Diff'rent Strokes for Diff'rent Folks

Lately, I’ve been asking questions about how to be a teacher in Ireland and what it’s like to be a teacher in Ireland—examples being benefits and year-to-year experiences. So, here are the comparing and contrasting facts that are somewhat shocking to the great teaching situations back at home, well at least in Ohio.

1. Teachers in Ireland only get two sick days a year! I found this shocking as teachers at public schools in Ohio get 15 and they are allowed to carry them over from year-to-year.

2. Irish school days last from 9:20 A.M. until 3 P.M. (and days end at 2 P.M. for preschool-aged children).

3. Many teachers in Ireland wear the same outfit to school everyday for one week. Then, they begin a new outfit the next week and wear that for another five days. If I would do this in Ohio, then people would talk.

4. There is no ‘teacher’s lounge’ in my Irish primary school. They use the special education room for tea breaks and lunchtimes. Also, there is no cafeteria in my primary school which provided an awkward lunchtime on my first day: I brought lunch money, but there was no lunch to buy…so I had to run across the road to the supermarket.

5. The children in Ireland use their backpacks as their desks. They take their books out as they go and then stow everything away in pencil cases and homework portfolios.

6. All students have different ‘copy books’ for every subject. These are basically little notebooks that the children use to copy out of larger text books or just write their answers into and the teacher grades them and then hands them back. I really like these ‘copies’ and if I can find an affordable substitute in the States, then I will use them. …That is, if I teach in the States.

7. The students eat their lunch and snacks at their desks or tables. For hygiene reasons, I have grown to dislike this plan and would prefer a lunch room.

8. Public and private schooled children all wear uniforms in Ireland. I do like the uniform idea because then the kids have to be ‘unique’ in academic ways instead of their quality of clothing.

9. Teachers in Ireland cannot teach the same grade two years in a row. They must switch every year and once they teach ‘junior infants,’ or preschoolers, for five years, then they cannot serve jury duty. Why? Because the government thinks that preschool teachers are loopy.

I knew that things would be different, but some of the differences had me quite shocked. What I am happiest about from this whole experience is that I have had the opportunity to add to my repertoire as a teacher and have great new ideas to use in my own classroom one day.