The Not-So-Secret Diary of a Teacher

Primary School Teacher for over 10 years. Part-Time Lecturer in Teacher Education and Early Childhood Education. From Donegal. Based in Dublin. Specialised in the areas of Literacy, Early Literacy, Children’s Literature and Play Based Learning.

My alarm goes off…

Who needs an alarm clock when you have a 10 month old?! Alarm clocks will be a shock to the system when maternity leave ends! Ten years of alarm clocks have consisted of a 6.30am wake up on the northside for a cross-city trek to Dun Laoghaire – the consolation is the lovely drive along Dublin bay – if the Irish Ferry is already past Poolbeg Lighthouse then I know I’m running late and the chances of having time to stop for a coffee are slim!

I am responsible for…

Like most of us in school, I’m responsible for the class of children in front of me. I’m responsible for their academic progress but more importantly for their happiness and enjoyment of their school experience. We are in such a privileged position as teachers fostering a love of learning in children and that’s only going to happen if we create happy, safe, welcoming and active learning environments for the children – from juniors right up to 6th!

My typical day…

Well after my morning commute, when I was teaching infants my day began with coffee and my religious morning routine of setting up my play based learning stations – a mix of either filling the water tank, making fresh playdough and setting up for junk art. First hour of the day was play and the rest of the day consisted of squeezing in more play wherever we could! Aside of all that and following at least one daily battle with the photocopier – I’ve been responsible for the school choir for the past nine years; so between sacraments & school services, the minute the infants went home on a Tuesday & Thursday it was straight to the piano. If I’m not teaching piano after school, I’m lecturing, so the mad dash to the northside resumes for an evening of literacy lectures and seminars.  

The best part of my job…

No day is the same. No day is predictable. No lesson ever follows the path of the page it’s planned on. Teaching is tough, draining, tiring but beyond rewarding.  There’s a light bulb moment in every day. And, I get to read all the books and stories I love for a living!!

The most challenging part of my job is…

The times when you know that all the efforts and kindness in the world you make can’t solve the problem that a child may be experiencing in a particular moment. I find it hard not to park my concern and take those worries home, but I don’t think I’m the only one there!

I am inspired by…

I come from a family of educators and am surrounded by people who inspire me on a daily basis, I never have to look too far for inspiration which is something I love. I’m inspired by anyone who juggles the pursuit of their dreams, a career and family life – anyone who says you can’t do it all is lying.

After work…

I have an addiction to batch cooking – trust me, dedicating a few hours to it a month makes the rest of your evenings so much longer and fuss free! This leaves all the more time to unwind with my little man Luca and my husband; when I get a walk along the canal, watch a healthy dose of reality TV and do my best to ignore as much housework as possible then it’s a successful evening for me!

The motto I live by…

Ancora imparo – Still, I am learning; Michelangelo. I love this. In our job we’re learning every day. The day you stop learning or the day you concede that you have nothing to learn or improve on is the day to clock out!

Clara blogs about all things education at www.littlemissteacher.com.