What are the best secondary schools to teach in in Ireland?

Melilahoneybee

Hi Everyone!

I was just wondering if i could get some feedback from maybe more experienced teachers than myself about what types/ names of actual schools or areas (geographically) of the best secondary schools to teach in.
I am a NQT and teaching at the moment. I love it but the school i am in is quite tough/rough and i cant see myself in that sort of environment long term. I dont want to come across that i cant handle or understand that every school has discipline issues etc. But my actual issue is with school policy and follow through on matters within the school by that of a strong principal figure and staff which i think make a good school.
So to bring it all back to my point, what are the best secondary schools in this country even through word of mouth has anyone heard?

Cheers

evolving_doors

Hmm bit of a loaded question there op, ( I' ll avoid an AH type response a much as Im tempted)

Anyways... I get the feeling you want to teach your subject to a majority of students who are eager to go to college.

Basically check out the most recent school league tables in the papers. Start at the top and get posting with the cvs. Aim high.

Melilahoneybee

Hmmm interesting suggestion, i will do that!! Cheers!
And no, not wanting to teach students who are all aiming to head to college, just the ones who are even slightly interested in achieving something for themselves not looking for the doss and shouting **** off to teachers everyday. Its mostly good schools i am interested in rather than what type of students they have.

Thanks again

byhookorbycrook

To be perfectly blunt, it doesn't really matter what school you WANT to teach in, you'll be very lucky to get any work at all.I worked with secondary kids and found some from the "good" schools to be outright obnoxious, never mind their parents.

implausible

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

To be perfectly blunt, it doesn't really matter what school you WANT to teach in, you'll be very lucky to get any work at all.

Took the words right out of my mouth! Teaching is one job where you have virtually no choice in where you will end up working - you go where the job is, that is if you are lucky enough to find a job. Nowadays, there are two choices - grab a few hours wherever you can or don't; where doesn't come into it!

Something that does not seem to be addressed in the Dip is that you should not expect to be teaching the type of student that you probably were i.e. a huge proportion of teachers come from supportive middle-class backgrounds and schools, but this is not representative of society.

The most dissatisfied and bitter colleague in my school is a woman who feels she should be teaching in the convent down the road. Instead of dealing with the young people in front of her, she constantly frustrates herself and everyone else by wishing they were different.

Melilahoneybee

Thanks for the advice though I believe I must not be making my point clear. That is unfortunate about your colleague but do not mistake, I am neither one of those personality traits you mention she is. I am a teacher who has come from a disadvantaged background myself. Schools not students is what I'm talking about that is the problem they don't seem to be making a genuine effort to motivate their students and/ or discipline them, instilling some responsibility into their student body and all the while backing up the teachers with a little support from the higher ground. Therefore my question was where are the best schools (that will give that teacher/ student support).

gaeilgebeo

Melilahoneybee wrote: »

Thanks for the advice though I believe I must not be making my point clear. That is unfortunate about your colleague but do not mistake, I am neither one of those personality traits you mention she is. I am a teacher who has come from a disadvantaged background myself. Schools not students is what I'm talking about that is the problem they don't seem to be making a genuine effort to motivate their students and/ or discipline them, instilling some responsibility into their student body and all the while backing up the teachers with a little support from the higher ground. Therefore my question was where are the best schools (that will give that teacher/ student support).

I work in a DEIS Band 1 school in a very disadvantaged area.
I wouldn't swap schools for the world.
Management are not perfect and I can relate to some of your issues.
You can motivate/discipline and instil responsibility into your students in your own classroom/subject.
It can't always fall back on management.

A "good" school does not equal good "teacher/student support".
I have worked in a very "good" school in the past.
Management was dictated by the parents.
The pressure felt by teachers from parents was huge.
There was no let up.
Students had a superior attitude and you were there to get them an A and you were expected to go above and beyond your teaching hours to do this.
Be careful what you wish for.

Melilahoneybee

Ah interesting!! ^^^
Thank you for understanding and not judging my question as I am a NQT and just looking for a bit of constructive advice.
I will take everything you said into consideration! I am finding it difficult to discipline students or enforce rules when the other teachers aren't enforcing those same rules! And it also seems to me that the principal enough he is a good man with good intentions for the students seems a bit too relaxed with their lack of motivation maybe I'm just coming into this too new and judgemental?!
Thank you again for your advice

grainneg

Working in a variety of schools is all part of the job and will make you a better teacher. Get experience in as many schools and areas as you can. A student teacher/sub teacher will always get a harder time than a full time teacher so don't expect a walk in the park from day one! Just don't take it personally!

seavill

Melilahoneybee wrote: »

Thanks for the advice though I believe I must not be making my point clear. That is unfortunate about your colleague but do not mistake, I am neither one of those personality traits you mention she is. I am a teacher who has come from a disadvantaged background myself. Schools not students is what I'm talking about that is the problem they don't seem to be making a genuine effort to motivate their students and/ or discipline them, instilling some responsibility into their student body and all the while backing up the teachers with a little support from the higher ground. Therefore my question was where are the best schools (that will give that teacher/ student support).

I think the point is that the students are a product of the school itself, regardless of where it is. Even in the most disadvantaged areas if you have a strong principal the worst kids will still toe the line to a certain extent in that school.

You mentioned the principal a few times, the thing to remember is that principals can change regularly, in the previous school i was in one of the kids I know had 6 principals in 6 years.
The school I am currently in 2 years, I was interviewed by one principal, worked my first year under a different one, and my second year under a different principal again.

I have found that if staff feel they have the full backing of a principal (obviously there are exceptions to the rule) then they are more likely to be willing to enforce rules and stick their neck out.

The other aspect to a school would be the make up of the staff. I have found that losing a lot of older staff can be detrimental at times. Routines and expectations that have been built into the school for decades since stricter times would flow through from year to year over the decades and when all of those staff are gone you can lose some of this, these days in most schools there can be a huge turnover of staff and again this can add to problems.
High performing schools, huge pressure, disadvantaged schools, some can have discipline issues, schools in the middle, country v city, large v small, mixed v single sex. There is so much to consider

There is no one type of school or school in a certain area that can be categorised into a school where everyone would like to work. There are so many variables like, staff, the principal, (sometimes more importantly the DP), back up from the BOM, the background of the kids, the expectations of the parents, how scared the principal is of the parents, and possibly an extremely important part being the recent history of the school/staff/management relationship. So much can happen in a school over a few years, even over a year with a principal that can lead to bad feeling within a staff, leading to lack of cooperation/motivation/willingness to go the extra mile. As you said you are only in the school this year, you would be unaware of things that have happened and the reprocutions of them since. I found in general it was only in my second year in a school that I really started to see the politics etc. involved.

Melilahoneybee

Again thank you for the advice ^^^
This really is an excellent help in understanding the way works of a school/s in this country at the moment! Is there any real support group of teachers that I could become apart of! Not just the teaching councils of course maybe a small group that meet up regularly or a Facebook group?!
Thanks everyone again

spurious

I found the best support group for me as a teacher to be in the bar after my local monthly union branch meeting.