Nervous about becoming a Secondary Irish teacher - ADVICE NEEDED!!!

pm123

I went to an all-Irish speaking Gaelscoil for Primary School and did very well there, I fell in love with Irish instantly and could use the language very well there. In Secondary school, I was always top of my class in Irish class, and most people hated it (our teacher was great at speaking the language but was a poor enough teacher and motivator - a common enough problem!). I decided to study Irish at university as part of my Arts degree and am enjoying it. There are so many brilliant people in the course (students), and I am definitely not one of those, but I'm learning loads and enjoying it. I'm doing some extra work on grammar and vocab over the summer (I have one year to go). I always had a passion for teaching and education, and would love to do my Dip in secondary teaching after my degree... I'd love to take a crack at teaching Irish and Music (my two BA subjects), but I have to say I'm extremely nervous about doing so, especially when it comes to the Irish... I'd just be nervous that I wouldn't be good enough. I do well in my orals, and I'm doing my best with the grammar, etc., and I'd have a great grasp of the language, but I'd be afraid of coming across stuff I wouldn't know how to say in front of a class, or be nervous of being pulled up by a student Maybe I'm being too paranoid.

Do any Irish teachers out there have any advice? Did ye have any worries like this? How did you all improve and make sure you were ready for teaching Irish in sec school? How was your Dip year - did ye get by with the Irish you all had or what was your experience? I'd love to do it and i'd love to get students passionate about the language, and I know I'd be good at helping them remember things, and helping them with the poetry and stories and grammar and giving class tests etc., and helping them with exam strategies, etc. - Any tips/advice from secondary Irish teachers? I'd really appreciate it! Thanks a million!!

dory

I've just finished the Dip to be an Irish teacher. You'll always come across words you don't know. It'd happen if you taught English too. I always have the laptop in front of me with focal.ie or else have everything well prepped the night before. Try to get as comfortable with grammar as you can over the next 12 months. Also read a book or two as Gaeilge. That'll really help your vocab and grammar structures will come more easily to you. I found my Irish has really improved from teaching it (and I would have thought myself pretty damn fluent having been an English to Irish translator before this!).

Good luck with it!

derb12

The Irish teachers in my school (all great teachers some with long years of experience) regularly convene and debate some grammatical point or piece of vocabulary and have to eventually refer to a reference book for a definitive answer - nobody knows it all! If you can manage to instill an interest and a love for the language in your students that is the most important thing.

Plus-side for being an Irish teacher: definitely job availability (at least as long as irish is mandatory)
Minus-side: you will encounter a lot of apathy, lack of parental support, the exemption mentality etc.

Good luck deciding!

Enkidu

I'm not a teacher myself, but I would really recommend reading ten good novels and finish them understanding why every sentence is built the way it is. After that, you'll know a lot of vocab and there will be no grammar left to know practically.

I recommend(accents not working on this computer, apologies):

Cre na Cille - Mairtin O Cadhain
Seadna - Pedar Ua Laoghaire
An t-Oileanach - Tomas O Criomhthain
An Cleasaidhe - Peadar Ua Laoghaire, available here:
http://www.corkirish.com/wordpress/archives/category/an-cleasaidhe
http://www.corkirish.com/wordpress/archives/category/an-cleasaidhe/page/2
Mo bhealach féin - Seosamh Mac Grianna
Caisleain Oir - Seamas O Grianna

Also, in my experience, most of the things people think they don't know is down to dialectal differences, which can be quite large in terms of grammar and vocab.

paddy.81

derb12 wrote: »

Plus-side for being an Irish teacher: definitely job availability (at least as long as irish is mandatory)

Don't count on it unfortunately. People like to say Irish teachers are always in demand. Not true.

Boober Fraggle

It might depend on where you are in the country, paddy.18. I know a fair few schools who have difficulty finding Irish teachers.

Correcting copies was what I dreaded. I thought I wouldn't spot mistakes. Within a couple of weeks, I knew what mistakes to watch for, never mind where to find them!!

It sounds to me like you have a good grounding, and a good grasp of the language. If you are interested in teaching, go for it. Be aware, as others have said, that apathy towards the language can drag you down.

pm123

thanks for the response so far guys