Educating Parent:

• Introducing Lifestyle Tutoring for Kids
• Can Technology Fix Education?
• Education's Facelift
• Time to Educate