In this episode I reflect on the challenges faced by the primary education system in 2024 and offer ten reasons for possible optimism in 2025. Topics include improvements in special education, the potential of artificial intelligence in classrooms, the evolving role of patronage in schools, the impact of new educational technology, and the hope for a competent new Minister for Education. I also discuss the significance of the new primary maths curriculum, the extension of the primary language curriculum to include foreign languages, and the importance of embracing teacher diversity. I conclude with a call to return the focus of education to pedagogy rather than reducing schools to childminding services.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:33 Reflecting on 2024 and Looking Ahead

01:48 Special Education: Challenges and Hopes

07:06 The Exciting Future of Technology in Education

13:04 The Patronage System in Schools

18:11 Hopes for a New Minister of Education

20:36 The Shift from Twitter to Instagram for Educators

25:03 Social Media Exodus: From Twitter to Instagram

26:13 New Primary Maths Curriculum: Hopeful Changes

28:48 School Meals Program: Pros and Cons

34:49 Primary Language Curriculum: Modern Foreign Languages

36:19 Teacher Diversity and the Baptism Barrier

43:10 Looking Forward to 2025: A Call to Action

Hello?

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Hello.

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You're very welcome to if I were the

minister for education from anseo.net.

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A regular podcast where I delve

into the world of primary education

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and let you know what I would do.

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If I were the minister for

education, this is Simon Lewis.

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If you enjoy this podcast, please

feel free to subscribe on your

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favorite podcasting platform.

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And if you'd like to leave a review.

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It will be very much appreciated

as it helps other people to

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find the podcast more easily.

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Happy new year to you all.

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It's 2025.

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Boy, am I glad to see 20, 24 gone?

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If you listen to my review of 2024.

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You won't be surprised to hear that.

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I felt it was a quite a downbeat year.

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Where the primary education system.

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I really was it after in terrible

neglect and the world seemed to be

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descending into war, a moral panic.

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But I decided what I would do

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Was to find some reasons to be cheerful

and I did my very best to find 10

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reasons to be slightly optimistic

about 20, 25 about this year.

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And.

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Look, I don't know if

you'll agree with me.

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I am clutching at straws,

to be honest with you.

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A lot of the time, but sure.

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Look.

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If you can't be positive on the start of

the year, when can you be positive at all?

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I'm sure I will look back on this

episode after a hundred a year.

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I'm wondering what was I thinking?

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I had, I really enjoyed my.

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Winter break far too much,

but look, let's get into it.

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And I got to go with my very first one.

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And my very first reason to be

potentially hopeful rather than

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cheerful is towards the end of the year.

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I was recording a podcast.

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It was called access on Dawn

and essentially it was charging.

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The collapse of special

education in Ireland.

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Effectively.

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Since COVID any SNA

access had been frozen.

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Like unofficially, but officially as well.

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Essentially the.

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Really the way it was

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That was all you were going to have.

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And with the rise of, and the significant

rise of children with additional needs

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in classrooms, all over the country,

Aptar cane, developing skills, but in

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all schools, Having the same level of SNA

support really wasn't going to cautious.

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And as I was charging the demise and the

collapse of special education and saying

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that it was probably going, we would look

back on this in 50 years time in much

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the way that we look back at corporal

punishment in schools, in the 20th century

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and the sexual abuse case of the Catholic

church, that the way we treat children

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with additional needs in this country

would be the Scandal of the 21st century.

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And then all of a sudden, out

of the blue I went to a, a

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local town principal's meeting.

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And people were telling me, principals are

telling me that they had applied for SNA

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reviews and they were succeeding for the

first time people were saying, yeah, I got

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an extra SNA or I got an extra three SNS.

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And I was thinking, this is very unusual.

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And I spoke to my colleagues and

they said, yeah, this is a good

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time probably to apply for S and

a access if you're short of it.

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So.

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Lo and behold I did, and I applied

for an extra S and a, in our special

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class and we were successful.

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And.

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I'm about to apply for an SNA review

and have done all the paperwork for it.

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And it's again.

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Much less.

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Than I would have been used

to even this time last year.

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And I've been speaking to our.

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To, I've gone to these subtle workshops,

or I don't know what they're called

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radio, but they're not webinars because

you actually go to them physically,

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but you go to a presentation.

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I believe they're called and.

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You're being told.

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Yeah, we have S and A's that we're

going to be, we be, be giving we're

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going to be reviewing every school

at least once every two years to

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make sure that they have enough.

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Special needs assistance and this

good, or if they have too many and.

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When I was doing my sort of review.

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Of special education, how it's collapsed.

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Part of.

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The review of it.

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And when I was looking into, as it

was, there were a lot of schools.

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Who were holding onto what they had,

even if their numbers were reducing.

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And, I think some of those may find

themselves not so hopeful about 20,

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25, but for schools that have grown.

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In the last five years and for schools

that have grown in terms of the number

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of children with significant care needs.

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I think 20, 25 could be an

interesting gear because schools

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are going to be reevaluated for

SMA access once every two years.

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And his possible.

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Because of this, that up to

50% of schools will have had.

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There.

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SNA allocation reviewed.

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And it may.

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B.

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At a level.

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Not seen.

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For over half a decade, maybe for, even

over a decade because schools have been

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too nervous to try and apply for supports.

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And so it gives me some hope.

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Special education at the moment.

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Obviously.

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There's a loss.

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To be seen.

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And over the next year or two as

to how that's going to pan out.

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We're playing a huge amount of catch up.

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Schools are not getting the

level of support that they need.

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Before Christmas, there was a general

election and I think any bad news.

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Would have been risky and at

the general election is over

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and we voted in the same people.

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Will there be a bit of complacency and

they'll just say, give nothing anymore.

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So.

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I'm saying I'm hopeful.

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Rather than being.

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Optimistic.

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But there definitely has been a change.

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And I can't say it's anything

to do with anything I've done.

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I was on the television there

in August talking about the

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collapse of special education.

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I did my special education.

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A podcast.

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Lots of principals around the

country and P I, Percy groups, having

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talking about special education.

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Maybe.

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Maybe things are changing for the better.

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It gives me a little bit of hope.

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It's in fact, if I was to say.

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My biggest hope for 2025.

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It would be potential improvement and

they're starting from a very low base.

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In special education.

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I think it remains to be seen.

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Who's going to be the minister

for special education.

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Will there be a minister

for special education?

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We'll just be again, trying to

put bums on seats or are they

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actually going to properly resource?

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So that is my number one.

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Hope for 2025.

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My second hope for 2025.

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Is.

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More.

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More optimistic.

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Let's say the special education,

because it's happening.

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It's definitely happening.

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And.

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It's basically the technology is

starting to be exciting again.

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It feels like 2008.

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Do you remember when the interactive

whiteboards came along and everyone

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was getting really excited about

these magic boards and what they could

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do, and everyone was, trying to get.

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Everyone's saving a bolder life, save the

school's life savings to buy these boards.

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And it was very exciting.

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I remember at the time I was giving a lot

of training to teachers and as I remember.

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A couple of weeks over,

I think by three years.

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What I did was I got every well, every

company that was selling interactive

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whiteboards to lend me their interactive

whiteboard for summer courses that

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it's for by four or five years.

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And got teachers and just try

them out and practice each one

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and decide which ones they liked.

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And find out information about why

they liked them and so on and so forth.

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And it was a really exciting time.

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And.

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Really since then.

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Things became slightly dull.

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I am.

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I wasn't.

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I haven't really been that

excited about technology.

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Until now, and the reason I'm

excited about technology now.

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Is because of artificial intelligence.

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I think artificial intelligence.

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And I don't think I'm alone in saying this

is as revolutionary as when the internet.

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Came out.

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I love how people are having

the same reaction to AI as they

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did with the, when the internet

started coming into the schools.

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When there were saying that.

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Children won't have to

learn anything ever again.

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That a, there.

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It's going to destroy the education

system and so on and so forth.

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And in some ways, there's a

lots and lots of knots to be, be

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careful of when it comes to AI.

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But overall, I feel that AI

could be the next revolution.

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And education.

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If we use it properly now.

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History will have taught us that.

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When it comes to technology, we tend to

be fairly conservative when it, when we

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got to the interactive whiteboard worlds.

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We never really embraced what it

could really do and to be fair.

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And I think I'm not being too harsh here.

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Most people.

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Don't really use the interactivity

on their interactive whiteboard.

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As.

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Best they could.

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In some ways it's a large TV screen.

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Where teachers show YouTube videos.

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Most of the time.

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I'd say if we're being honest to

theirselves, I think we miss a trick

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when it comes to direct whiteboards.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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I found myself from 2008, until

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to use them in meaningful ways.

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And I suppose by 20 12, 20 13, It just

became another piece of furniture.

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I dunno, I, I suppose I compared

it to do, the magic door in Bosco.

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Where, people could bring their

children's somewhere on a screen.

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And watch what was going on

rather than interact with us.

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I think AI has the risk of the same,

you're going to have the magic best,

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everyone's going to be really excited.

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Like in the interactive whiteboard

board days, it was like, oh

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my God, look what it can do.

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Look what this magic pen can do.

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And the teacher basically being

in charge of what I could do.

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I think with AI, we run the same risk

where teachers may just say, Chachi

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PT, would he make me a lesson plan

to teach X, Y, and Zed or Chuck or

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using these apps like differs and

others, which are all very good and

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all very nice and all very early.

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And I'm doing a lot of work in AI.

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Over the last couple of years.

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And I've been playing around with it.

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And the more, a more I'm using it,

the less impressed I am about to

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generate of artificial intelligence.

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So that's the stuff where AI makes

things for you, makes pictures

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or makes lesson plans and so on.

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Once you get over the magic of what

they do become very samey and when I'm.

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What I find artificial intelligence

very good for is working

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with large amounts of data.

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And analyzing it and using

it and being inspired by it.

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And I'm doing a few add

little things with that.

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I like how it's do you know

what I find the power of it is?

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It's like a good assistant,

which is what I'm using it for.

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I'm just a little bit of

a plug for the new year.

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I'm designed a sad little

app called sclera are skirt.

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Sorry, skirt.

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I don't even know the name, my

own app, which is Irish for swipe.

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And what I've done is I've

used artificial intelligence.

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To help me.

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Get it.

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Get a table of information.

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And display it nicely in an app.

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Now I haven't coded properly

since I was in college.

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So what I'm using artificial intelligence

with, is this a code assistant?

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So I have the bare bones, but

what I did need to do was help me.

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With swiping, for example,

I don't know how to do it.

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There was no such thing as

swiping when I was in college.

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So I asked Chachi PT to help me

write a program which allowed me to.

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Swipe.

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So I've got like this.

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This app called skirt as C O I R R.

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You can find a mashed up plus

slash skirt and you could restore.

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And you can have a look at that.

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And what it does is

there's over a thousand.

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Ideas for playful mats ideas for infants.

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And I'm going to add to that as I go

on I think it's a, a nice, simple way

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to use AI, but also I think this is

what teachers could use AI for as an

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assistant to ask questions, to help.

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With what they're doing already.

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Ah, rather than generating stuff.

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For them.

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So I think there's a lot to say about AI.

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I might do an entire

episode on AI this year.

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And I do.

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Every couple of weeks, I send a

newsletter out, which you can subscribe

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to on Shaw dot Nash slash a newsletter.

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Or subscribe.

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I can't remember.

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I think it is on shot

dot Nash slash subscribe.

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And you can have a look at some AI

tips that I give every couple of weeks,

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but I might do a podcast on AI, maybe

talk to somebody who's been using

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AI in primary level as well, which

I think might be interesting too.

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Let's move on to reasons to be hopeful.

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Number three.

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I think time is finally running out

to ignore the big elephant in the

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room that I harp on and on about

every time I put the microphone in

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front of me and that is patronage.

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I think if anything happened.

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In 2024.

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The excuses were starting to run out

for our patron led education system.

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There are so many children now opted

out of religious faith formation in

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religious run schools that it is becoming.

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Almost impossible to justify.

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Having the amount of religious

run schools in the country at 96%.

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It shouldn't even be, to be

honest with you, it should be 0%.

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We shouldn't have schools.

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I run along any form of patronage.

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And one of the things that I was

pontificating as the year was going on.

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Is I think when I talk about

patronage, I tend to talk about

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religion and why we need to get rid

of religion in schools and so on.

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But then, as the year is going on,

I'm thinking, okay, that I know

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how that might sound to somebody

working in a religious school.

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I get the, I got that whole automatic

defensiveness that if somebody gives out

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about something, even if you, even, if

you know what the person is saying is

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right, the defensiveness that is natural.

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Like I was having a chat to

someone, a friend of mine.

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And this is the best way I can explain it.

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You know when I'm listening

to the rhetoric around Israel

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and Palestine, even though.

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I am absolutely.

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Opposed to the revisionist

Zionists system in Israel.

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And I'm a poured by the murdering of

innocent people by the Israeli government.

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I'm absolutely appalled

by the whole thing.

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Whenever I see people, saying

things like Jesus was a Palestinian,

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it really, I got that arch.

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Because, I am a logical buyer to me.

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It's going, I get why

people are saying this.

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And in some ways, I got I got the logic

behind it and why there may be right.

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And what they're saying in some ways,

even if they're not particularly

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right, But I think it's that.

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Movement in that.

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Defensives because it does a slight

kind of denial or an erasure of Jesus's

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Jewishness that say in a way I'm because

even though I don't practice at all my.

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With the might the faith I was

brought up and I can see, I still

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have that slight defensiveness.

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If Judaism is attacked in a way,

even though I don't really have.

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Too much link to it.

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Apart from my own heritage.

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And I was talking to an

American friend of mine.

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And there were saying, whenever

people come out about Donald Trump,

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Even though they would be a Democrat,

like through it, there would be

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anti-Trump through and through.

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It's just this idea of oh, Americans are

so stupid and they get this sort of every

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time people give out about Donald Trump,

even though it makes no sense to do so.

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And I think if I'm giving out

a bite, when I'm giving eyes by

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Catholic schools, people who work in

Catholics, We were raised Catholic.

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I can imagine not same feeling

that defensiveness that is natural.

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So I saw, I've been pondering

on this quite a bit.

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And again, I'll, I am going to do a

podcast of this later as well in the year.

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Both.

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It's around it.

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I have to get away from the idea of.

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Fighting this.

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On a religious ground, even though

that's how schools are more or less.

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Set up to be divided along religious

patrons, but really even if they were

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divided on a different type of thing,

dif different divisions that say, not

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religions, let's say on race, or let's

say on gender, or let's say on whatever.

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Class or something like that.

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And I know.

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Some somebody might argue that they

sometimes, you could argue some

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of these things are happening in

particular gender, for example.

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Both.

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You know what I'm saying is

it doesn't really matter how

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they're divided the problem.

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Isn't the religion.

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It's actually the patronage model itself.

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The fact that every school is a private

school is bizarre and shocking and it's,

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you can see how the weaknesses, the flaws.

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Have it happen?

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And I suppose what I'm trying to say

really is what I'm hopeful for is those

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reasons are starting to come to a head.

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Now, whether it's gender, we can't

have single gender schools at anymore.

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It's just, it makes no sense.

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We can't have schools where

half the children are opted

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out of a large part of the day.

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We can't have schools that are

divided on any kind of thing.

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You just need to go to your local

primary school or your, or any school

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that you choose to go to should

give you the same opportunities.

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school.

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School elsewhere, this whole idea

of parentage choice, or even the

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fact that the schools are being

run for parents, we need to start

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questioning those sorts of things.

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And I see that happening in 2025,

I think we might start to have

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those conversations of what is

school for what is patronage for.

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So.

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It's a possibility for our

discussions, so anyway that's

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my third reason to be hopeful.

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We may stop.

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We may have to stop ignoring

the idea of patronage.

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Let's move on to number four.

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Probably the most

obvious one is we should.

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We should have a new

minister for education.

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It's no guarantee.

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Norma photo might be.

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I put back in the seat if she wants to.

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I don't know if she does.

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I think she burned enough bridges

at this stage where another stint.

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For another few years would be a disaster,

not only for her, but also for all us.

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I feel that I'm not, it's not, I know

you have to blame the minister for

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education, for the object and neglect.

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Of the education system over

the last five or six years.

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But I think she's been

just really badly advised.

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Bye.

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Ah, the people working in the

department of education where they've

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effectively reduced, or they been

systematically reducing the primary

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education sector to this child-minding

service, where you give goodies to

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parents, free school books, free buses,

free lunches, this kind of thing,

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instead of focusing on pedagogy and.

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What we're going to see.

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If we don't change things is.

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We're going to fall down

those those rankings.

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In the, whether they're

peas or whatever they are.

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And my fear is, people will take

advantage of this slip because

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the slip is going to happen.

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For sure.

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And people are going to put the blame

it on the most vulnerable people.

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So they're going to blame

children from migrant backgrounds.

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They're going to blame minoritized people.

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They're going to blame kids with

additional needs are going to blame

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people rather than actually really that.

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The object neglect.

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Of of what's been going on

in the education system.

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It's been really horrendous in my view.

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So I'm hopeful.

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We might get a good

administer of education.

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Now I shortlisted 10 people who I believe.

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Are going to be the next minutes of

education and there's any one of them.

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That I think.

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Could be interesting.

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Now.

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That gives this makes this a

very long shot in terms of hope.

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But if we get the right person,

who's brave enough to tackle

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the neglect of the system.

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It could be the end.

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I think of a very stagnant era.

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Which we've had for about a decade.

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It's not all one minister we've had.

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I think we, it there's been

stagnation really since.

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Just after Richard Bruton.

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I think Richard Britton was the last

interesting minister for education.

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So we need a bit of life.

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We need someone who's on the opp and I

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we have a good minister for education.

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It's a long shot though.

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I will admit.

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Number five.

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We saw the collapse.

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Of ax or Twitter over

the last couple of years.

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And I think most people agree.

428

It's not a good place anymore

for good pedagogical discussion.

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It used to be.

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I remember not that long ago, 5, 6,

7 years ago, where every Monday night

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we a lot of teachers would sit around

their laptops with the hashtag ed chat.

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E on a topic and you'd be discussing.

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And really interesting things

about the education system and.

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It was brilliant.

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I loved it.

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I'd nearly, if I was given an offer to

do something else on the Monday night,

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I'd I wouldn't take it so I could sit in

front of my laptop for an hour discussing.

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Education with other educators and

it was brilliant, but Twitter and ax

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is just it's fallen the Sunder and.

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Since, there's been a, kind of an

Exodus from a lot of peoples in last

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few months, I've been looking around

the place for a potential new home.

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Should I finish with Twitter?

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I don't think Georgia's completely digest.

444

I think it will.

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I think it's going.

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I think.

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A lot of people who've jumped, shipped.

448

Who've jumped ship may come back to it.

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But it isn't in a healthy place.

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It's in a very unhealthy

place at the moment.

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And from looking at the various

options that are out there for

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me, Instagram is where the most

interesting pedagogy is happening.

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It's there's a kind of a.

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I dunno, they're not either,

they're not a new generation

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is, old and young their books.

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Again, a younger space of teacher

influencers who sometimes get ridiculed,

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but I think they're wonderful people

I've I, I see them in action on websites.

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I run my mashed.

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IE.

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Where a lot of these teachers are active.

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And they've great ideas.

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And what they're doing

is they're finding joy.

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In the space where education can

happen, which is in their classrooms.

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And it's quite simple, really.

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They ignore the systematic structural

things and possibly because they

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can, because they're part of that

structure and part of that system.

467

But having said that.

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They are in the main, sharing.

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They're joy and it's like what.

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People like me.

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And others were doing back in the

early part of the noughties where

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we were desperately trying to find.

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Teachers to share people were

really reluctant to share.

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People had lots of stuff on their

laptops and they weren't sharing.

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And I set up on shot on Nash.

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Interestingly enough, as a place where

people could share their resources.

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I also set up mash then a few years later

to, for people to share the resources.

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For no reward whatsoever.

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And it was just, they flopped completely.

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Whereas now people are freely

sharing the resources and it's

481

actually quite a lovely space.

482

In many ways there's good

debate that goes on now.

483

It's not all lovely nicey kind of thing.

484

Although there is a lot

of lovely nicey things.

485

Yeah, you need to have a little

bit more confidence that putting

486

your face in front of a camera.

487

And there's a lot of teachers doing

that and some of them are brilliant.

488

It's great to see that kind of stuff.

489

And then we also have.

490

Some interesting teachers.

491

Coming to the forefront.

492

I just noticed once day I didn't

catch their name, but we're getting

493

a bit more diversity, which is

interesting because there is zero.

494

Pretty much.

495

There's very, almost zero diversity in

the education sphere, Irish education

496

sphere on Twitter, for example.

497

But I've already bumped into

a couple of teachers who are

498

Muslim or black and Irish.

499

And And it's interesting

that they're not using their.

500

That's not the intention,

but their ethnicity.

501

Is there a unique selling point let's

say, and they're using it for good.

502

And they're trying to help.

503

Irish teachers see.

504

They're see their work and how it can

be complimentary to the classroom.

505

And I'm not saying that

in a patronizing way.

506

I loved.

507

The one I found today.

508

It's the tagline that I loved.

509

She's an Irish.

510

A teacher.

511

But you said I am the teacher.

512

You and I never had, I told

him that was a great tagline.

513

And she's spreading.

514

An immense amount of useful.

515

An excellent information for how to teach.

516

Diversity to teach about diversity.

517

Be a diverse.

518

Sort of person within a very

own diverse, if that's a word.

519

System.

520

I just think to be honest

with you, I think Instagram.

521

Is where things are asked.

522

I presume Facebook is where things are

out a little bit as well, but Instagram

523

and Facebook are the same thing.

524

I left Facebook a while ago in a way.

525

I'm laughing.

526

No, you can never leave any of these

places, but I believe there's some

527

stuff going on in there in groups.

528

That's what I hear young people are doing.

529

They're going to groups,

but what I'm seeing really.

530

Is that it's, if we're going to,

if Twitter has gone into a blaze

531

of flaming tires, I'm afraid young

teachers were coming over to join you.

532

I'm sorry to read.

533

I remember when I when I was

on Facebook, I don't remember.

534

My dad joined Facebook and

I thought it's all over now.

535

Ready?

536

Ah, I imagined this is the equivalent

for all these young teachers.

537

They're gonna have to find a new

space where they can avoid us old.

538

I'm older, I'm not old, older narky,

cynical people, but I'm going to try and

539

be joyful and try and give some positive.

540

As Stefan Instagram, as well

as my usual rant as well.

541

I've started there.

542

If you want to have a look

it's on shot dot Nash is my

543

tag or whatever you call it.

544

It's not even a tag.

545

It's an account.

546

Anyway, so well done to Instagram.

547

I think you're going to be.

548

The benefactor.

549

Of the Exodus from Twitter.

550

Number six.

551

The new primary maths

curriculum for me is.

552

Potentially a reason to be hopeful.

553

And when it was introduced, I think

the size of our leaf could be heard.

554

Across the nation across the land,

because it wasn't actually all that bad.

555

And to be honest with you, and this is

only my view because the people who are.

556

I suppose who have written,

this would argue against me.

557

I'd say very strongly.

558

I don't see it as any different

from the previous curriculum.

559

I don't see a different at all, whatever,

560

curriculum is very much the same as what

561

And.

562

The thing is what happened.

563

I was in the 1999 curriculum.

564

They managed to make Matt

a little bit more active.

565

They call it active learning.

566

That was the buzzword in 1999 in 2025.

567

They've just essentially.

568

Change the word active learning

to playful learning, but

569

everything else remains the same.

570

They were trying to move away

571

I think they failed.

572

And in 2025, they're

trying to do the same.

573

I can see what they're trying to do.

574

It feels like a bit of a, rather than

a new curriculum, it feels like a bit

575

of a kick, the RS kind of curriculum.

576

Basically.

577

You didn't do it in 1999.

578

Odds.

579

You got to do it now.

580

Are they going to learn from.

581

I don't know, there was a kind

582

There's still teachers out there

teaching the 12 times tables.

583

For example, there's still

teachers doing borrow and pay back.

584

For a subtraction.

585

There's still teachers who are

only teaching nominal to patient

586

long division board way, rather

than using different methodologies.

587

Are we going to see.

588

A little bit of meat.

589

To the primary maths curriculum

where those kinds of practices that.

590

I should have been in the history books

from, well before the 99 curriculum.

591

Are they going to be a bit

stronger now and insisting.

592

That we teach the math curriculum.

593

In the way it should be.

594

And the way it should

595

I'm going to S I'm going to

say yes, I think they will.

596

I hope they do.

597

Maps.

598

Was one of my favorite subjects to teach.

599

In fact, that's how I got

started in teacher training.

600

I was a math tutor.

601

For the PCSP, was that what it was

called or whatever it is called now?

602

I also worked FiberNet college as the

lead maths person for a good few years.

603

I love the subject.

604

I love to see a top.

605

Wow.

606

Boss.

607

And I think this is a good opportunity.

608

For it to be taught

well, so I hope it will.

609

Number seven.

610

I'm

611

I'm reluctant to say it's it's I, it, this

is a positive in a way because it, okay.

612

Let's get the positive out of the way.

613

For want of a.

614

For, for want of a

better way of putting us.

615

Every school child in Ireland is

going to be fed hot lunch every day.

616

And I don't think.

617

That's a negative thing.

618

I think it's really good.

619

That we're now in an education

system where every single child,

620

no matter where they come from.

621

Who they are.

622

What their background is his day can

have a hot school meal every day.

623

Now for the negative.

624

My problem with the school meals program.

625

Is the same problem I have with patronage.

626

We have nearly.

627

Three and a half thousand schools all

individually doing their own thing.

628

When it comes to launches

and having to individually.

629

Decide which company is going to

provide their lunches and so on.

630

And this means it's a

complete logistical disaster.

631

And.

632

I just.

633

I don't know if there's

any way back from it.

634

But it would have made so much more sense.

635

To me.

636

Instead of every school out in their own.

637

That.

638

Different areas.

639

Would well, and this wouldn't

be the schools during it.

640

It's maybe the education centers, maybe

the V E T B is maybe, I don't know

641

what it would be, but some section

would put out a tender to companies.

642

At basically a, you hear

as a chunk of 100 schools.

643

You are responsible for the

catering of school meals program.

644

If for these a hundred.

645

Schools or whatever they might be.

646

And.

647

It doesn't take a genius to see

how that would work much better.

648

I think as well as that.

649

We still have the silliness where

we give children 10 minutes to

650

Gorge to end their food, because we

don't have enough time for breaks.

651

I understand that's going to be,

that's a difficult thing we would have

652

to possibly extend the school day.

653

My thing would be let's get rid of

the patrons program and you've got

654

an instant half an hour every day.

655

Where you don't have to do that.

656

I, and again, this is

part of the whole, no.

657

The unnecessary nurse.

658

Of having patrons.

659

And I think that might be a way where

we could basically, as if we got rid

660

of all patrons, we could actually feed

children in a more systematic way.

661

But then, again, you have more problems.

662

He see I'm unraveling this kind of,

I always talk about the nuts and the

663

school system that you have to unravel.

664

When we're doing it, when we're talking

about anything, we have so many schools

665

that don't have the facilities to provide

school lunches in a centralized place.

666

We should, every school should

have a canteen where children

667

come in and eat their lunches.

668

Of course we don't have that.

669

So.

670

There's all this kind of stuff.

671

And I just put it at the same time.

672

I just feel.

673

We have structured.

674

This is.

675

Is really dreadful.

676

And if you were a principal,

And you went to the IPP Ana.

677

Expo.

678

This year, the conference this year.

679

Who had the biggest stands

throughout the expo who had, who

680

was giving away so much stuff?

681

It was the lunch companies.

682

It was a school meals company.

683

There is money.

684

I like a huge money being made.

685

From the scheme.

686

And.

687

I don't begrudge any of those

companies making that money.

688

But It's the waste.

689

It's the waste of money.

690

This could have been a

much cheaper program.

691

It could have been rolled

out much more sensibly.

692

And so on.

693

And you also would have better quality

control, all that sort of stuff.

694

I just get the feeling that we're

going to go down the same road as

695

Britain did, where, kids are going

to be having the Irish equivalent of

696

Turkey Twizzlers on menus because.

697

You can't manage three and a half

days in schools, individual choices.

698

And you can already see, do you know.

699

The guidelines that are out there.

700

Are there?

701

Not that it's not that they're bad.

702

Put their guidelines, they're, and

there's guidelines are guidelines

703

and then the food, the money

that's given towards each meal.

704

Look it's S.

705

The system and the structures for us.

706

Could have been a lot better.

707

But then.

708

Coming right back to the first time

I said, You have to also see that.

709

Every child is getting a hot school meal.

710

The other thing I'll say about

this is do we make a compulsory.

711

Like they do in Finland

and Sweden, actually.

712

I don't know if it's.

713

It's a Finland it's sweetened.

714

Definitely that's compulsory

Devin school meal.

715

They reduce heart rate

a heart problems by 50%.

716

Within 20 years of the

school meals program.

717

I don't know for, because we don't do

make it compulsory because children

718

have enough time to eat and because the

quality of the food just, I don't think.

719

Is.

720

CA.

721

Can be a good enough because

how are you going to manage.

722

3000, 200 different private organizations.

723

For the and the demands of each child for

If you were to roll this out properly.

724

And let's say, There would be

the companies would come in.

725

There would be a canteen in the school.

726

It will be like a buffet service.

727

Like it is in civilized

countries like in Scandinavia.

728

And there wouldn't be like 20

things on a menu to choose from.

729

It.

730

Wouldn't all be just

prepare pre-made cheap food.

731

It will be good, fresh

cooked me a loads of it.

732

And children were going eat what they.

733

Eat the bits that they want.

734

So there could be a solid bar.

735

There would be like a meat, there'll be

a vegetarian option to be vegetables.

736

It'd be rice to be cost

cause this kind of thing.

737

Or whatever.

738

I'm not saying these are healthy foods.

739

I'm not a dietician.

740

But it just could have been a lot better.

741

And it annoys me that it just fit in

to this patronage system that we have.

742

And I don't know if we can

ever pull it back from it.

743

But every child is being fed of hot lunch,

or at least as the ability to be fed.

744

A hot lunch.

745

Let's move on to number eight.

746

As we move into over half an hour here.

747

Oh, I think the primary

language curriculum, this.

748

The extension to us where we have modern

foreign languages as they're known.

749

And I think.

750

I think this is a positive thing.

751

I'm not sold exactly in

how it's going to work.

752

In fact, I don't know

how it's going to work.

753

But I'm more positive about it

than I was after going on a course.

754

On teaching languages.

755

I feel there's a bit of excuse making

saying, oh, you don't need to speak a,

756

another language to be able to teach the

other languages and all the rest of us.

757

But I'm not a hundred percent convinced.

758

Of all that.

759

But.

760

I do think it's.

761

I do think it's a positive thing.

762

We have to be teaching.

763

More than English and Irish.

764

Again, ideally.

765

We would have a system.

766

Where we would have lots of schools

that have access to different

767

teachers who would come along

to different schools and so on.

768

I probably be bunk Irish into, in

with modern foreign languages as well.

769

I know that's unpopular book.

770

I think realistically, if we're

going to rescue the Irish language,

771

we either all have to come grouse.

772

Or we Richie's growl got to the equivalent

of every other language that's out there.

773

I have a, I'm more positive than

I am negative about the languages

774

program that might be coming in.

775

I just hope we do it properly.

776

History will teach us

that it will be done.

777

Thrift glee and it won't work, but.

778

At the same time, maybe it will.

779

And I have to be hopeful.

780

This is about things I'm excited about.

781

This is that I'm hopeful about it

doesn't necessarily mean I'm hope

782

I'm, I believe it's going to happen,

but I do hope it's going to happen.

783

That's move on to number nine and

pray on it's about teachers this time.

784

And I think, and I, it comes

back to the two teachers.

785

I would talk with my badge on Instagram.

786

They're.

787

The idea of embracing teacher

diversity, I think would I think.

788

We're going there a little bit.

789

I've seen teachers from different

backgrounds as starting to

790

speak in the media a little bit.

791

I'm seeing.

792

That some of them have a voice and some

of them are saying very sensible things.

793

There's a little bit of innocence there.

794

There aren't enough of them.

795

There's a risk of tokenism from schools

where they got one teacher from my

796

diverse background and all of a sudden

they become like the I dunno, the boss.

797

Have a diverse teachers,

they become tokenistic.

798

They're the teacher, who the, the

children from diverse backgrounds

799

go to as a representative.

800

There's all those risks

that are happening.

801

But at the central at all, we

have the baptism barrier still

802

firmly in place for teachers.

803

So what I mean by that is if you're a

teacher in 90% of primary schools in

804

the country, You are supposed to have a

certificate in sick fact, it's expected

805

that you will have a certificate.

806

And Catholic religious teaching.

807

For, even though these.

808

I find them.

809

Ah, I find that I find them

tiresome really nowadays.

810

I as I said, I liked some

of them on a personal level.

811

But when you hear that, the likes of

these people who worked for Catholic

812

organizations saying, did you don't

need to be Catholic to have the

813

Catholic certificate and religious and

education's professional qualification.

814

That's baloney.

815

Absolute baloney.

816

As judge Judy would say.

817

The reason for the certificate and

Catholic religious education is to

818

pass on the word of God on to children.

819

It is a missionary.

820

Qualification, it qualifies you

to pass on the faith formation

821

to children and who is.

822

Worst.

823

At providing faith

formation in a religion.

824

I answered the question.

825

It's a person who doesn't

share that religion.

826

I find it bizarre.

827

Th there's a lot of people

who will say, oh, let's show

828

you don't have to believe in.

829

Just to pass it on, but can you imagine.

830

And maybe, look actually want

to say, I don't believe it.

831

I can't believe it because it's not what

parents are doing almost all the time.

832

Do you know?

833

They're like, They send their

kids to Catholic schools.

834

And the only thing they care

about is making the commute.

835

In fact, I've had people coming up to

me saying I would've sent my kid to your

836

school because I believe in equality.

837

I believe in diversity.

838

I believe in all this.

839

But, you don't do the, you don't

do sacramental preparation.

840

I don't even believe in God, myself.

841

And you're like, you.

842

Invested.

843

Your child's education because you

wanted to have a party in second class.

844

I have said this to them and they're

like, yeah when you put it that way,

845

And then the Dendera pissed off of me,

obviously, because, anyway it's it.

846

I can, so I can see exactly why

these people are saying it because

847

everyone's bought into the lie of

you don't have to be religious.

848

To teach religion.

849

But this is really great guy.

850

I know he's a very strict.

851

he's a lovely, easy is actually a

good person because he believes in his

852

faith and he does take it seriously.

853

Really seriously.

854

Robert Nugent is his name.

855

Look him up on YouTube.

856

He's Really into religion.

857

So much so that it puts the, what's

called the bouncy castle Catholics

858

off because, oh no, he's too.

859

Or that just, but he's very sensible.

860

And he turned to you.

861

I coined this phrase and I don't know if

he even knows he coined the phrase, but I

862

always quoted is a faith is not a subject.

863

Like it's so different.

864

To pass on a fate pass on a poor.

865

Belief in a existential thing,

like a God of some sort.

866

And to do that, you.

867

Deposits are passing on a flame.

868

That's what's more like.

869

It's not like it's it, you cannot

pass on a flame without a flame.

870

It's you have to believe

what you're doing.

871

And as I said, It really annoys me

that the people who are in charge

872

of Catholic education are basically.

873

Saying you don't do that.

874

What kind of Catholics

are they themselves?

875

I ask that's a question I'm

asking really, but thankfully.

876

We have excellent advocates,

education, equality, who I am.

877

Very much proud to I'm very proud to

be part of their of their lobby group.

878

Constantly putting out stories

about how the faith formation in

879

schools is affecting our teachers.

880

And the stories that come out every

day from being passed over from, for

881

promotion, from being pretty much told

to shut up and put up or put up and

882

shut up whatever order that comes in.

883

For teachers who don't believe in.

884

In God has been affected by the

Catholic church in a very bad way.

885

Being forced.

886

To have a priest rub ashes on

their forehead on Ashwin like

887

all these things that are just.

888

To me or shocking.

889

But probably aren't shocking to you.

890

And you're probably going back to

that point of the defensiveness.

891

That I talked about earlier

in the, in, in the show.

892

And, but just, if you think about

it, If you let's take yourself into

893

a different situation, let's say that

all schools were Muslim, for example,

894

because everyone picked some Muslims.

895

So why not?

896

Me and you were a teacher in

a Muslim school and you were

897

expected as a female teacher to.

898

Cover your head with a hijab

or perhaps with a burka.

899

Like.

900

How would you feel?

901

How would you feel every

day going into work?

902

That part of Europe, your identity.

903

Your identity.

904

Was you were, was.

905

Was not.

906

Being held in the same esteem.

907

As the identity of that school,

I don't think it's a good

908

feeling and to have that.

909

And that is how people feel

working in your, in the schools

910

that you seem to have this.

911

Cognitive dissonance for that.

912

Catholic enough, but not too Catholic.

913

If it's too caught.

914

I remember one of my favorite kind

of things that happens in education

915

was the Bishop of Waterford.

916

The the cried yoga.

917

In primary schools.

918

And, half the country we're

teaching yoga in Catholic schools.

919

And they all ridiculed.

920

At the Bishop rather

than actually going no.

921

He's absolutely right.

922

It is not a cash practice,

that it is a Buddhist practice.

923

And if you were purporting to be

someone who is on a mission to be a

924

Catholic teacher, you should be doing

Catholic practice on the equivalent.

925

Of yoga in a Catholic school is prayer.

926

But they don't want to

hear that kind of stuff.

927

And but.

928

Are the excuses running out.

929

Are they running Ash?

930

I'm hopeful.

931

They are.

932

I think in averagely, we have

more diversity in teaching.

933

Now, whether it's people who don't believe

in anything at all, to newer, to some of

934

the teachers that are propping it coming

into the system who have other faiths.

935

And in some ways it's

teachers of other faiths.

936

The can't pretend.

937

They just can't pretend because faith

is not a subject, it's your identity.

938

And I think it's really

important at keep that in mind.

939

When we're being hopeful.

940

Finally.

941

I couldn't really think of a 10th example,

particularly, but this is my number 10.

942

It just can't be any, can't be

943

20 to 24 was just one of the most

depressing years of my career.

944

I have to say, I love teaching.

945

I love education.

946

But 20, 24 made it really

hard to have that enthusiasm.

947

The world's falling apart.

948

More on the education system is what's

going beyond the point of neglect.

949

So 2025.

950

Just has to be better.

951

And I think we need.

952

20 to 25 to be better.

953

As I'm recording, this does

a promise of snow storm.

954

And it depresses me.

955

That's the beginning of the narrative

from the media on our education

956

system, that it isn't about learning.

957

It's about with our kids, be able

to go into school to be minded

958

because that's the narrative.

959

But I have faith.

960

That we might be able to take 20,

25 by the horns and drag it into

961

a pedagogical place, particularly

I think the new math curriculum,

962

I think the new foreign foreign

languages, modern foreign languages.

963

I think maybe.

964

Technology as well.

965

That does these three kind of

prongs that are quite exciting

966

and might get a bit of traction.

967

I think maybe the diversity that's

coming into our schools might make us.

968

Think about the ways we teach,

think about the ways we learn.

969

These are all these different things that

might, give some enthusiasm, some kind of.

970

Drive into pedagogy, perhaps a new

minister for education might do

971

something revolutionary, just these

are the things we have to hope for.

972

And.

973

In some ways.

974

That's what I'm going to hope for.

975

I'm going to spend this year.

976

Embracing and re-embracing my

love for technology and education.

977

I'm going to try and create something

interesting regularly in education.

978

Maybe the sess score.

979

App, maybe I've done.

980

A couple of things of coding

that I'm interested in.

981

I'm I may go back to running courses.

982

I don't know.

983

I'm not really sure.

984

But I do feel that this is the year

that we grabbed education back from it,

985

turning into a child-minding service.

986

And we need to do, if we do nothing else,

maybe this year, forget about all this.

987

I forgot about everything else.

988

Can we get etiquette?

989

Can we got pedagogy?

990

Can we get education back from

the people who are trying to

991

reduce it to childminding?

992

That's my call to action for you

993

Into the classroom.

994

It seems like a very

basic thing to ask for.

995

But yeah, it's been slipping

away for quite some time.

996

I think I'd sit for me for this week.

997

I hope you've enjoyed this Rouse for 2025.

998

I've gone on for about

three quarters of an hour.

999

I think that's more than

enough horizon for me.

00:46:03,692 --> 00:46:09,212

And I hope you enjoyed my 10 reasons to

be hopeful, maybe rather than cheerful

00:46:09,542 --> 00:46:13,802

until I see you the next time, please

ask, subscribe to my newsletter.

00:46:13,832 --> 00:46:17,312

If you'd like to hear more

from me on shaw.net/subscribe.

00:46:17,582 --> 00:46:18,932

And we'll chat to you next time.

00:46:19,052 --> 00:46:19,802

All the very best.

00:46:20,042 --> 00:46:20,672

Bye-bye.