I want you to imagine that you lived in a world where there was no such
thing as standardized testing or “teaching to the test,” no formal lesson
plans, and no strict curriculum or schedule to follow.
I want you to imagine that you lived in a world where there were Smart
Boards and laptops in every classroom, two recesses every day, a lunch break
and a “tea time” break for teachers, a 2:00 pm dismissal time, and children who
are head-over-heels in love with learning and behaving appropriately.
This post more or less pertains to those of you who have been, or soon
will be, dedicating your lives to educating America’s youth. However, even if
you aren’t lucky (or unlucky) enough to call yourself a teacher, keep reading.
I promise you won’t regret it!
…Today is Monday, my fifth day in Ireland and my first day at Delgany
National School. If today was any sign of the future, it is definitely possible
– and perhaps inevitable – that I may shoot for the stars and pursue a lifelong
teaching career in Ireland. Alright Anna, let’s not get too ahead of
yourself…no, but seriously. Now I really have a mouthful to say about American
education, at least on the elementary level.
This morning, Trish knocked on my door earlier than I expected to break
the sad news that her father-in-law passed away overnight. I obviously never
met the man, but if he was anything like his son’s family, he deserves a proper
goodbye. It is an Irish tradition to have the funeral the following day, so
Trish and Simon were heading back to Limerick until Wednesday or Thursday. I
packed a few days worth of clothes to head back to Hilary’s house until the
chaos in Limerick concludes. Trish gave me a lift to school and then journeyed
three hours west.
I, meanwhile, set foot in Delgany National School atop the Wicklow
Mountains for the first time. Coming into this experience, I was expecting the
school to be different from Cole Manor, but I wasn’t sure exactly how different
it was going to be. My mission for the day – notice the differences!
Before I go on, I must mention that not only is Trish my host mom for
the next two months and that she has the same birthday as me (March 1st
babies >>>>>>>), but she is also the principal of Delgany
National School…in other words, she has the pleasure of assigning my role(s) in
the school each day. The beauty of the situation is that I have already
fulfilled all of my requirements for teaching certification in Pennsylvania, so
Trish and I have mutually agreed to take a laid back, flexible approach towards
my teaching experience here. If I observe, I observe. If I teach, I teach. I
had told her that I was interested in spending the most time with the youngest
munchkins, so as we parted ways this morning, she told me to spend the day with
the “Junior Infants” (four year olds) just observing the teacher and helping
out when I could.
I had a fantastic day hanging out in Mrs. Prole’s Junior Infant
classroom and learned so much about Irish education already. I introduced this
entry with the American teacher’s dream – or at least my dream, having spent
twelve weeks “teaching to the test” in Norristown. In Ireland, however, this
dream is a reality. Mrs. Prole just went with the flow based on what her
students were interested in, and I chimed right in. We painted pictures, sang
songs, played an addition game, read stories, watched a video about fish, wrote
sentences about our Easter holidays. Four year olds reading and writing
sentences and adding numbers?!?!?! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! It was
truly amazing. (Also, Liz Tarnoff if you’re reading this – the children are
muffins in every sense of the term!)
Ahhhh, the joys of no standardized testing, no lesson plans, no
curriculum, modern technology, “tea time,” diligent students who are
well-behaved…what more could a teacher ask for?
…How ‘bout one class of students per grade level, teaching your own
students all day every day including “special area” subjects, and six
“holidays” per year consisting of at least one week off???
I don’t know about the rest of you, but that’s more than enough to
persuade me to teach in Ireland until my hair turns gray…
Delgany National School is a highly religious, Protestant, primary
school educating children ages four through 12. Instruction is provided mostly
in English, but the teachers will teach a lesson or two in Irish each day at
their own discretion. Even though I’ve only spent one day in this school so
far, it is obvious that all of the students are motivated to learn. Wait…what?
I noticed that my name is very popular among Irish girls, and Kieran is
extremely common for boys. I guess my name is just as Irish as it is Polish! I
finally discovered several gingers, plus lots of freckles and marvelous
accents. I just wanted to gobble up those four year olds today!
From a social standpoint, I met two Irish teachers at the school who are
23 and 21 and are eager to take me out sometime J When I
add in Simon and a few other student teachers in the country from Penn State
and even Trish and Ger, my social life is shaping up!
…and that would be Delgany National School in a nutshell! I am currently
back in my bed at Hilary’s house ready for whatever the rest of this week has
to offer. The past few days I have learned to expect the unexpected, and I must
admit that I am ready and anxious to finally develop a routine once I get back
to the Conrans a few days from now (for real this time!). So far a “school night” in Ireland implies
the same activities as a “school night” in the United States, buuuuuut if you
ask me that question a couple weeks from now, I may have a different answer for
ya...(insert suspenseful noises here).
School pictures to come…I’ll write again this weekend.
Happy Birthday, Bags!
Love to All,
Anna
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