The Not-So-Secret Diary of a Teacher

I’m Rozz, a primary school teacher living in Carlow. I’m also the Director of mash.ie, a teacher resource sharing website. I live for books and creative writing and run a literary blog called rozz.ie

My alarm goes off…

At 6:10 a.m. It takes me at least an hour to get ready for work!

I teach in Portlaoise and our school opens at 8:30 so I have to be fully alert very early! We also have to get a 5 year old ready for school and walk the dog.

There is plenty to keep me busy in the morning time!

I am responsible for…

A brilliantly funny and quick group of 5th class children.

They have a great sense of humour and we spend a good portion of time laughing together! The rest is me being the teacher and “encouraging” them to work! I don’t believe in conventional homework so all assignments are set on google classroom. I use a good balance of technology, books and other resources in my class.

We are currently starting a project on book reviews and filming our reviews using a green screen. I am never bored!

I work on a team in the area of Erasmus and digital learning in the school (alongside some very creative and generous teachers) I’m organising a 2 year project where our school is taking part in a 2 year project on using digital learning to enhance language.

We have travelled to a primary school on a remote island in Iceland and in February 2020, we travel to a huge school (more than 100 children) in Valencia, Spain.

My typical day…

Always starts with 2 or 3 coffees!

I like to spend some time every morning, before the children come in, chatting to the caretaker or the teachers on my corridor. That is all part of work, isn’t it?!

I’m very interested in emotional intelligence and restorative practice and every day I use a session to reinforce our learning in feelings, emotions and behaviour.

When my class finish, I could spend another hour or two in meetings, planning my lessons or working on a whole school plan.

I go to the gym twice a week and follow a weights program.

The other evenings are spent bringing my son to gymnastics and athletics which he loves. While he runs about, I run with the dog!

Simon, my husband, who is a principal school teacher usually cooks dinner. We are very lucky to have healthy, tasty food every day and I feel so grateful for this.

When Emrys goes to bed at 7:30, Simon and I spend some time chatting about life and then we turn to some creative writing. I am working on a fictional novel and though it is slow work, it is progressing! Simon is a published poet so we encourage each other.

I am a member of a writing group in the town. Doing things that are completely opposite to my day job help my spirits! I feel extremely stressed if I don’t write every day. I spend some time working on my own literary blog, rozz.ie

The best part of my job…

I love the energy and the constant hope that I can make a difference in the holistic and emotional future of my students.

I love seeing the growth in my students over the year and though I have taught for 19 years now I can honestly say I have never had a “Bad” class, whatever that is!

My biggest privilege is being able to teach in an equality-based school, Educate Together.

Personally, I could not teach in another school.

The learn together curriculum and our school ethos is an open, child centred one and encourages children and staff to question and debate philosophical and religious issues that in my past jobs could not happen.

That is freeing!

Children are so wise and need to talk things through.

The most challenging part of my job is…

Paperwork, differentiating for children with additional needs and challenging behaviours can be perceived as challenging but I take that challenge on!

That is my job!

I find the fact that our government do not prioritise children’s learning through adequate staffing and resources the most challenging.

I am inspired by…

Other teachers, especially the amazing teacher sellers we have on our website, mash.ie – shameless plug!

There is strength in what we can do together. The resources that our mash.ie teachers make are of a high standard and creativity that I am in awe!

I am also inspired by my husband, Simon. He leads a brilliant school, where our son goes to and does so many other projects like writing poetry books, podcasting and running other educational websites which he does with a relaxed smile.

I am finally inspired by my own mother. She is the strongest most vocal person I know and I hope to be an involved, hardworking and dedicated parent like she was and still is.

After work…

There is a stream of activities – paperwork, gym, walk the dog, take son to clubs, baking mostly chocolate desserts, running mash.ie social media and dealing with the many emails we get to our support desk, editing my literary blog, www.rozz.ie, reading, writing and my family. I read a lot and it is a big part of me, I write and read every night and run a book club in my school. I love going to literary festivals like Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas, Bantry and Listowel.

The motto I live by…

I don’t live by any motto but I have many pieces of writing I enjoy reading and repeating out loud.

This is one by my favourite writer, Raymond Carver.

It’s “Get in, get out. Don’t linger. Go on.”

This is from an essay Carver wrote on the writing process but I think it applies well to everything in life.

Keep going!