The Minister’s Real Speech

Posted on April 22, 2014 by johnkilleagh

It’s A Tuesday in Easter…

Teachers, it’s a pleasure for me to have the chance to speak to & berate you today.

This is my fourth year addressing you, and I’m determined to make headlines today. Enough of Man U holding the limelight today.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, the primary lot.

Yes. We’re in a hole. i’d like to blame the other lot, but I’ve used that line enough already. So let’s talk about how you lot are underqualified. First up, you only had to do three years in college to train as primary teachers, I’m changing that. Plus, you lot aren’t good enough at maths. Lets see, a starting point is that you’ll have to do honours maths for the leaving. You see, girls are lazy. You’re going to drop honours maths after the Junior Cert if we give you half a chance. So, you have to keep it on. So there.

Second. I’m a bit upset. All the women in here and I don’t even get a cup of tae? What’s the point in having a feminised profession if you lot can’t even put on the kettle?

To address this, I’m changing the law. We already have FEMPI, but I’m now changing the education act to get rid of teachers that are sub-standard. And to keep an eye on these standards I’m the one who sets the standards. There. That should reassure ye.

Now, about this religious malarkey. I got an idea yesterday. How’s about we put the religion classes at the start of the day, or at the end? I know, I know. You then have students who have no room to go to. Look, I know I’m taking as many teachers out of the system as possible, but can’t you just play musical chairs with them. And yes, I do include all you lot who’d be in one-teacher-schools-if-I-get-my-way.

I’m not anti-religion. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll quote Hans Kung. There, see? But I will take the chance to boast that my first full day on the job was the day I started to look for ways to get the church out of as many schools as possible.

Remember I’m not anti-religion. We must respect the rights of families who want their children to be given a religions education. That’s in the constitution. Unfortunately.

Later that day…

You lot are the secondary teachers, yeah?

First up. Have you got around to telling me what you want yet? Don’t bother with that resources rubbish. I want to know what you want so that you will do what I want.

Here it is. Let’s work to support inclusion and giving students a chance. Let’s not let that bit about the guidance counsellers come between friends. Come on. You know that wasn’t a real job. If the kids really cared then they’d find out what their subject choice and college options were. I mean, that worked for me and my buddies in the bish.

Now. the JCSA. Let’s be clear. We all agree that the current Junior Cert needs reform. The best advice that I can get (while avoiding teachers) is that my pet-project is the way to go. What we have isn’t working, and I’m the boss, so what I say goes. Yes, I will pretend to keep listening to you lot, but consultation is not spelled n-e-g-o-t-i-a-t-i-o-n.

Now it seems to me that your unions don’t like what I have in mind. So, I think that they aren’t doing their job. They seem to think that you are not up to the task of working over 60 hours a week. I say let’s prove them wrong. I’ve already gotten away with taking about 20% of your pay, forcing you do do S&S and adding 33 hours of meetings. Let’s face it, it’s not as if I trust you to work unless I get the principals to roll-call you after hours.

To re-enforce that point I’m changing the law and the Teaching Council will be allowed to continue the beatings until morale improves.

I look forward to seeing you all next year. By then I hope that you’ll be too knackered to kick up a fuss.

The Aftermath of a Musical

Posted on April 9, 2014 by johnkilleagh

In March our school held its musical, songs from Grease. I wrote down some of my thoughts about it here. Today, I’m in class and what’s next is a bit of a free for all with my TY class, where I’m asking for their memories of the show. Just for the hell of it, I’m attaching their stage names to their answers!

What is your strongest memory of doing the musical?

‘Eugene’ getting to do my speech – loved doing it!

‘Sandy’ I loved working out Scene 5, and Scene 2. They were good fun to do, some great songs.

‘Rizzo’ – my song. Working together, having a laugh. Roger’s ‘Mooning’ song with Jan. My wig was very hot. I was sweating under it.

One of the male cast ‘Sonny’ was shorter than the others, & was flung into the air a few times.

‘Frenchie’ – all the rehearsals. My wig made me look like somthing out of ‘LazyTown’.

Building friendships with the directors. Jim & Co. from CADA

The Friday show was a surprise & one of the teachers had to fill in the role of ‘Frenchie’ at the last minute.

‘Kenickie’ – Jim (The Assistant Director) was a top man. Gave you confidence and got you into it. He treated everyone nice.#

‘Doody’ – The opening night stands out. We were all giddy backstage, but once the call came for 5 minutes we got all serious & everyone did their part. I really remember the end of the show and we all started congratulating each other afterwards.

How much hard work went into it?

Everyone – lots & lots.

Learning the script was very hard.

Fast costume changes were difficult

You had to work during the mid-term break and over St. Patrick’s weekend. How did you feel about that?

‘Rizzo’ didn’t like it, but it was worth it in the end.

‘Sandy’ it was grand. Just took it was worth it at the end.

Coming in during the breaks when your friends were off was hard.

What was the scariest part for you?

Doing the show in front of the school on the Friday.

The auditions were scary! (a lot of people said this)

‘Kenickie’ – my first time singing on stage was scary.

Tell me about the feeling of going on stage.

Nervous for some

‘Eugene’ says he wasn’t nervous!

‘Sandy’ I loved going on stage, nerve wrecking, but I loved it.

‘Doody’ – it was my first time on stage, nervous, afraid to mess up – and I never sang in front of people before.

It’s now nearly one month later. What has the show meant for you?

We should have got a reward for all our hard work.

It built up my confidence in front of people.

We all get along better. It has made us closer.

Surprised – I didn’t think I’d be able to get up on stage & speak.

The main director is scary!

I think there should be a musical every year.

‘Kenickie’ ‘Sandy’ & ‘Doody’ – it was the best thing in fourth year, made the year and it brought me much closer to a lot of the cast. NO REGRETS

Has it surprised you how much work has to go into gettting something on stage?

YES (from everyone). The rehearsals went on for about 8 weeks. Especially in the little amout of time we had. 8 weeks really flew.

You managed to combine script, songs and dance in some scenes.

‘Rizzo’ I preferred doing the dancing & singing. I didn’t really like the acting part.

‘Kenickie’ – it made the scenes, but it was much more difficult to do. The acting was my favourite part.

‘Sandy’ I loved the singing and dancing. Script was ok, but definitely preferred the singing and dancing.

And, from the backstage crew…

It was really, really dark!

Trying to move stuff backstage without making noise was difficult.

It was hard work.

Fin

And there you have it. A little experiment during class with a group of tech-savvy fourth year students. They loved doing the show, and I think really got the reward out of doing something so different to ‘normal’ class work.

And now, they can go home for 2 weeks of Easter Holidays. Well done guys.

Your words won’t hurt me

Posted on April 7, 2014 by johnkilleagh

HICKEY'S WORLD

I’ve been called ‘monkey’ many times. I’ve studied all my pictures and, honestly, I don’t look like one. I haven’t got a tail either, and as for being able to swing from trees – I never tried it as a child and it’s too dangerous now that I’ve reached the ripe young age of 60.

Of course it hurt to hear the word those first few times. I was younger then, more easily wounded by words hurled at me by others. I also had to endure monkey gestures from other youngsters. It was part of the price for looking different, for not fitting into the ‘normal’ world.

I was called ‘scarface’, ‘apeman’, ‘Dracula’, ‘Frankenstein’, ‘monster’. Some of the other names aren’t fit for a blog, but you get the drift. I tried not to let the pain show, but occasionally I couldn’t stop the tears, even if they were shed…

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Education and Equality

Posted on April 3, 2014 by johnkilleagh

We have an ideal that all students who enter our schools will be treated equally, that they will be treated fairly, and that they will be offered equal opportunities.

This is a myth. Not true. Good PR.

You see, we live in an incredibly unequal society, and this inequality is reflected in our schools. And this is a fact that our Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, seems to ignore.

So, just how does inequality show up in schools?

Well, all schools receive a running cost from the government depending on the number of students enrolled. And yes, this does sound fair, but the costs of schools are such that the running costs will often exceed the money received from the government. After all, taking the team to a match requires a bus, visiting the Young Scientist Exhibition or going on a field trip for geography requires money. Some schools have more, some have less. And this means the education experience of students can and will vary depending on the finance available.

You see, I don’t really believe the minister understands just what a disadvantage it can be to be from a disadvantaged area. I mean how could he? He hasn’t had to face a pay-cheque of less than €80,000 in years. He went to a nice school (The Bish), and recently got to visit it with one of his advisers (coincidentally also a past pupil of the same school).

The thing is, if you attend a school where most of the parents have a decent wage, then the school looks for a top-up fee to support school activities. These activities could include school tours, proper IT for classrooms (whether tablets, computers or whatever).

If your school is in a disadvantaged area, then things don’t look so good. Being in a disadvantaged area you can expect to see higher rates of unemployment, lack of engagement with education, and social exclusion. In short, schools could not in fairness ask for top up fees from these parents. Any development is dependent on grants (which are getting scarcer).

The picture looks a bit like this:

Just because schools receive a similar grant does not mean that the students will benefit from equal opportunities. The playing field is not equal, a student who starts from a position of disadvantage will need extra help.

Our education system is in a lot of trouble at the moment. Teachers are under pressure; we have a new Junior Cycle programme that is being rammed in despite the concern and opposition of thousands of teachers; school funding is being cut.

And yet, we claim we believe that education provides opportunities for students; that education is valuable; that education is more than just about measuring students. There’s a disconnect there and I hope that someday we get an education minister who actually believes in education and trusts teachers as professionals.

Our students deserve it.

Russia vows no Invasion?

Posted on March 29, 2014 by johnkilleagh

Apparently the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov has promised that Russia has no intention of sending troops into Ukraine.

Hmmm.

I’d be inclined to take that one with a grain of salt. You see, Mr. Lavrov may be speaking English, but it’s not as we know it.

When the first signs of troops started spreading around strategic installations in the Crimea they were wearing no insignia. Moscow went as far as to deny its having any troops in the Crimea (apart from those on Russian bases there).

Those troops were, helpfully, a ‘local militia’ who just happened to be very organised, disciplined and pro-Russian.

Russia then offered all help to the Crimea as the Russian ethnic group there was under attack. Next came the political maneuverings, create a new parliament while the militia guards it, elect a new president, and vote for a referendum to take place 10 days later. 10 days.

Only after the referendum was passed by the incredible majority of 95.6% (Wiki here), did the Russian parliament ratify the result and move in. By this time, according to Russian Law, the Crimea was Russian territory.

So, you see, Russia never invaded the Crimea. It was, by their logic, all voluntary, all above board.

So, when Mr. Lavrov says Russia has no intention of invading, I’d be inclined to take that one with a pinch of salt.

Trouble at the Russian Airport

Posted on March 29, 2014 by johnkilleagh

Wayy back I used to work in Russia in a city called Novosibirsk. To get into, and out of, Russia, you need to have the correct paperwork. Visas etc.

So, my first time in Russia I didn’t get to travel home for about 10 months. My visa was up and I had to go home for a while to get a new visa. Flying at the time was a bit different, this was pre- 9-11, so you could take all kinds of things on-board. I had a guitar tucked in by the crew quarters, and I was flying Aeroflot. The service was – nice. Proper cutlery with the meal, and after the meal an air steward came through with steamed towels to refresh oneself.

And then we landed in Sheremetevo. If you ever get the chance to visit it – don’t. Terminal 2 is chaos, and Terminal 1 (local flights) is worse. There’s minimal sinage in English, there is no queueing system (you just push into the crowd and hope you don’t get your pockets picked). Terminal 1 is a relic of the 50s. Cramped, and full of bad-tempered officials. Terminal 2 was probably supposed to be a tribute to the industry of the Soviet Union. The ceiling consists of thousands of brass cylinders each containing a lightbulb. The effect is grim, cold and dark. Of course T2 also contains the bad-tempered officials. The trip from Terminal 1 to T2 is about 30 minutes by cranky old bus, and then you try to check in. That’s when the trouble began.

Turned out that I didn’t have the correct exit visa stamped into my passport. “what can I do?” <non smiley guy shrugs shoulders>. It turned out that I could go up to the second floor and pick up a phone just to the left of the escalator. That I did and a grey suited guy came out, looked at the passport and said I could have the visa for US$200. I probably started sweating at this point. I had (barely) the cash, luckily I had been working for an American company and they paid well enough. (by the way US$200 was probably 30 weeks wages for a Russian teacher at the time). But the anonymous man (no ID, no uniform) didn’t inspire confidence.

I didn’t really have too much of a choice, so I coughed up and got my passport. Without any fuss he disappeared and returned with the correct visa.

A year later I was back in my favourite airport <ahem>, and came across two Irish girls very upset. Turns out that they had been travelling to Belarus, and had left the passport control area. So they were now on Russian soil without the correct visas, and couldn’t find out what to do. This time I didn’t have the money for 2 sets of bribes. I phoned the Irish embassy and one of the officials came out and paid for the girls exit visas. By the way, this is one reason why it’s good to know where the embassy is in whatever country you’re visiting.

A happy ending for them, but you have to wonder how many people this happens to in just one airport in Russia.

It’s just funny how something that happened 15 years ago can still be so clear in the memory.

The School Musical

Posted on March 18, 2014 by johnkilleagh

Tonight, in Mayfield, our school musical will open, and there are a lot of nerves around the place. Kind of the reaction that you would hope from the students. But what a journey they have had to get this far.

I don’t know how many schools still do musicals as part of their Transition Year experience, but I hope that it’s a lot. There is so much going on that it is something that, I believe, really adds to the whole TY experience, and benefits the students hugely.

Obviously, there is the sheer work of learning script and song. There is the choreography, there’s the stage directions. But unless you have been in one, it’s hard to comprehend just how much time is taken up with nitty-gritty details, and how much commitment is required from ALL of the cast and crew.

When the musical practices began, we had students who had never memorised a script, never sang in public, and never danced on stage. And now they’re doing all three. The students who were lucky enough to be picked for these roles have grown so, so much over the past few months that you cannot but be immensely proud of what they have achieved. Add to that the effort put in by the back stage crew, those helping with costumes, props, and it really is an incredibly team effort.

The effort isn’t just confined to school time either. We had students in each day of St. Patrick’s weekend. And while they were in, they worked hard. Ditto for the mid-term break. They were all in, working their hearts out, and not complaining about it.

Anyway. Sometimes it’s just good to remind ourselves about the good things that happen in our schools. I’m looking forward to the show tonight, and again, just so proud of what the students have achieved. Break a leg, guys.

When Discrimination Kills the Gospel

Posted on March 7, 2014 by johnkilleagh

In Ireland we have opened up the LGBT debate, for those who say gay people shouldn’t have the right to get married (on Christian grounds), maybe they should read this first.

The Start of a Campaign

Posted on March 5, 2014 by johnkilleagh

On Tuesday 11th March teachers are being asked to spend their lunchtime at the gate of the school and protest against the introduction of the JCSA as it is presented.

In the immediate aftermath of the protest being announced there was a lot of differing commentary on some of the teachers’ Facebook Pages. This division is reflected in some of the twitter feeds of the past week. The initial reaction then is very mixed, and this can be very damaging to any campaign to oppose the JCSA. But such a campaign is necessary unless we are willing to accept a flawed programme.

So. What are the downsides of the protest?

Well, many people think that the teachers at the gate will be a laughing stock for their students
It is felt by many teachers that such a protest does not do anything to dissuade the minister, that the protest will lack any real punch
There is the real fear that if the protest is not well enough supported, then it may be seen by the minister as a lack of resolve by teachers

And what do we stand to gain?

People will see that teachers are willing to act in such a way that does not harm students’ educational attainment
A good turnout will send a clear signal to the minister that teachers are willing to stand their ground in order to oppose the current JCSA
This may in turn persuade the minister to engage properly with the unions and accept the criticisms and the concerns of professional teachers

First Steps

I’ve written before, listing concerns that teachers have about the JCSA, and I’ve also written how I see the current plan as the result of a solo run by the minister. The TUI & ASTI have issued a joint document outlining the unions’ concerns.

Minister Quinn seems hell-bent on introducing the JCSA as it stands, and, so far, seems to be unwilling to listen to any concerns put forward by either the ASTI or the TUI. I doubt that a 30 or 40 minute protest at school gates will do anything to change his attitude in this.

And that brings me neatly to the ballot which is being put to teachers shortly. We will be asked to give the unions power to undertake industrial action and oppose the implementation of the JCSA. We will be asked to approve a campaign of non-cooperation.

I will turn out on Tuesday to support the protest, but only because I see the protest as the first step in a broader campaign to raise awareness about teachers’ concerns. In fact not just the concerns of teachers – parents of children who will be affected by these changes will have plenty to be worried about.

However, for any of this to work, both unions need to be able to send a clear message to the minister. I believe he will ignore anything else.

I believe that we teachers need to stand together next Tuesday and raise public awareness about the new Junior Cert. Beyond that we need to vote ‘Yes’ in the ballot for non-cooperation. Most people recognise that the Junior Cert needs reform. However, the JCSA is not what is needed. There are too many concerns for it to go ahead as it is. Lets work together to get our concerns addressed and give students a programme that will work and deliver for them.

By the way, the ASTI Nuacht outlining the protest and the ballot can be found here.

Why Putin will win at home

Posted on March 2, 2014 by johnkilleagh

Only the terminally uninterested in the world around them are currently unaware of what’s happening in the Ukraine at the moment. Following the ousting of President Yanukovych last week Russia has moved troops into the Crimea, and now the world is on a brink wondering how far this game will go.

How did thing get to this point? And what does Putin stand to gain?

The Rise of Putin

I lived in Russia from late 1998 to 2000, and for part of that time, Boris Yeltsin was president. When he first became president, Yeltsin was a hero. he, after all, was the man who stood on a tank to defend democracy. However, later in his Presidency Russia defaulted on foreign debt, and the currency crashed by a factor of 4 in August 2008. Things were grim. Yeltsin, by now was a joke. The man who would dance on stage with a girl-band; fail to get off a plane in Shannon; the man who lost respect on the world stage.

Enter Vladimir Putin.

Yeltsin appointed Putin as his Prime Minister in August 1999. On 31st December 1999 Yeltsin resigned unexpectedly, leaving Putin as acting president.

So, Putin takes power at a time when Russia was in a bad way. At the time many states there were receiving emergency food aid from the United States. Bribery & corruption were rampant, the head of the country had been a joke.

The economy was a shambles. For example, the wage for teachers at the time was about 200 roubles per week, or about €6. To add insult to that injury teachers wages were often months overdue.

Add to all of this the belief of many Russians that ‘Russia Needs A Strong Leader’. When I was there you would see the occasional march in memory of Stalin. They conveniently forget that Stalin managed to kill more Russians than Hitler did.

In his time in power Putin has changed a lot for normal Russians. Wages there are pretty good now. People have access to the benefits of having a good economy. People have pride in their country. Also, they have a president who potrays the image of the Real Russian Man. he swims in ice, he practices Judo, he’s sober.

It’s Never That Simple, Really.

Under Putin democracy has suffered. He has been in effective control since 2000. He now controls the media, and that brings a lot of power. Think about it. State only media in your own language. People don’t go so much for the foreign news outlets because of the language barrier.

So Russian people only get an approved version of what’s happening. Anywhere.

Many of Putin’s actions can be understood if you look at his view of what Russia is. His dream is of a strong and proud Russia. And I think that for him ‘Respect‘ can equate to ‘Fear of’. So:

Russia standing up for President Bashir in Syria? Russia gains by having a friendly regime in the area, as well as being seen as a player on the world stage.
Russia having the most expensive Olympics ever? Pride on the world stage.
Russia banning homosexuality? Doesn’t fit into Putin’s image of a proud & pure Russia.

How does this relate to The Ukraine?

When the Ukraine tried to forge closer ties with Europe last year this offended Putin’s vision. He wanted an alliance centred around Russia. Here was a country with a large Russian speaking population turning their backs on Mother Russia. Cue the Russian Speaking President Yanukovych from near the Russian border. The president cut the move towards Europe and went for the Russian offer of cheap gas.

This led to the protests that eventually led to his overthrow last week.

In Russia the people get a different story to what we get in the West.

Ethnic Russians are being attacked
There was a revolution
Our bases in the Crimea are under threat
There is chaos on our doorstep and we must move to stabilise the situation

And the West?

Well. There’s not a lot really that the West can do. Nobody wants to see an all-out war between Russia and the West. Even sanctions will have limited effect. Yes, the G8 members may boycott Sochi. Yes, the paralympics could even be boycotted. Yes there could be all sorts of diplomatic messages sent.

Putin will ignore the lot. And why? Because he chooses what the people at home will be told.

When this is over, however it ends, Putin believes he will have strengthened the image of a strong and proud Russia. And that is just the message that the Russian people will hear. Will they believe it? Absolutely. After all, this is the man who has brought them more wealth and stability.

John Hurley

A few rambling thoughts