Recruiting Teachers: The children have their say!

It’s that time of the year when we recruit more teachers for our school. This year, for the first time in our school, the children have been consulted through their Student Council. First of all they discussed and listed the characteristics they would like in a teacher. The teacher should be ‘patient’, ‘be gentle and honest’, ‘be fair’, ‘ be good at explaining’, ‘be equal between being strict and kind’, ‘easy going’ and ‘like to listen to children’. To fit in to the current staff they would need to be ‘sporty’, ‘have a good sense of humour’, ‘enthusiastic about things’ and ‘fun’. Some questions for the interview were suggested: “Are you interested in teaching children?”, “How would you deal with a very bold child?” ( bold children? surely not!), “What is your teaching strength?” , “Tell me your typical teaching day” and the perennial for all of us on good-days and not-so-good-days “Why did you want to become a teacher?”.

Most daunting of all, and one that makes me glad that I already have a job here, the children are unanimous that any new teacher must have ‘a good mind’. Now how can you prove that over the course of an interview!

Murder of Toyosi Shittabey

The whole school community of Balbriggan Educate Together NS extend their sympathy to the family and community of Toyosi Shittabey. We are horrified and angered at this outrage and fully expect our justice system to convict and penalise the perpetrators of this heinous crime. We acknowledge the fear, disappointment and outrage that this heinous crime is causing in the African community, in particular, and express the solidarity of all our ethnic backgrounds with you at this time.
Our school will respond to this racially motivated crime in a number of ways, and we are open to any further suggestions which any members of our school community may suggest. In the first instance we will, with due regard to the age and maturity of the children, refer to our school’s Anti-Racist Statement and Multiculturalist Policy and continue to educate the children on the harm of racism and its inevitable consequences. Furthermore, through the Stay Safe programme we will teach the children the basic steps in learning how to protect themselves against, and to report to responsible adults, any forms of bullying or intimidation aimed at them by peers or adults in school or outside school. In addition, we will inivite the excellent Community Garda service to the school to revisit lessons delivered earlier this year on how to report bullying, intimidation or harassment directly to them if experienced on the streets of Balbriggan.
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