Review of the Year 2024 – July to December

Hello? Hello. You're very welcome to if I were the minister for education from unsharp dot Nash. A regular podcast where I delve into the world of primary education and let you know what I would do. If I were the minister for education, this is Simon Lewis. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. And if you'd like to leave a review and we very much appreciated as it helps other people find the podcast more easily. If you have been listening to the first half of this episode where I covered the education stories that I covered from January to June, you'll notice that the first half of 2024 in schools was not exactly filled with hope. With special education slowly but surely been stripped away and the world falling apart with war. Could the second half of the year, bring some hope. And that's what I'm going to go straight away, where I moved to the first month of the second half of the year to July. Now, when I write about the primary education system. I really do try my best to keep things general. I discuss systematic failures that people working in schools identify with. But to be honest, they're not. Particularly sexy. They're not sexy enough to make the media headlines for sure. Yeah, free school books, free school buses, free school meals. They're ready-made headline, grabbers, and the media to lap them up and rightly but arguing lash section 37 of the employment equality act is preventing teachers from diverse backgrounds from applying for jobs in schools. It doesn't have the same sexy ring. Two-ish. I given that July was the summer holidays. The primary education system tends to take a break from the media, with the exception of the perennial family. Being forced to go to the media as they don't have a place in a school for their child with additional needs and no school place is a very sexy news story. And it shouldn't be obviously, and it's not a sexy new story. It's just a new story that just comes up every year. And it's basically it's. It's a shameful thing, that it should be a new story. But my story about how my school appealed it's 15 hour course, which is basically a number of special children with additional needs, not getting any support. My 50 and our coach, my SAC allocations by the NCSC. Wasn't sexy enough to be covered anywhere. And despite it being one of hundreds of schools who has their set allocations costs because of the withdrawal of the complex needs criteria, which of course, as I mentioned in the previous part of this episode, our representative bodies denied, was it thing. I spent a lot of the summer playing around with some artificial intelligence tools to generate ready-made units of work, which teachers could use in their classroom every day. I made thousands of them covering everything from worksheets on almost every single town in Ardennes to units of work with lesson plans for every single school day of the year. They're available on mash.plus if you're interested in using them because they're all there and they're all for free. However, maybe I should have used my AI programming skills to get them to generate sexy headlines for the failings of the primary education system. Or maybe even hire some decent spin doctors like the minister for education. August is the summer holidays still. So not a lot happens, but it wouldn't be the summer holidays in Ireland. If there weren't stories about a lack of school places and a lack of school buses, and this year didn't disappoint. However, what there was a lack of was interesting stories about education and pedagogy itself. And instead of that, no, it was a minister, Norma Foley, still banging on about banning smartphones and schools, the cost of hiring taxis to bring children to school and the cost of school uniforms. Yes. It's still all about the money. I even found myself on the radio debating, whether we should have single sex schools in our, and under nosh. And whether that kinds, even as educational, I don't know. But everyone is entitled to a summer break. So I guess the education system deserves a month off to, although the way this year. Has gone so far. I'm beginning to wonder if 2024 was more about budget giveaways. Then pedagogy. So I might leave August, July, and August as very short things. And I will move in to September. So as we came back to school for the 20 24 25 school year, the scoping report into the heinous crimes, committed by members of the Catholic courage clergy. And covered up by the hierarchy of the Catholic church failed to make the majority of people think about sending their own children back into the buildings where children were systematically, sexually abused, routinely less than a generation ago. I spent most of my time in a September. Absolutely baffled by the cognitive dissonance and the obsession that money redress it's all. It was again, all about the money. It seems to be a theme that 2024. Could best be remembered about money, all the time. I in fact, there seem to be more calls for apologies from the textbook company EDCO. After they published a chapter in the SPG, which lampooned a stereotype of an Irish family. There is calls and calls for apologies from them more apologies than from the Catholic church. Because of an, a just need me really, I don't know, shake my hat. I am actually shaking my head as I'm reading my notes, that this was seen as a bigger thing than. Apologies from the Catholic church for covering up the raping of children. Anyway, one of the schools named in the scoping report and I'm still going on. Had a lovely article published in the Irish times. Because they were about to become a co-educational they were being divested by the Christian brothers schools to become a guayle Closter co-educational and in the entire article, despite everything there, wasn't a single mention of abuse in that school. It was one of the most predominant schools, which raped and beat and abused boys. Not that long ago. It wasn't even mentioned. And more. Even more. So the school still remained under Catholic control, despite it's a reconfiguration. I was almost glad to see that the only other main story in September involving schools was the constant stream of smartphone ban articles. If we could do, just do what we need to do with smartphones. I would suggest that this generation of young people might also be spared from looking at inappropriate and horrendous sex crimes in their youth. If you told me in October that the biggest story from budget 2025 was actually going to be education. I wouldn't have believed you. But because of Norma floaties campaign on smartphones. Heard advisory team are either very clever. Or very stupid as pouch plan was launched. The last set about this year's budget. The batter. Even the very silent stakeholders were baffled by how bad the budget was for primary education. Personally. I have no idea why they have been shafted and why there's a price, the primary education. Isn't getting a look in. When you decide to be partners with the department of education, you can be assured that you will be taken for granted. However nothing can forgive Foley's advisors for trying the rest to make her sound like she was down with the kids with a Bluetooth joke that has to be read to be believed. And if you can't bring yourself to go to my show notes and click on that link, I have to give you the punchline. She said, Norma Foley said. I grew up before mobile phones, when Bluetooth was something he got after eating a Mr. Freeze. The bushes yielded nothing. To help with the crisis in the teacher shortage, which was always a lingering story of being a, being denied by the minister as an issue in education. It was interesting to read two articles in October about the barriers that are there into prefab into the profession. The first was from a trainee teacher who claimed the Irish language is a barrier to working class people. And it was mashed with dismay by many, particularly when it turned out the author herself from a working class background, went through the education completely through the movements. And, the fact is that, a lot of people. And, we'll claim that well, scone. Our elitist. I know. And that it's a place where white people go to, to avoid dash schools. But I would be guilty in so much of saying that a lot of the time and there's evidence suggested it's absolutely true, but there are quite a number of ag Wells garner that are dash as well. Scotland. And they there's enough of them to do their bit. To give people from working class backgrounds who might go to dash skills and the ability to have enough Irish with their immersion to get into the profession. Anyway, the second article was from three Irish teachers who discussed the road of religion. As a barrier and some of those teachers who by going public are now going to face a real prospect of being on hire-able in denominational schools, because they publicly have gone out and said that it is a barrier to them because they aren't religious. However, we shouldn't worry too much about religion and schools if October is to believed because minister Foley is going to save the day because she's going to put out another parent survey about patronage. Isn't I just find this an astonishing thing, and I'm going off a little bit on script here, but I find it really astonishing. That the media. And the political classes seem to think that a public service. Which is supposed to teach children education who's supposed to get provided an education service to children. No different than the police. The Guardi are supposed to keep a security of the country. Or how, I don't know how the fire brigade are supposed to make sure that the country doesn't go on fire. Our job is to provide children with an education, not to provide parents with this choice, like a supermarket of Of what school they centered, send their kids here. It's a bizarre kind of thing. Children should go to their local school and be taught the same curriculum in whatever school they go to. And it shouldn't be based on school choice. Especially along the lines of religion and having a survey. It doesn't matter, even if the, like the thing I can't understand as well, is this survey supposed to achieve, it was, if the survey reveals that Irish people once Us too. I want us to teach, I don't know, a 100%. I'm trying to think of something ridiculous. Like I didn't know that the flying spaghetti monster is our God and we should all decide that we should pray to this flying spaghetti monster. And that's a hundred percent of people in this server decided that. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter what people think. We have a curriculum to cover and. That's all that should matter. It doesn't matter whether people want. The flying spaghetti monster or the Catholic church to be in. To have control of the system. Yeah. And it shouldn't be up to parents. Why that should be the face. I don't understand why we think education is a parental service. A surface for parents. And I think this is the theme that we've had all year where we're deciding to give free things to parents and turn this into some child-minding service that parents can pick their favorite one from. But anyway, I ran to on every month and every time I'm on the internet about this. The defenders of the faith though, are doing everything in their power to stop their house of cards from falling. By trying to make out that religion is taken out of schools that will all be teaching children pornography. And in, in October the infamous video from the natural women's council that who's the I, to be honest, I've been trying to figure out who this women, natural women's council are. But it appears to be some American conservative who seems to spend a lot of our time giving out Democrats who are in America. Rather than Ireland where, I think she's, I don't want to be little what she does, but I am in a way, because I think. She's found this really interesting kind of American movement. Republicanism where, more than half of Americans are quite happy to elect someone someone like Donald Trump. And despite finding them in parent. And more than half of Americans seem to think that owning a gun is a good idea. That we're bringing that. Retard rhetoric to Arden's dash and we're bringing this idea of moral panic. And I think this is how Donald Trump and the a. It was elected through this moral panic of blaming. Blaming minorities for all the ills of society. And the natural women's council has seemed to have picked up on. This moral panic that a lot of people have and including, across the spectrum, I've spoken to people and I speak to people about this because it's something, you get, that's a very aggressive thing and people are canceling each other international. I've had people from the, I would consider myself a liberal person. I am very happy to talk to people. You don't have to do who don't share my opinion on a particularly when we talk about gender, which is the one that the natural women's council. I really centering their campaign on. And I talk to people who don't believe and who don't agree with. The idea of J gender education and gender identity, and they call it gender ideology. And I've had people on the liberal end of things and telling me that I shouldn't be speaking to these people and I should be, I shouldn't be following these people. And I shouldn't be engaging with people like this and quite aggressively as well. And essentially telling me I'm as bad as those people for engaging with them. And I should shut them down. And. I found at this again, to be a theme in 2020 for that. Silence is the weapon of choice when it comes to anything controversial. And I spent a lot of October and November and December. At talking about this in a special episode of my podcast. Which was on special education where I argued that the way we treat children with additional needs in this country. Is going to be the 21st century equivalent. Of the Catholic church's reign of terror and abuse in the 20th century. And I concluded that the biggest enemy of children and the biggest reason why this will be calm. And we will be saying in 50 years time never again. And this shouldn't happen was a silence of. People in the system. And I wasn't surprised that despite pleading with people. To speak up and command and even talk privately. To me that it was matte mostly by a wall of silence. And just going back. And I think, The reason for the silences people. Are afraid. Of being judged and potentially, or of making a mistake or be in consult. And I think when people. Stop talking to each other. We allow conspiracy theories to Take root. And we've seen this particularly in the natural winds cancel because the video. That was published in October around the second level SPHC curriculum. Was a very good example of how silence can create. Moral panic. And I decided I'd watched that whole thing, the whole video. And I'll be honest, I, while I was watching the first 10 minutes or so, but I was starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable and saying, oh my gosh, maybe this. Something to that. So now I confess that I felt that way. Until the whole thing fell apart with mad conspiracies, Emad, moral panic. They would have done well to shorten that video by 20 minutes, because it might have had more of an impact by what that woman was saying. And I still feel despite the madness of it, all that we need to listen to these people and we need to listen and talk to each other about the various things that they spout alphabet, because this isn't just about gender, because gender is the big story in town. It's the big controversy, but it, but we also these people there was, we're starting to see a polarization that you fish into one camp or another. So for example, the fact that I speak to somebody about gender or I speak. Speak to somebody about religious thing religion, or I speak to somebody about Israel and Gaza and you have to fish into one side or another. So if you are the liberal mind, you have to feel the same way about all these things. And if you're in a conservative way, a bracket, you have to fit into all these things. And that worries me greatly. That worries me really greatly because our education system and I suppose our society. Shifts from one. The pendulum shifts from the left to the right and so on. And you and. And I'm basically our education system. Has been routed. And conservatism, and it's still rooted in conservatives of, and if it remains there, you can see how some of these moral panics will filter in there. We end up finding ourselves in a position where. If you don't fit into a particular box, you end up losing. And the silence that we allow, and I talked about this with the secret teacher, call you in the times, that's the. That is the voice of teachers hidden behind a shadow. I don't know. I think when we allow for conspiracy and moral panic to set in. We have a problem and this is something where I can see we have a problem. Imam. I think we still need to talk. I wrote an article about app gender in particular. And how we need to keep talking to each other. We can't be shouting at each other. And even when we disagree really strong with leaders, we have to keep talking to each other and I've tried my best to do this and over. Over the last few years and in the face of just shouting. I more or less gave up. The Goshen, trying to discuss those ants. I suppose that whole natural women's canceled video. I have to admit, I felt sorry for normal Foti for the first time. And it was actually really nice. To get a glimpse of what I think was the real norm of Foley during that, despite the fact that I think if Norma Foley wasn't. Since the minister for education at the time. And because in her past, as a counselor, she would be quite a conservative. When she voted, she would have campaigned against the abortion referendum. I don't know what I didn't see. I couldn't find anything about her. Marriage equality feels, but certainly a conservative person. I felt very sorry for her being, probably her natural feelings would be in sympathy with the natural women's canceled, but she had in her job, she had to do her job, and I felt, sorry, a little bit. Sorry for her, but my sympathies were. We're short lived when she went back to calling for her mobile phone poach pan, a pouch plan and calling it a revolutionary mental health and wellbeing initiative, which to anyone suffering from mental health and wellbeing issues. We'll be quite insulted by, and there was also a time for the media to turn on pesky teachers taking career breaks, as it was revealed at over 1000 positions were unfilled in primary schools. I wrote an article almost exactly a year before they called on a worthwhile canceling career breaks would do nothing. And I offered some solutions in 2023 finishing with the one thing we can't afford to do is exactly what the government has been doing since 2014, when the issue of teacher shortages was first raised and that's to do nothing. However, unfortunately I think that's exactly what's going to happen and I expect I'll be back. Here. The same time next year saying the same thing. Let's move on to November. The general election was finally called weeks after it being unofficially announced. And Norma Foley's first announcement in her manifesto was a significant, and I absolutely emphasize the word significance 9 million Euro investments into primary school resources. This was her promise. If we were to elect her again, And cleverly Connor Murphy. Second level teacher noted that this was direct contrast to her announcements of the 9 million Euro budget house for foam pouches, which she said was only a tiny fraction of the. Budget. Not as significant investment for the few weeks of the election. Run-up the newspapers duly obliged the government parties by reporting how great the government was. I have a piece of software that scans all of the national newspapers and the local newspapers every single day for education related news. And it was very interesting that half of the local papers in the country were quite happy to share the news that solar panels will be installed in schools. I had roughly 13 versions of the story because half of the counties in R and D are gaging these solar panels on the government press releases were sent to all of the local papers, almost word for word, except for the county name. And of course they would publish them without any question. Of course when it came to the media on the general election, the only story about education at all in the media. Was, oh no, the schools are doing to close for the day. When I was brought on to the radio to talk about the general election, it was all about should schools close for the day. And of course, obviously I believe the answer is no, we shouldn't because for the day, but it's very depressing that is the priority when it comes to education. And the election and you think the politicians at the time. So little, do they care about education, but you think they will be making sure they watch their PS and QS in the run-up. When they talked about education, but Faena Gatlin, Phoenix has, seemed determines to trip themselves up. Not only did Simon Harris have that GAF. I mean nothing to do with education we're in I don't even know when it was for ABA with the health worker, both in education, Peter Burke ad decided to ask Michael O'Leary to launch his campaign, which resulted in him losing whatever teacher vote he might have on. The nice thing about this is he may end up being the minister for education. He is due to get a ministerial portfolio, despite the Michael owned everything. One could have described earlier his performance as a crisis for Peter Burke, but thankfully Norma Foley decided to trip her up, believing that all crises are opportunities. Yes. As the symptoms say at Christ, the church unity. Yes, enormous display in the education debate where she mimicked that famous Simpson's quote, which was streamed on the IMTS platform, was about the only place to hear politicians talking about education, which has been woefully and was woefully neglected in the main debates. When talking about the election, I was particularly interested in the question of patronage, where none of the panel, when add on this ICO debate that knew how many multi-denominational schools there actually are in Ardennes I'm minister, Patrico Donovan decided that he. He wants his kids to go to Catholic schools because he wants to outsource sacramental preparation to teachers or words to that effect on a feed. A guy had an iota of a chance on a number on my ballot form. That was the end of my support. Thanks to Patrick Donovan, who I believe is going to be the next minister for education. And in December I wrote my top 10. Top 10 people who I believe would be a, it would be the minister for education and Patrick, I don't know who came top of that, but anyway, more about doc, maybe in a minute. It seems a minister Fotis Christ's Attunity was fairly accurate in the end because the election results proved that despite all of that. They have the opportunity again, to govern. However, it normally did get into a bit of hot water over her famous pie phone pouch plan. When it was revealed, it's going to need a regular 2 million year old top-up every year. Meanwhile, Australia announced it was actually going to do something meaningful by banning social media for under sixteens. And that was an actual investment in wellbeing and it will cost nothing. I'm sure We'll use that as an opportunity or maybe as a crisis, let's move on to December. And as we reach the season of Goodwill and the end of this review of the year, where to quote yet another famous Simpsons episode where Bart Simpson says Christmas is a time of year where people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ, a school in Lucan decided that TIS the season to breach children's constitutional rights and saying the quiet bit out loud when they wrote to. Their parents and wrote in their ethos statements that pupils are required to participate in all subject areas and attend all school religious ceremonies. Ah, which has. I see a breach of their rights, this. The school is add. They said going to review their ethos statement. But if the only thing that's going to change is removing that statement and having no action. It's going to be a missed opportunity. And the don't ask don't tell system that we seem to have no problem with. We'll continue on to 2025 and beyond. Personally, I was disappointed at with their patron body, the church varnishes, and this guys who didn't step in with some sort of statement, because ultimately I know I'm disappointed that immediate didn't go to the church of Ireland to ask them for a statement, because ultimately this isn't about the school itself. Despite how stupid they were to put that in writing. Patron buddy's insist that schools uphold their ethos and they put those schools in these very difficult situations where they have to succeed. So as the demands of their patron body and also cater for the needs of their students and their families. And to be fair, the media did cover the story, but the one thing they haven't been too interested in is who's going to be the next minister for education. And I decided I would do a short list of my top 10 possibilities. Where Faena gals Patrica Dummen is my favorite. And only in the gambling sense to get that post. However with the dynamic duo of Phoenix hall and Faena gal deciding to support Verona Murphy as the county corridor, who knows who's going to get what position anymore. I wouldn't be surprised to see Peter Burke, despite his Michael O'Leary GAF. Becoming the minister for education. He doesn't feature in my top 10. But who knows? Sure. Couldn't even Michael Larry be put into the role and finally answer the calls from 2021 to put some air filtering systems into our classrooms. I know it's only when I got through the year. That was in primary education. It is apparent how neglected primary education was in 2024. While I watched the Faena fall and Phoenix El politicians' defending the performances by listing all the free things they given to parents. I didn't realize that this was the extent of government action in primary education for the entire year. Given the election. I'm not convinced we're going to see much change in 2025. And the only thing I'll have to change in my review of the year will be the name of the minister, the way things are going. I guess the only thing I have left to do. It's a thank you for your patience during the year with me. I was thinking to myself. That my podcasts are getting a bit repetitive. But when I look back at the year, that was, I can absolutely see why. The most exciting things happening in education. Seem to be with younger teachers. Who are almost oblivious. To what's going on. Systematically. They seem to be spending their time on Instagram. Where. Community of education influencers has been building for a number of years. I think that these teachers. Are brilliant. And I think. They're fantastic because they're finding a lot of joy. In their classrooms. Helping each other out in areas like literacy with the science of reading campaigns. And in many other areas of wellbeing and mindfulness and I don't know all the kinds of things. That younger people. I feel. Needs to do to keep themselves going while older people like me. R. I suppose tearing my hair about tearing my hair out. In terms of the systematic issues they're looking at the day to day. They're looking at the things they can probably do locally. Despite the system and maybe it's a little easier for them because in some ways, They are parsed and they fish, they fit easily into the system. And that's not a criticism of them particularly, but even those that don't fit into the system. Are using Instagram. In interesting ways to spread there. Their message. And I think of minority teachers, Ireland's at the Instagram page. Which is from a young Muslim teacher who was trying in a positive way to explain. The power of diversity in the education system. And she's doing really well at that. And you, she's definitely worth the follow trying to be positive. In a system that directly discriminates against her. And I also want to point out as someone like Kira's classroom, who's been going on for quite some time. She's a teacher and an educate together school. And. In a very positive and quiet. And friendly way and promoting resources to help schools all over the country and be more inclusive to children. And I feel that. Instagram. Is that kind of place. Where that kind of thing may be the place to do it. And I've been spending, the year looking at Twitter. And I remember I do a kind of a, I go to on an ice house to my friends and we add the, at the end of the year. And we talk about what are we planning on doing for the year? What is our aim for the year? Like a new year's resolution. I remember this time last year saying that I was going to hopefully leave Twitter and or X as it's known, because even back then it was falling apart. I'm not really interested in all the, there was this. S, escape to blue sky that happened after the presidential action that most people went on. That was the last straw. Twitter has been assessed fish for quite some time, but I haven't managed. I haven't been managed to leave it. And this is all about ego, by the way, on my partial on I admit that freely that I built up, an audience on Twitter. I don't have an audience anywhere else. I'm going to spent the last year trying. I suppose to build up an audience elsewhere. And in fact it was been on my newsletter, which I suppose time for a plug for my newsletter. I've over 400 people. Who've subscribed to my newsletter and every two weeks. I send a newsletter where I review what's been going on in the Irish primary education system, as well as my podcasts as well. But I've been trying to leave treasurer. It's falling apart. And many of us old heads have started looking into Instagram where all these positive souls are. Some braver. Those are heading to pick talk. I'm not brave enough to go and stick talk. I don't think I lost a minute on tech talk, but it, maybe I will, maybe that's my plan for 2025. I don't know. So it might be interesting to see what will happen in 2025 when. Older generations start mixing in with the younger generations, with their positivity and their what? What's the coded there. They're being mindful and being demure. Am I right? I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't say those words. Maybe I've just. It destroyed any sense? And he of any sort of. I dunno. Credibility. I might have otherwise have had. Ah, maybe I've lost whatever sort of credibility I might've had just therapy for. I mentioned those two words anyway, while our friends at second level are battling against the role of AI in the leaving search. I'm hoping to use 20, 25 to find more ways to use AI, to help teachers primary school teachers in their work. And I have a few projects plans. So I look forward to sharing them with you. And maybe that's my new year's resolution for 2025. While I will still absolutely battle. Trying to question the structures of the education system. I'm hoping that I might be able to use. 2025 to set up some projects. At that might be useful for teachers despite the systems that are in place of, things that will help in the day to day. Of our work. But in the meantime, I hope you have a fantastic break. You're having a fantastic break. Whatever you're doing. If you're celebrating Christmas, I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you're enjoying the break from school and whatever you're doing. And I want to take this opportunity to thank you for. All of you. Who've been listening to my podcast. I want to thank the people who the very, the poofy people you do send me messages. And throughout the year, it does keep me going to be on a city. Sometimes it does feel like chefs shouting into the void. And I wouldn't blame you particularly this year when I don't think there's been very much. To celebrate, I feel it's been a kind of a year where I've asked at my time. And being a bit negative. An older asset, both. I hope that 2025 will be a more positive year for soul, as on, maybe we'll see some change and we will see some movements in a good direction. As we're living in very scary times that hopefully the education system can come to the forefront to tackle the moral panic, to tackle the awful things that are happening in the world and give people hope, because I think that's what we do in education. I think we try to give hope. To people around the country, maybe that's just me, I'm inflating our influence, but I do believe, and the reason I am in education is because I think it is the job of hope. So that's hope the 2025 will be a year of hope, a year of positive. Change. And I will be chatting to you. In January. Thanks so much for everything this year. And thank you for coping with me. Thank you for listening to me. And I, if you. do anything that you're hearing, please do subscribe to my newsletter. It's Simon sorry. It's on shot dot Nash slash subscribe. And in the meantime, have a great holiday. All the very best. Bye bye.