In my day we had 50 in a classroom [Independent.ie]
- Published: 30 April 2011
Whingeing teachers -- God aren't you sick of them?
For the love of Mary Byrne, that shower of duster-wielding dipsticks have got more exposure this week than Lady Gaga's backside.
You can't turn on Radio Eireann without hearing some blackboard-bashing bearded bint complaining at a conference.
I haven't heard such overdone moans since the nephew turned on the Playboy channel in 2007.
Some of those buffoons couldn't teach a boozy balooba from Ballybunion to burp.
Most of their students couldn't pass wind after a banquet of baked beans -- let alone a blinkin' exam.
I wouldn't send most of those teachers down to Centra to buy a bag of spicy wedges.
I tell you one thing, if I got umpteen weeks of holidays for working half days -- and special days off for talking to other teachers or blowing my nose -- I'd go off to France with my wad of cash and shut up about it.
Instead they go off to some conference at Easter for yet another holiday -- and rattle on like they were the men at the bottom of the Black Hole of Calcutta.
And of course, if half a snowflake is seen in Iceland in winter they take another week off -- for health and safety, of course.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
We are being driven to emigrate, says graduate [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 April 2011
A YOUNG graduate claimed yesterday that newly qualified Irish teachers are being driven to emigration by an unfair 14pc pay reduction compared to their older colleagues and the increasing difficulty of securing a full-time job in Ireland.
Aoife Ni Mhaille -- a 24-year-old Irish language graduate from Leitrim -- received a standing ovation at the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) conference yesterday as she explained the brutal economic plight now facing young teachers.
"Teaching positions -- not to mention the very rare permanency -- are as hot as the Adele tickets for the Olympia last month," she said.
Struggle
"As graduate teachers struggle to become an active part of the school community through part-time work, it has become apparent that our best chance of finding full-time work is to find it abroad -- emigration is the new permanency. But emigration is not an option for me as an Irish teacher."
Ms Ni Mhaille -- who completed a masters at Trinity College -- now faces a desperate battle to secure a job.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Publisher defends role in 'new' books row [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 April 2011
THE row over the cost of school books raged on last night as a leading publisher denied it was forcing parents to buy new editions for no good reason.
Folens was responding to heavy criticism from teacher unions and the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) about unnecessary changes to school books.
Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) president Bernie Ruane said yesterday there was no need for the constant changing of editions.
The TUI cited the publication last year by Folens of a new edition of 'Lifelines', a textbook for Leaving Cert Home Economics, even though there was no change to the syllabus. The new book costs €35.95.
The TUI argues that while this is a subject area where new information emerges on a regular basis, the core details remain broadly the same and should not require the publication of entire new textbooks within short timeframes.
In a response, Folens said the previous edition of 'Lifelines' had been available as a second-hand purchase for three sets of Leaving Certificate students.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Gay principal praises law on same-sex civil union [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 April 2011
A GAY principal of a small rural primary school has welcomed the law allowing same-sex civil partnerships.
One of its consequences is that gay and lesbian teachers will now enjoy the same pension and marital leave entitlements as heterosexual couples.
Cathal O'Riada of Cuil Aodha national school in the west Cork Gaeltacht, said it was a "hugely important step in the right direction".
Mr O'Riada is chairperson of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Teachers (LGBT) Group. He is son of the late Sean O'Riada, who led the renaissance of Irish traditional music in the 1960s.
Mr O'Riada said the new legislation had many implications for schools, not least the issue of marital leave for gay, lesbian and bisexual teachers.
The new law, which came into effect in January, provides, for the first time, legal recognition for same-sex couples.
In the past week, the Department of Education formally advised schools and other education bodies of the changes and the need to treat civil partners in the same way as married couples.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
'I decided I would kill him first and then kill myself' [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 April 2011
WITH an imposing build and aura of authority, Peter does not look like the typical victim of bullying.
Yet he endured years of being bullied at the hands of his principal until he reached a point where he planned to murder his former friend before taking his own life.
Peter (not his real name) said the bullying began when a man he had considered to be his friend was promoted to principal. Over a period of time he noticed his own position of authority in the school being undermined and his status eroded. "It was very subtle to begin with and initially I felt I was being hyper-sensitive," Peter said.
The new principal's first instruction to Peter was not to attend any more managerial meetings. At staff meetings he'd be thanked for his "contribution" and then ignored. He felt he was being "air brushed" out of achievements he had been integral to within the school.
"This man was a prolific bully, some people avoided (taking) sides . . . Slowly but surely my circle of friends was becoming smaller and smaller, until I no longer had anyone on the staff I could call a friend.
"Suicide became a real option, down to the point where I had planned it.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
