Parenting is not easy. That’s not the same thing as saying that it’s hard. Any mom or dad reading this knows that every day presents new challenges.
Even when your child is happy and well-behaved, there’s always a problem to trip over waiting in the wings, an unexpected sick day, the ever-costly need for new clothes, and so on. But if you want to be a really great parent, a primary ingredient is easily at hand: consistency.
In this article, we take a look at why showing your child steady support is the single most important thing you can do for their development.
Overview: The Value of Consistency
Consistency is important for everyone, really, but it takes on a particularly significant meaning for children. Part of the reason for this is that consistency is not something they can secure for themselves.
It’s given to them by their parents, their school system, and the environment around them. When kids live in an environment that’s not adequately steady, they will typically experience high levels of stress and anxiety.
Not only can this erode their confidence, but it can cloud their behavior and impact their school performance. High levels of cortisol production are strongly associated with increased rates of impulsivity, as well as brain fog and other consequences that make it harder to function in a school environment.
All of this is to say that it’s very important for kids to have as much consistency as possible. What consistency means will depend on the context.
At home, it’s often little more than a predictable schedule supported further by basic necessities like food and housing security. In the school environment, steady support can sometimes take on a different meaning.
Well-Optimized Curriculum
A curriculum developer can play an invisible but highly important role in the lives of the students living in the school district where they work. Curriculum design has developed enormously over the last 20 years, with a big focus on personalization and inclusivity.
It’s now recognized as an educational priority to ensure that every student’s unique needs are being taken into account. This might sound obvious, but previous to the digitalization of classroom technology, it wasn’t really possible.
One teacher with 30 students simply can’t personalize assignments for every single one of them. Now, by leaning on intuitive educational platforms and relying on a robust staff of support professionals, it’s more possible than ever to provide a steady, consistent learning environment that allows the student to work in a way that best reflects their needs.
Social and Emotional Considerations
There’s also a rising emphasis placed on catering to students’ social and emotional needs, as well as their academic ones. This type of study support is often administered to every student, not just the ones who have been flagged for potential risk factors.
Many classrooms now have emotional check-ins the moment students walk in. These serve as a way to gauge the students’ feelings and help to develop their emotional literacy.
Often, a student, or for that matter an adult, may experience signs of stress, anxiety, or depression, and not fully realize it until they’ve been asked to reflect actively on their experiences. Emotional check-ins build this level of awareness right into the curriculum, making it easier for students to recognize when they need extra support.
Many People Play a Role
It’s important to keep in mind that there’s no single person responsible for facilitating this kind of support. Naturally, and ideally, much of the burden will fall on the parents, but they’re not alone.
Addressing a little human’s complete emotional needs is complex work, the type for which entire educational programs are designed. Often, the people responsible for facilitating success will be many and can include:
- Social workers
- School psychologists
- Speech and communication professionals
- Paraprofessionals
- Curriculum specialists, including reading, mathematics, and STEM
Many schools now employ full-time social workers, psychologists, and even speech-language pathologists to ensure that these resources are readily at hand. Furthermore, these professionals are often administered generally across the school population.
For example, an SLP might push into preschool and kindergarten classrooms, while social workers might dip into rooms of every grade level to teach coping techniques and develop familiarity with the students.
Perfection Is Unattainable
It’s no secret that when you’re working with children, the stakes are high. That’s true for parents, and it’s also true for the social infrastructure designed to support the education and development of our country’s youth.
Teachers, social workers, school psychologists, and even guidance counselors all feel the weight of that responsibility. It helps that everyone involved in the process is there with a genuine desire to do good.
Perfection is not possible. Parents will make mistakes, and so will school professionals. Even when everyone is doing everything right, some children may still struggle.
That’s the beautiful thing about steady support. Getting everything exactly right at any given moment is never the goal.
It’s all about consistency. Through data-backed practices, carefully coordinated interventions, and a heaping helping of good intentions, parents are able to work with educators to secure good results for their students.
If you are interested in playing a role in this process, there are lots of ways to make your mark. Becoming a teacher is one of many options.
If that’s not for you, a career in social work, psychology, speech-language pathology, or even curriculum design could play an impactful role in shaping the lives of students in your community for many years to come. The process can be difficult, frustrating even, but very much worth it.
