Taking a child out of gaelscoil?

Kathnora wrote: »

As an experienced primary teacher I think children should only be sent to a gaelscoil if the Irish language is an integral part of the child's life and not just something that's used during school hours only.

I have just seen this, and I thank you for clearly setting out your opinion that all children should be educated in their home language.


It's a valid ideological point of view, but a great many studies internationally validate education in a second language. You obviously disagree with all of that documentation (presumably you have read a lot of it, and have reasoned arguments against it?)


It also means that you are disagreeing with most parents who send their children to a Gaelscoil, 95% of whom do not speak Irish in the home.


You are in fact disagreeing with the raison d'etre for the Gaelscoil movement, which of course you are entitled to do.


However, you came onto this thread with the statement that you are an experienced primary teacher, thus setting yourself up as an expert in the eyes of the parent whose child was attending a Gaelscoil, when it is clear to all that you have actually got an axe to grind - made even more obvious by your single long paragraph - always a give-away.


This is unfortunate, and given that you do not know the child in question I would expect you to be more circumspect - if indeed you have any experience as a primary teacher.


There is nothing new about diatribes like yours.


I know a woman who was being brought up through Irish, and was apparently slow to speak. A doctor advised the parents to speak to the child in English, which they did, and thus engineered language change in the whole famaliy.


The child in question grew up to work in 3rd level education, and to speak a second and third language - but not Irish.
The doctor either had no idea of what he was talking about in the first place, or he had preconceived ideas; perhaps both.
I suspect that the same cap fits yourself.

heldel00 wrote: »

^^^ attack the post, not the poster.

A fair point, on the face of it; however the poster claimed to be an expert by dint of being a primary school teacher. We have no way of knowing whether this is true, or what relevant qualifications the poster has to give this advice.
The poster tells us that s/he is not in favour of children being sent to a Gaelscoil unless they have Irish in the home, though, so this must be kept in mind when evaluating any advice they give.

I'd consider myself quite knowledgeable on the subject - but certainly not enough to "advise" the OP as this poster did.

To recap, the OP's child was attending school X, and the child was attending an OT to improve motor skills.
On the advice of the OT the child was brought to a psychologist who said the child should be taken out of the Gaelscoil.

Would it be usual for an OT to give this sort of advice? I don't know, but it seems strange to me.

In fact, the whole situation seems unusual to me to say the least.