Anseo.net - If I were the Minister for Education

The voice of SNAs is often missing from primary education. For example, SNAs are not allowed to be on boards of management of primary schools as staff representatives. In this episode, I interview Magdalena Landziak who decided to create the first magazine for SNAs by SNAs. It's called Amygdala and it's great! I spent an hour with Magdalena discussing her work, her studies and what she would do if...

According to reports in the media, in January 2023, the CPSMA wrote to the Minister for Children, Roderick O’Gorman to say they were against the teaching of gender issues because what it means to be transgender would require to teach something about which “there is neither a scientific nor social consensus to highly impressionable young children” I thought it was funny that a Catholic organisation...

In part 2 of the interview, we start to tackle some difficult questions about the Irish language and why we aren't close to being a bilingual nation. We end up with a couple of interesting ideas, including one that we might try out some time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

For our Seachtain na Gaeilge special, I brought in some passionate Gaelgóirí to speak to me about the Irish language and the education system. I really wanted to delve in deeply to a number of areas and I hope you enjoy the outcome. In fact, we talked so much, we've had to divide the interview into two parts. Here is part 1! You can find my guests here: Julian: @CnaG | @juleser1 | www.cnag.ie   Si...

According to ChatGPT, the key differences between ET schools and Catholic schools are related to their religious ethos, curriculum, inclusivity, and management structures. ET schools prioritize equality, inclusivity, and child-centered learning, while Catholic schools may have a different focus on religious doctrine and values. According to many Catholic schools and parents that their kids there,...

Schools are complex places and teaching and learning can only take place when the classroom is in a place where this is able to happen. In the bad old days, a teacher’s job was to dole out discipline and this generally took the form of physical violence which then evolved to dark sarcasm in the classroom, to quote Pink Floyd. However, like most things in education, everything evolves and the 21st...

There are so many rumours and myths about multidenominational schools, Educate Together ones in particular, it really was no surprise, to me, why many parents, even if they reject the tenets of the Catholic faith, will prefer a Catholic school to a non-Catholic one. I thought it would be interesting to list the myths I have heard over the years about them, many of which were parroted during the Ma...

Whatever our feelings on wellbeing in schools, it will become part of the new curriculum. I was lucky to be approached by Úna Ryan and Denise Enright from REMind Ed™ who shared their wealth of knowledge on wellbeing as well as chatting to me about their product Mind Moments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonm...

The last story of 2022 concerned the reduction of religious instruction from 2.5 hours per week to 2 hours per week in the upcoming new primary curriculum. Lobby groups such as Education Equality and Atheist Ireland (and people like me) were unhappy that this tokenistic move was even newsworthy as it change almost nothing about the indoctrination of children in most schools. However, Dee from Rahe...

With the number of people in Ireland identifying as Christian decreasing in the last decade, (CSO, 2016), with notable increases in the population of Muslims and Hindus, (95% and 135.6% increase respectively since 2006), primary schools around the country now host an increasing number of pupils that do not celebrate Christian festivals, such as Christmas. However 95% of Irish primary schools are u...

Don't be put off by the title: to me, the Children's School Lives reports are some of the most fascinating insights to primary education produced. This report focuses on the transition between preschool and primary education. In this episode I explore some of the things we should learn as primary teachers as well as learning what Irish parents think about primary education. I'm not often made spee...

The long awaited IPPN report on their Roadmap to Sustainability was released at their annual conference in Killarney, Co. Kerry last week. I finally managed to delve into its 130+ pages and see what thoughts I might have as I read through it. Overall it's a good report but there was one glaring omission, which may scupper the whole thing in the end. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discu...

In part 2 of this exploration of the Finnish Education System, I discover just what it is that sets them apart from Ireland. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

I fulfilled an educational ambition to visit Finland and learn about what's known as the "Finnish Miracle" - that is, how did Finland become the best education system in the world. Over the next two weeks, I'm going to share what I discovered and why I think Ireland could easily be the best in the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access t...

In Part 1, we explored why Father Sheehy did nothing wrong when he preached from the altar and why what he did is no better than what isn't taught in Irish primary schools - i.e. what I call sin by omission . Join me in Part 2 where I talk about why the Catholic Church still had huge power, even in liberal areas of Dublin and what you can do if you're not happy about it. This is a public episode....

Recently a sermon from a Catholic priest was live-streamed and recorded from a church in Listowel and it went viral. The sermon was from a priest called Father Sheehy and in his sermon, he decried same sex relationships, contraception, trans rights among other things that fall under, for want of a better term, the terms and conditions of Catholic dogma. It became national news with most of the pop...

In the final part of this episode, we reach the end of the debacle where the partners agree to "pause" the process. I almost finish reading the INTO response before I can't take any more spin and give up and wish the whole thing was all a dream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 2 of this episode, we look at the latecomers to the opposition to the AON debacle and wonder why it took them so long. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

This is the story of one week in the education system, not an average week, but one which demonstrates the contempt that representative bodies have for teachers, school staff and children. In this part, we learn a little bit about the Assessment of Need debacle and why parents and school staff joined together to try and stop the NCSE from causing further damage to children. This is a public episod...

This rather innocent looking Information Note landed in principals' inboxes not more than a couple of hours ago. However, its sole job is to land more work on the desks of schools. Because the HSE can't do their job properly with Assessment of Need, a court order decided that to address the mess-up, a certain agency would be put in charge of it. Guess who they picked? This is a public episode. If...

This week there was an article in the Irish Times featuring two people that recently stepped away from principalship. In this week's episode I look at the evidence and analyse why so many principals are handing in the keys of the building and who is ultimately responsible. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmle...

The new Irish Exemption Circular was released to great fanfare back in 2019 with almost everyone annoyed at it for different reasons. Gaelgóirí were annoyed because it was too easy for anyone to get an exemption. Many parents were annoyed because it was now too hard to get an exemption. Schools were annoyed because they now had the responsibility for yet another job being passed onto them. With th...

Like most children with an Irish mammy, I heard the phrase “self-praise is no praise” enough times to know that one simply shouldn’t do it because it makes the person sound conceited and, well… stupid. As we grow we learn that praise is earned not given, to use another Irish Mammy saying.  Which brings me nicely along to Norma Foley and Josepha Madigan’s ridiculous description of the education bud...

In this special episode, I look at the two pieces of literature from the INTO and Glór about the latest pay deal that is supposed to deal with inflation and the cost of living. I try and look between the lines and figure out what is the most sensible way to vote. Can we trust the leadership of the Union or should we be listening to the grassroots? Why should we accept a pay deal that isn't in line...

In our final part of the Story of Droichead, we reach 2017. With 91% of teachers voting to stop Droichead from entering our schools, you would think this almost unanimous vote of no confidence would finally put a stop to the INTO from trying to get Droichead over the line and put the Teaching Council back to the drawing board. However, as we’ll see, in this part of our story of Droichead, that isn...