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Why are Gaelscoils so popular with parents?(mod warning in op)

bigpink

Anyone else noticed this

Mod-Like every other thread in AH about Irish and the language this has descended into a crapfest. Get it back on topic or it'll go the way of all the others.

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Ruu

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Ooooo wah, oooooo wah, ooooo wah, oooooo wah,
ooooo wah, oooooo wah

Tell me, who are you?

endacl

greenflash wrote: »

Apart from my unbaptised kids.

http://www.colaistedehide.ie/

Nope.

Easca Peasca

The one in my locality is popular because of the principal who's there at the moment. Pure efficiency but a nice chap at the same time.

Would love to see more Gaelscoil's popping up.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

What amuses me is the amount of parents who send their kids to Gaelscoil, but cant be arsed learning the langauge themselves.

The Backwards Man

Ruu wrote: »

Tell me, who are you?

It was Why Do Fools Fall In Love? Ruu:(

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It was Why Do Fools Fall In Love? Ruu:(

Thought it was "there she was just a-walkin' down the street" just before the diddy diddy-dum diddy-do bit...?

DivingDuck

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

What amuses me is the amount of parents who send their kids to Gaelscoil, but cant be arsed learning the langauge themselves.

I have zero interest in the Irish language and would dearly love to see the absolute removal of it for all official purposes. I would, however, send my children to a Gaelscoil if I believed it was the best school available to them.

I believe every parent should send their child to the school most likely to give them the best educational opportunities, regardless of their personal politics, beliefs, or education.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

CrabRevolution

If anything Gaelscoils and Gaelcholáistí are less likely to have Catholic patronage since the vast majority of them have been set up in the last few decades. There's more and more opening all the time too from the looks of it.

One set up in 2014 in Balbriggan:
http://www.colaisteghlornamara.ie/Learning/Foghlaim

Another one opened in 2014 in Rathfarnam
http://www.gaelcholaiste.com/

One set up in 2015 in Derry
http://www.gaelcholaistedhoire.com/maidir-linn

All multidenominational.

I know the 3 in Meath, Coláiste na hInse, Gaelcholáiste De Lacy and Coláiste Phobail Rath Cairn are multidenominational too.

Very narrow minded of ye all to assume all Irish schools must be Catholic schools

SusieBlue

I'm in my mid twenties and went to a non denominational gaelscoil. I picked up Irish so easily in a very natural manner and was fluent by the age of 9ish. Junior and leaving cert Irish were a breeze for me, especially compared to my friends who went to English speaking primary schools and really struggled.

My nieces go to a gaelscoil and it's so interesting to watch them pick up the language. The youngest is only 6, and just finishing senior infants.
The teacher will speak to the kids in Irish, and they'll answer in English with maybe 1 or 2 Irish words thrown in.
Basically, they understand what's being said but haven't grasped responding yet properly.
It's a very natural way of learning compared to the textbook standard found in many primary schools.

There are children of many nationalities in my nieces school, I don't know if they struggle or not but I would definitely argue that they aren't just schools for Irish kids only.

I'll definitely be sending my kids to a gaelscoil.

Toots

I'd prefer to send my kids to a European language school, especially seeing as so many jobs these days seem to look for a second language as a requirement, it would probably stand to them. Unfortunately I don't have a spare 5 grand per term lying around so it's not an option for me! :pac:

I hated Irish in school so would have no desire to send my kids to a gaelscoil. On a practical level, if they needed help with homework etc I'd be no good if he text book was in Irish.

Not sure about the rest of the country, but where I am there's a definite air of snobbery from SOME of the people whose kids go there. An acquaintance of mine was all smug about the fact that she'd got her child's name down for the local gaelscoil "everybody knows they're so much better for kids than those other schools" but came back down to earth with a bump when they didn't pass the 'interview' bit. Basically because they speak no Irish at home, priority was rightly being given to kids from families who do speak Irish, and they were over subscribed, so now her kid will have to slum it in an English speaking school.

Iwasfrozen

Easca Peasca wrote: »

The one in my locality is popular because of the principal who's there at the moment. Pure efficiency but a nice chap at the same time.

Would love to see more Gaelscoil's popping up.

As long as they don't replace anglophone schools mind.

Pherekydes

I'm curious...

...how many posters in the thread have children in gaelscoileanna?

beach_walker

CrabRevolution wrote: »

If anything Gaelscoils and Gaelcholáistí are less likely to have Catholic patronage since the vast majority of them have been set up in the last few decades.

Ah here, no place for your facts. AH has decreed that parents of children who attend these are massive racists, you can't argue with that.

If I had kids I'd send them to a Gaelscoil. Usually have better academic results, not to mention given the woeful standard of Irish language education elsewhere and its importance (however you may feel about it) in the whole education system. Sure if they want to continue with it through secondary school, they'd get a 10% bonus for doing the Leaving through Irish.

Look at me, I'm literally Heinrich Himmler.

maudgonner

greenflash wrote: »

At Gaelscoil Fiachra and Aoibheann won't have to mix with the potentially non white/Irish/Catholic children of immigrants.

That's complete and utter bullshít. I work with Gaelscoils every now and again and there's plenty of kids from non-traditional Irish backgrounds. It's great to see kids of every colour, background and belief speaking Irish with no hang-ups or negative attitudes about the language.

Gaelscoils tend to have better pupil-teacher ratios, newer buildings, motivated staff and involve parents with the schools. That's the key to their success, I believe, as well as teaching language in an immersive way.

snubbleste

greenflash wrote: »

At Gaelscoil Fiachra and Aoibheann won't have to mix with the potentially non white/Irish/Catholic children of immigrants.

I agree.

Allyall

Skatedude wrote: »

Dont know about gaelscoils, but i would have loved to learn irish in school years ago. We had many hours of irish classes, but were never taught irish. Seems such a shame .

Seachtain na Gaeilge every March

Sleepy

It's handy way of ensuring that your kids will be educated alongside the children of other socially aspirational parents rather than the little Beyonce's and Shaquilles of the Antos and Jacinthas from the bad end of your neighbourhood (and while they'll never admit it, it keeps away the children of Eastern Europeans, Africans or other immigrants who may need a bit more of teachers time than their own darlings since they don't have English as a second language).

Unfortunately, the Dept of Education encourage such social engineering by continuing to fund such institutions to the obvious degradation of the rest of the education system (since their existence increases the proportionality of socially disadvantaged or non-English speaking children in the other local schools - turning what should be a shared challenge into a more serious one for the rest).

The bonus points for sitting ones Leaving Cert through Irish are another unfair advantage these children accrue.

Their very existence is an insult to the majority of the population and a harsh reminder as to the power of the various vested interest groups of the Irish language lobby.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

beach_walker wrote: »

Ah here, no place for your facts. AH has decreed that parents of children who attend these are massive racists, you can't argue with that.

Really? Where?

aphex™

You know the foreign kids get a free subject for the leaving?

Arabic, Russian Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Danish..... I could go on- are all leaving cert subjects. Most of the people taking those subjects are fluent speakers.

So going to a Gaelscoil is a handy way of getting a free leaving subject (Irish) and helping them along in life.

beach_walker

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Really? Where?

First page, echoed throughout since then. Thanks for asking!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

beach_walker wrote: »

First page, echoed throughout since then. Thanks for asking!

Ah, misread the post there slightly. In any case they're more badly-worded accusations of eliteism. As I said, I've always wondered why the parents in question never learn the language for themselves.

swimming in a sea

aphex™ wrote: »

You know the foreign kids get a free subject for the leaving?

Arabic, Russian Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Danish..... I could go on- are all leaving cert subjects. Most of the people taking those subjects are fluent speakers.

So going to a Gaelscoil is a handy way of getting a free leaving subject (Irish) and helping them along in life.

Are you sure Irish in the LC is as easy as German, French, etc.? I remember hearing the guys from the Aran Islands didn't all get A's in the LC in my year. They weren't the sharpest lads, so I think there is poetry to interpret, but I'm not sure as I didn't do Irish myself.

PMBC

IMHO depends on Principal and stage of development of school. My children went to GS back 15 years. Neither speak Irish now but I know they can. Wife and I are at Improver level though both LC Hons. Children got LC As in Irish and French. It makes learning other languages easier.
At start up stage and early years thEre is a lot of parental involvement and enthusiasm by them and teachers - new school, new system/ideas etc. That in itself promotes learning in the children/students. Good social mix as it includes lots of immigrants. Ours had every type of parent from doctor to labourer and a few non Irish nationalities. We weren't particularly but if you are into Irish language its a definite.
HOWEVER because of the national language some GS tend to attract a lot of, lets say, over enthusiastic people, who associate it with the jingoistic side of Condradh, Comhaltas and GAA and tend to forget the primary purpose is education. Overall we were happy but I would check out a particular GS for its reputation. I wouldn't worry unduly about ones irish ability as a potential parent in terms of helping with the homework, if that was a concern.

Tombo2001

Sleepy wrote: »

It's handy way of ensuring that your kids will be educated alongside the children of other socially aspirational parents rather than the little Beyonce's and Shaquilles of the Antos and Jacinthas from the bad end of your neighbourhood (and while they'll never admit it, it keeps away the children of Eastern Europeans, Africans or other immigrants who may need a bit more of teachers time than their own darlings since they don't have English as a second language).

Unfortunately, the Dept of Education encourage such social engineering by continuing to fund such institutions to the obvious degradation of the rest of the education system (since their existence increases the proportionality of socially disadvantaged or non-English speaking children in the other local schools - turning what should be a shared challenge into a more serious one for the rest).

The bonus points for sitting ones Leaving Cert through Irish are another unfair advantage these children accrue.

Their very existence is an insult to the majority of the population and a harsh reminder as to the power of the various vested interest groups of the Irish language lobby.

There are very popular gaeilscoileanna in working class areas like Ballyfermot, Cabra, Ballymun.

Looks like you are the one who has the issue, if you think working class parents have no interest in their kids learning a second language.

Yes, there are very few African or Eastern European kids in Gaeilscoileanna - but where primary schools are concerned, a child would be well able to get through the curriculum whether their parents speak Irish or not. If the parents choose not to send them, its not because they are not welcome. If an African family wanted to integrate into Irish society, then sending their kids to a gaeilscoil would be a fantastic way to do it. Most parents who send their kids to gaeilscoileanna would see the lack of social diversity as one of the biggest issues with the schools. And to add to insult to injury, they also get branded as racists.

HensVassal

Fuck learning Irish. Kids can naturally absorb 3 languages at the same time and become fluent. Mine are learning English, Spanish and Mandarin.

With those 3 languages you pretty much own the world.

Dyr

greenflash wrote: »

At Gaelscoil Fiachra and Aoibheann won't have to mix with the potentially non white/Irish/Catholic children of immigrants.

I went to a gael scoil in the 80s and we had all of the above

Tombi!

I had non-white kids in my school and it was a gaelscoil. I've also seen parents who could barely get by in English.
Then again I've also parents who could could barely get by in Irish.

I just figured it was popular due to the fact that you get to speak another language "better" than you would if you were in a non-Irish school.
Then again my teachers genuinely did care for the most part.

[Deleted User]

They're excellent schools that churn out bright, motivated people, judging by those whom I know. It's well proven that bilingual teaching of children benefits both languages. They should be more popular than they are and I'll be sending my future offspring to a Gaelscoil without a doubt.

hairyslug

Very popular in Wickla, our eldest is in one, she loves it, I was ready to pull her out of it once I realised there was an Asian and 2 African kids there to. I think theres also a few durty prods there too but since I dont go to mass I cant be sure