Pamela Louderback, Day 38

Monday was very helpful in that I was fortunate to visit an Irish Immersion secondary school.  There are many primary schools but very few secondary schools.  It seems unclear whether that is due to funding issues or lack of interest on the part of parents and/or students to further their education using the Irish medium for all of their studies.  Primary schools are quite the 'vogue' and data shows that children actually perform at a higher performance level when immersed in bilingual educational surroundings.  So, as a result, everyone wants to send their children to Irish immersion primary schools and there are waiting lists galore. 

Presently, it appears that the future (at least for primary schools) is quite good since demand from parents drives the need for teachers and facilities.  Secondary schools are another matter and unless the state educational system provides funding, I'm not sure what the future will hold.  Currently, there are four schools and they are sorely underfunded.  According to teachers and administrators that I spoke with, speaking the Irish language two generations ago was seen as a sign of poverty.  Now, speaking the language is often perceived as a 'militant' fringe effort. 

Oisin, Gemma's youngest son (16 years old) had permission to arrive at school late since I was accompanying him.  We took a fifteen minute train ride from Donabate to Howth where the school was situated.  After walking about another fifteen minutes from the train station through the town -- trekking through two inches of snow packed on top of about an inch of ice - we arrived at the school.  It's a good sized building where English  Immersion classes are taught on one side, and Irish Immersion classes are taught on the opposite side.  Needless to say, there is a 'stigma' attached to the children who attend the Irish side. 

 Irish Immersion Secondary School in Howth, Ireland

 Principals office.  Note the Irish language above, the English term below

 Posting on the bulletin board in the teachers lounge.  Everything was in the Irish language

A quick note to bring all up to status.  Reminding teachers to help students grow and develop together.

Since I was not able to take photos of the children, I decided to get permission to show some of their art work.  Below is some portaits of a variety of subject matter that the student made in art class.  

I had the opportunity to visit with and speak to Oisin's class of about 20 students ranging in age from 14-16.  Many of the students come from quite a distance to attend the school.  All had attended primary Irish immersion schools.  Most attended because they considered it a way to preserve their culture, a few thought it would help them be more marketable in the work world after attending high school, a couple considered it the obvious next step given the amount of time and effort to attend a primary school, a few claimed to be attending because 'their parents made them go'.  Overall, a sense of cultural pride was felt by the students.  They were quite shy for most of the visit but were very hospitable when I left -- thanking me for my visit.   Also of interest was the fact that students call their teachers by their first name and the atmosphere is that of a family rather than an institutional-type setting like what you would find in our high schools.  There was a bit of horse-play going on -- mostly because of the snow (something these students rarely see in their lifetime) -- but for the most part, these kids were really well behaved!

The overarching theme with teachers and administrators was a concern over funding those few schools at the secondary level (8-12 grade) and the continued stigma by some in the community that relearning the language was not marketable in the long run.  Additionally, there was a real challenge in securing resources at the appropriate level.  There is quite a lot of materials/resources available at the primary level, and at a higher reading level than seondary level.  However, the middle ground (secondary level) is difficult to secure. 

After spending time at the school, I returned to Belfast on the late train.