I’ve been banging on about Droichead for the past decade and recently published a podcast series. I asked teachers to share their experiences, both positive and negative. Lorraine Dillon is a second level teacher who kindly offered to write an article to share her experience. If teaching were a prison, then I’m a Lifer. I … Read more
Back in 2012, the Teaching Council released a final draft for consultation regarding out Professional Standards. At that time, I was extremely worried about a particular section: 3.3.7. which states that teachers should ensure that any communication with pupils/ students, colleagues, parents, school management and others is appropriate, including communication via electronic media, such as … Read more
People often give out about teachers’ working hours. We’ve heard it all – half days and long holidays, blah blah blah. Everyone that is a teacher or loves a teacher knows that the hours we have with the children tell about half the story. There’s not a lot of point in me talking about all … Read more
Becoming a principal can turn out to be a decision one might regret, as nothing can really prepare you for it. The idealist in you believes the advertisement that you will be a leader of learner, and in some ways, that’s sometimes true. However, the vast majority of the time, you end up filling in … Read more
Before I begin this opinion, a disclaimer: I worked for a private college of education for 6 years. Now, on to the article. Most people know that the reason a private college for training teachers was established was because there was a huge shortage of teachers. Almost two decades on, it is still the case, … Read more
Irish schools do not have established substitute panels. I’m not sure how common this is, but it would make a lot of sense of they were to be established. Since the online claims system (OLCS) has been set up, there must be a huge amount of data to establish how many absences per day are … Read more
Have you ever wondered what happens when the Department of Education has a meeting with all education partners? I always did and wondered what it would look like. When I was invited to represent a body regarding a new Department of Education initiative, I could see exactly why the education system is so messy. I … Read more
This is probably not the most serious article of the lot but does it annoy you a little bit when someone who is clearly not a teacher calls themselves a teacher? It’s probably the same for qualified counsellors and coaches who have worked for years with several degrees and Masters to earn their title and … Read more
The Teaching Council is made up of several union representatives, which make decisions on teaching conditions. The union therefore becomes both the decision maker and gatekeeper of the Teaching Council, which makes little sense. The union needs to take on the role of a strong gatekeeper from the Teaching Council. Droichead was an example of … Read more