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About Me

My name is Sarah and I am a qualified secondary school teacher. I am currently employed and working in the Clondalkin area of Dublin. My interest in education and my subsequent decision to take a career in teaching was heavily influenced by my own school days. The dedication of my teachers and tutors allowed me to understand both the responsibilities and rewards associated with the teaching profession.

There are so many qualities that make a good teacher. Here are just three of the most important:

• Enthusiasm
  A good teacher will have a genuine interest in both their pupils and their subject, and will enjoy engaging in relevant discussion with students. Teachers who are openly passionate about their subject have a good chance of transferring this interest to their students, and an eagerness to learn will be born.
• Creativity
  An effective teacher will be creative in the way they teach. An excellent example of creative teaching is the process of “meaningful learning”, where a student is taught something important in relation to something that is meaningful to them, eg: a personal experience, a local event.
• Understanding
  It is the duty of the teacher to understand each one of their pupils as an individual, and judge best how to teach them as part of a class. This will involve a good understanding of various teaching methods, and also of factors which impede teaching. A good teacher will not stick rigidly to one method of teaching, as what works for one student may not work for the class as a whole unit.

From my experience as a teacher one positive thing that I have noticed is that...
... there is now more discussion taking place in classrooms. This is an invaluable part of the learning process in my opinion, as discussion opens the student’s minds to alternative opinions, and it also gives them a change in routine from writing. Good conversational skills are extremely important for all students, whether they choose to go on to third level education or straight into the working world.

From my experience as a teacher one negative thing that I have noticed is that...
... there is not enough emphasis made on the teaching of English grammar. I have noticed that most English books listed for the secondary school curriculum devote very little time, if any, to the teaching of English grammar. I think that this is an element of the course that should be paid particular attention, not only because of the recent ‘text speak’ epidemic in schools, but also because it would be helpful for students who are also undertaking a second language at school. Learning the mechanics of a second language is made much easier if you fully understand your own first!