My Favourite Teacher

My favourite teacher, without doubt, was my English teacher, Ms. Imelda Lennon. Ms. Lennon was my English teacher for my full five years at the Convent of Mercy, Longford. She was simply amazing. She  introduced me to Shakespeare, to Bronte, Shelly and Keats, to Kavanagh and Frost. She instilled in all her students a love and respect for the written and spoken word and managed to make Shakespeare interesting to a group of teenage girls.  No easy task.

She is the epitomy of a teacher who had a true vocation to teach.  She was able to transform and even transcend the boring stayed English Leaving Certificate curriculum into something exciting and meaningful.

She also set me on my path (a path with a few twists and turns) when she asked me to become the student reporter for the local newspaper the Longford Leader.  A job I simply loved.  It took me a few years to arrive back on this path but I am now almost finished my masters in journalism. 

Imelda Lennon gave me the gift of literature and poetry, a gift worth more than any paper certificate.

Because, Education Matters.

Do you have a favourite teacher?

This post appears on Education Matters.

April 8, 2014 

“We are all creative. Creativity is the hallmark human capacity that has allowed us to survive thus far. Our brains are wired to be creative, and the only thing stopping you from expressing the creativity that is your birthright is your belief that there are creative people and uncreative people and that you fall in that second category.”
Dr. Shelley Carson, Your Creative Brain

This past Sunday, at the IFTA’s Brendan Gleeson, when accepting an award for Best Actor for his role in Calvary (currently showing in Irish cinemas), he dedicated the award to Brother Pat Grogan, his former teacher at the Christian Brother primary school in Marino, Dublin.

Brother Grogan was ‘brave enough to allow creativity to appear normal’ and ‘was an incredible mentor for that time, to a whole bunch of us’.

On Sunday April 6th, 2014, he had a chat with Miriam O’Callaghan and he elaborated a little more on this experience – it’s only 15 minutes long and worth tuning in to on your lunch break.

A few weeks ago, Dame Helen Mirren, when accepting a fellowship at the annual BAFTA awards also paid homage to a former teacher of hers, Mrs. Alice Welding:

“My journey to this place, right here, right now, began with a great teacher, Alice Welding. She revealed to me the power of literature. She recognised my need to live in that world of imagination, that world of poetry. She alone was the one who encouraged me to become an actor.”

You can watch her speech (4 mins) right here.

And while we are all talk about actors and teachers this morning, we cannot miss the opportunity to share an image of the ultra-creative Michael Fassbender, seen here hugging his former national school teacher, from Fossa, Co. Kerry at a taping of The Late Late Show. We have set our DVR’s for Friday night.

Do you have a favourite teacher? We would love to hear stories about teachers who have inspired you to follow your dreams. Please leave us a comment in the box below or over on our Facebook page or even on Twitter.

And why are we asking this of you?

Because, Education Matters.

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The Education Matters blog will be managed  by two students from the NUIG MA in Journalism program as part of the Masters work placement program.

Caroline Duggan, mum of four and small business owner is passionate about education and enterprise, and is looking forward to a long and fruitful career in this field. She can be found blogging over here at Cast a wide eye and is also on Twitter .

Mona Wise, mum of four, has a fondness for writing about all things food and family related. She has just finished a five year stint as a mature student and has lots of stories to tell. She can be found blogging at Wise Words and is also on Twitter.

Starting my masters placement at Education Matters

This week I finished the first part of my masters in journalism programme at NUIG. This means all the exams are done.  All the lectures are done. My radio documentary is done.  My portfolio is done and submitted. The next stage of the programme is my work placement which starts in Education Matters on Tuesday.  Education Matters is a annual directory which is published by the Education Department at NUIG. 

My placement will involve developing and writing a blog for Education Matters, doing some design and layout work for the publication and writing a number of education inspired pieces for the directory.  I am really looking forward to the placements as I will be doing it with my college bud Mona Wise.  So you can follow Mona and I for the next few weeks at  the Education Matters feed on twitter and once the blog is up and running I will post the address.  If you have an interest in education we look forward to getting your input and feedback on some really hot topics because #educationmatters!

Spring has arrived in Galway

At last, after a long, wet, winter spring has arrived on the west coast of Ireland. The day dawned bright and warm and you just really felt like getting out and about.  Hope this is the beginning of a nice Spring and an even nicer Summer.

A friend in need is a friend indeed…

This week was like a tornedo that sucked me up and spat me out after wringing and sapping every ounce of coherent thought and energy from my brain and body.  It began in the early hours of last Saturday morning. 

At around 6.30am my mobile began to ring.  I was on a weekend trip to my parents home with the kids so I immediately felt a sense of unease and dread.  I flipped opened the phone and the dread and unease quickly turned to fear when I seen that the number was that of my sister-in-law. 

I have known Fiona for over twenty years and know that if she is ringing me at that hour of the morning then something is really wrong.  For a split second you a frozen in fear, the rabbit in headlights syndrome.  Every cell in your body knows the news is bad. For a split second you nearly feel unable to press the green button. Rather you want to suspend time and hope that maybe if you don’t answer  things will stay as they are. 

But  time suspension is not something we humans have mastered…..  I pressed the green button…..  The news is beyond bad. Her sister had been knocked down by a car and killed instantly.  A beautiful, vivacious, talented mum dead… on a cold, dark, country road.

I still don’t remember what I said to her, something incoherent and insufficient no doubt.  Words do not come easy on those occasions.

The week was filled with tears, mourning and sorrow.  Bone chilling sorrow.  I have four wonderful sisters and the thoughts of loosing one of them in such a freak and sudden accident is  beyond my emotional comprehension. 

 it is in times like these you need friends, good friends.  Angels in disguise. That angel met me this morning for a quick coffee, a hug and a smile, took my USB keys and made sure my radio documentary and my podcast for my Film Making assignment were both formatted and submitted on time.  Thank -you Mona, you are an angel.

 

 

Radio Documentary Almost Completed

Are we there yet? Yes almost!!.  After 15 hours of straight editing, my radio documentary is almost ready. Last night my back was breaking from sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours.  But I am hoping that all this effort will be worth it.  The documentary is due to be submitted on the 5th of March so I still have sometime but al least the bulk of the editing is now complete. 

Just in case you don’t get it yet; I HATE EDITING.  My documentary deals with farmers facing up to depression and I want to sincerely thank all those who gave of their time to talk to me about farming and the issue of depression among the farming community. I particularly want to thank Joe Leonard, Barry Donnelly, Maureen Canning, Lorna Sixsmith and Marie from Pieta House, Tuam.

 

A shared love of reading

My eldest daughter is a veracious reader .  A love of reading is something  I try to encourage in all my children (not easy) but Sophie is the one who seems to love it most.  Yesterday evening when she arrived home from school we were discussing what we might do over the weekend and she said that she wanted to go to Galway to buy a new book.  “Great what book do you want to get”, I asked?. Then she uttered the words I thought I would never hear, “Wuthering Heights”.  Once I managed to pick my jaw up off the floor, I had to stop myself from breaking into a sloppy grin or god forbid shedding a tear.  “That’s your favourite book isn’t mum”?  “Yes baby ,my all time favourite book”. 

I am already envisaging the wonderful discussions we are going to have and I can’t wait to see if she loves it as much as I did at thirteen.  Either way I have decided to get her a very special edition.  Something she will always have.

 

 

An Inspiring Parent Teacher Meeting

I attended my three youngest children’s parent teacher meetings today. My three youngest all attend Bawnmore N.S. I am one of those parents that believe education is a collaborative process between, the parents, the school and indeed the community. 

Children are like little sponges, they are constantly learning and absorbing.  Therefore, education does not occur in isolation, and certainly not just in a classroom. 

I also happen to believe that teaching is a vocation and that NOT EVERYONE is destined to be a teacher.  Thus, when you meet and interact with  teachers who has chosen this career because it is their life’s calling then you are really, truly, deeply, inspired. That wonderful meeting of parents love and devotion and teachers dedication and talent is a truly precious event.

One teacher, who has taught all my four children, described my youngest  ‘as a precious little flower so full of confidence and joy that she will blossom and grow wherever she is planted’. 

I have to admit that her comments and her perceptiveness brought a tear to my eye. What a wonderful turn of phrase. So eloquent.  Spoken with a love and understanding of the beauty and innocence  of her little charges that extends far beyond any job description.

How lucky are we as parents? To have such amazing people nourishing the development of this next generation. Because Education really does matter.

Farmers and Social Media

Anyone following my blog or twitter account would know that I am currently working on my radio documentary.  Each student on the Masters in Journalism programme has to complete a 30 minute radio documentary on a subject of their choice.  I decided to look at Farmers and attitude to mental health in Ireland.  Its a very pertinent topic given the high level of suicide among young man in the rural communities the length and breath of this Island.  One really interesting aside that has emerged as I have recorded my documentary is the amount of farmers using social media and in particular twitter.  I was surprised and delighted to see so many of the farming community actively engaging with each other through social media.  Perhaps social media may become part of the solution to rural isolation and loneliness? .  If anyone from the farming community would like to be involved in my documentary please feel free to contact me.

New Term Begins 2014

I have just returned to University after a long Christmas break.  As expected the workload began immediately.  This is a really crucial term and we have a lot of practical journalism work to undertake.  We need to complete a thirty minute radio documentary, compile our features portfolio which consists of a number of articles, profile, commentaries and news reports published and unpublished.  Complete one more pre-recorded radio programme and then compile, produce and deliver one live radio show.  The work is relentless and  the bar is high but I love a challenge and this will certainly be a challenge.