Education Blog

By Jolanta Burke Updated / Tuesday, 14 February 2023 09:06 Songs are not just songs – they are lines of words that repeat in our heads with a tune to accompany them. They are like thoughts, and it is sometimes hard to differentiate our thoughts from the songs that get stuck in our heads on… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Love Songs and Wellbeing

By Terry Gargan Updated / Thursday, 26 January 2023 10:26 I was about 11 years old when I first heard about the ghost in Petersville House. Anyone from around Moynalty in rural County Meath will be well familiar with what I’m referring to. It was one of the most written about folktales in the Schools’… Continue reading Reflections On . . . The Educational Value of Folklore and Local History

The Museum of Childhood Ireland’s Reflections On . . . blog invites people of all ages, ethnicities, communities, and backgrounds to address any topics regarding childhood and/or education in Ireland. Our objective is to stimulate important and timely conversations by creating a diverse and thought-provoking mosaic of the challenges and opportunities that face parents, guardians,… Continue reading Blog Archive: Reflections On . . .

By Nora Corocran Updated / Monday, 12 December 2022 10:07 As a member of the Irish Traveller community and an academic, I am saddened that most of our children have no real concept of Traveller traditions in contemporary society. Our community is losing its traditions. To address this, I have started writing a series of… Continue reading Reflections On . . . The Need for Traveller Characters in Children’s Stories

攝影照片展覽︰我哋係粵語愛爾蘭人 Taispeántas grianghraife: Sinne Cantainisigh na hÉireann Cantonese immigrants come from Cantonese-speaking regions of the world. Cantonese is the second most-spoken Chinese language, with 80 million speakers worldwide. 粵語移民係一班以粵語為母語嘅人。佢哋嚟自世界唔同角落。粵語係第二大華語，全球有八千萬粵語使用者。 Is inimircigh iad inimircigh Cantainis as réigiúin dhifriúla den domhan a labhraíonn Cantainis. Is í Cantainis an dara teanga Síneach is mó a labhraí­tear, le 80… Continue reading Online Exhibition: We Are . . . Cantonese Irish

By Leah Russell Updated / Monday, 31 October 2022 10:14 For many young people who are seen as “different,” even the most familiar everyday settings can feel like unsafe places – schools, bus stops, cinemas, parks, supermarkets, online spaces. I recently watched my child, who identifies as non-binary and pansexual, scan the crowd at a… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Early Childhood Education and Care and LGBTQIA+ Families

By Keith Murphy Updated / Monday, 19 September 2022 10:43 Neurodiversity encompasses the concept that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Studying with a Neurodiverse Difference

By Suzanne O’Keeffe Updated / Thursday, 24 August 2022 16:24 Teaching children about sexuality and relationships is a brave thing to do. These topics encompass, amongst other things, self-identity, morals, power, and values. When combined, one may consider sexuality to be an essentially private concern. Yet, sexuality and relationships continually feature in the public domain… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Teaching Children about Sexuality and Relationships

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin And to Our Guest Joycean Judges Dr Richard Barlow (NTU) Dr Anne Marie D’Arcy (TCD) Daniel Mulhall (Ambassador of Ireland to the United States) Dr Katherine O’Callaghan (UMass) _____________________________________________________________________ 1st Place Angel, Age 15, St. Thomas Catholic College, Sri Lanka. 2nd… Continue reading Online Exhibition: Bloomsday Centenary Writing Competition

By Pramuditha Each day of our lives is surely a package of surprises. Some days end with happy thoughts to cherish, and some with pain to go through and some days are a roller-coaster ride. Let me share such a day in my life. It was the 22nd of October 2016. It was the day… Continue reading A Day with Showers of Blessings

By Katie I wake up mid-morning, as the gentle sun bounces through my window. I can hear the birds’ tweet as I drag myself out of bed. I walk down the hallway to the kitchen, where my family is seated around the table. Poached eggs with salt on top sit on slices of brown bread… Continue reading Simple Pleasures

By Min Min My face lit up as dawn broke, the morning sun flooded through my window and covered my sheets in a warm yellow. My head was lying at the top of the bed frame, my hair lying above my head. Under, was a soft white carpet stuck underneath the bed. My eyes cracked… Continue reading A Morning in My Life – Min Min

By Shauna The rain pounds loudly on the window panes as I make my friends tea. Big cups of tea with biscuits. I don’t get cross when Bluey my toy rabbit misbehaves and knocks over my cup. No, not today it’s too special for that. Nothing will cloud today. Finally mother is ready and standing… Continue reading Worst Day Of My Life

By Arty This is the boring story about how I got to go to school I know no one got to listen to this but also no one wanted to read James Joyce’s thing but look it now so here is a really boring story about how I got to school. It started off like… Continue reading On Time

By Angel Death wants you to be petrified but the frightfully alarming thing is silently hoping for death. This is the story of the girl that was. This is the story of how I put her to sleep for eternity. Today, my woods are sombre; the singing birds sing miserable melodies, the trees look gloomy,… Continue reading A Stolen Voice

By Juliette On the 16th of June2022 which to be honest I thought was going to be a normal day turned into a real adventure!   At 10am in the morning when I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I opened the door but instead of seeing my bathroom I saw a big meadow… Continue reading A Day in Blooms Park!

By Ruairí I swung open the heavy red door before me and sighed, taking in the landscape, feeling something akin to relief. Relief perhaps, that the rolling green hills and rocky outcrops that defined West Cork had met my eyes, in place of the uniform pavements and towering structures of Dublin City. I had always… Continue reading Barleycove Beach

By Tamsin I check back in on Lee to see if he’s asleep yet. He’s curled up in his dark little room, on his chair, tapping something out on his phone. When he hears the door creak open, he flings it halfway across the room and picks up his pen. He’s still wearing his uniform,… Continue reading A Day in The Life of Someone Gone Absolutely Off the Rails

By Salome I am woken up by the sound of my alarm, birds tweeting aggressively. I open my eyes and I realise that I accidentally left in my contacts from the day before. While attempting to remove them, I turn off the annoying alarm and put my old contact lenses in the bin. Standing up… Continue reading James Joyce

By Mark There is hardly any living being who has never gone through ups and downs in his life. Life is full of incidents both good and bad. Some of them may be forgotten with the passage of time whereas others leave an everlasting imprint on the mind. One feel delighted when fortune favors one… Continue reading The Happiest Day of My Life

By Alex Finally! I’d found the treasure I’d been searching for all day. As I opened the lid, the warm setting sun glinted upon the golden adornation of the chest…  Earlier:  At my feet were; blankets, a map (that my granny O’Brien had told me led to a treasure), and a picnic with enough sausage… Continue reading Love Loves to Love Love

By Saoirse Presently, the mercy of my sisters was spent, and I was left to myself and to be sent port and starboard by my dear sainted mother, as was the custom whenever I was the only adolescent in the general vicinity. The first thing my mother said, and this is translated into my own… Continue reading The Brown Loaf

By Dave Lordan Updated / Wednesday, 27 July 2022 12:24 NOW YOU’VE RUN TO THE TOP OF THAT HILL, WHERE TO NEXT? It is hard to overstate the gulf between the cultural experience of teens of my generation – the 1980s and 90s – and those of the digital era. Instantaneity is at the heart… Continue reading Reflections On . . . 1980s Culture in the Digital Age

By James Groome Updated / Thursday, 26 June 2022 11:32 YOU share a room with two brothers and you’re all running and gambolling before bed because going to sleep seems so boring. Your overworked mother just wants to make sure you don’t wake up with bags under your eyes but you refuse to settle down.… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Playing With the Pen

By Paula Walshe Updated / Monday, 30 May 2022 09:38 Children love being creative, whether it is to express themselves or to just have fun. We are all familiar with poster paints and paint brushes, but there is so much more to the creative arts than painting and colouring. Isn’t it about time we spent… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education

Winner and Runners-Up 1st Place: Angel, Age 15, St. Thomas Catholic College, Sri Lanka. 2nd Place: Alex, Age 13, Tipperary, Ireland. 3rd Place: Ruairí, Age15, Dublin, Ireland. Shortlisted Authors (Alphabetical Order) Arty, Age 12, St Columbas NS, Dublin, Ireland. Juliette, Age 9, Kildare, Ireland. Katie, Age 15, Edenderry, Ireland Mark, Age 15, Sri Lanka. Min… Continue reading Bloomsday Centenary Writing Competition

Updated / Tuesday, 15 March 2022 11:29 Reflecting On . . . The Irish language and Social Media le Caoileann Ní Dhonnchadha Bhain mise le glúin Bebo. Láithreán líonraithe sóisialta a bhí i mBebo agus bhí mé thart ar cheithre bliana déag d’aois nuair a thosaigh mé á úsáid. Ní dhearna mé aon trácht i… Continue reading Ag Machnamh ar . . . an nGaeilge agus ar na Meáin Shóisialta

By Anonymous Contributors to Voices from Direct Provision, Book 2 Updated / Monday, 24 January 2022 13:03 “I was at one Direct Provision Centre before the outbreak of Covid-19. My 4 kids and I were tested and then moved to a different centre a month ago with a verbal notice of our results from the… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Being a Student in Direct Provision

By Sinéad Matson Updated / Friday, 17 December 2021 11:38 Over the Christmas break, it is very likely that you will eventually find yourself snuggled on the sofa, watching a Disney movie.  Like it or not, Disney is a force to be reckoned with on a global scale, especially in terms of how it influences… Continue reading Reflections On . . . What Disney is Teaching Our Children

By Trudy Meehan & Jolanta Burke Updated / Monday, 29 November 2021 11:49 What do people who are frustrated, demotivated, aggressive, or stressed have in common? The answer is often a lack of play in their lives. Many of us know that play serves an essential developmental purpose for our children. But it also acts… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Having a Playful Christmas

By Susan Andrews Updated / Thursday, 28 October 2021 14:11 Philosophy is often regarded as the archetypal ivory tower subject. Ironically, this conception of philosophy usually throws up the kinds of questions that philosophers are best placed to answer: what use is Philosophy? Or, as a student asked in the 2019 Philosophy by Postcard initiative,… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Teaching Philosophy in Secondary Schools

The Museum of Childhood Ireland’s Let’s Talk About . . . seminars are designed to connect the present with the past while stimulating important and timely conversations. These online sessions typically take the form of Q&A sessions and roundtable discussions. They are free of charge, open to all, and recorded for those who cannot make… Continue reading Education Seminars: Let’s Talk About . . .

By Zoe I awoke from my slumber at 3:15 am I awoke because I heard the swooshing of my LED lights falling they were wrapped around me, I stayed in bed for 30 min waiting to fall back into my sleep then I felt a jolt to get up and fix them I had already… Continue reading A Day in My Life – Zoe

By Suzana I wake up at 7:00 in the morning I take of my white cover off me and then make my bed and as I walk out of my bedroom I close the door. I walk to the living room after closing the door to my bedroom and I open the door to the… Continue reading My Day

By Sofie I wake up at 7:00 in the morning I take of my white cover off me and then make my bed and as I walk out of my bedroom I close the door. I walk to the living room after closing the door to my bedroom and I open the door to the… Continue reading James Joyce Competition

By Simona I wake up and see the bright light coming out the window, even when my eyes are closed. I try to fall asleep again, because my dream was too good to be true, shortly after my mom walks in and tells me to wake up, I sigh because I never fell asleep again,… Continue reading A Day in My Life – Simona

By Senan I woke in the morning to the sound of pigeons cooing in the morning sun, I was still tired as I had GAA training the night before but I had to get up because if I didn’t I would be late for school. I pulled my cover of me and dragged myself out… Continue reading A Day in My Life – Senan

By Paddy So when I wake up in the morning I usually wake up at about six fifty AM. I usually lounge around for about forty minutes in my big room in the attic and I only get up those forty minutes later because I keep the window open and I end up getting really… Continue reading My Day

By Naomi It was tense. Both sides were fighting with few soldiers and the plastic Ziplock bag sitting worryingly beside me was full to the brim with the fallen, those who were lost in the rage of war. The blinds blocked out the metro blue sky. The fireplace was on, flames dancing behind the glass.… Continue reading Checkmate

By Michael I start my day when my Alexa alarm sets off, one alarm for 6.50 and one for 6.55 am. My granny on my mom’s side had gotten it for me at Christmas and has been a big help as my watch alarm never woke me up. I get out of bed at about… Continue reading My Detailed Day

By James My name is James I am 12 years old and this is what happens in my life. I woke up from my sleep and just lay there thinking about going back to sleep for about a minute. I grabbed my switch that was on my bookcase beside me and played a bit of… Continue reading The dihseifhseyf

By Hannah I pushed my way through the crowds, breathing in the crisp morning air. It was a sunny morning, perfect for protesting. When I got to my usual spot, I thrusted my sign high up in the air for everyone to see. A chant started up with the usual lyrics, addressing the fact that… Continue reading Striking for Climate Change

By Hannah My name is Elly and one day I was at home reading when I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door and there stood a small man. He stood up to my waist. He showed me over to his car as though it broke down and he needed help but… Continue reading A Day in Dublin

By Finn Finn, my mum calls. It’s time to get up. Sighing I raise my head to look around my room. The light creeping in from under the blind. I get up and walk over to my cupboard I pull open the drawer. I pull it open and take out my new vans t-shirt its… Continue reading Friday

By Filip I woke up one morning thinking in my head what do I have today. Then I remembered that it was a Thursday. Then I thought, Do I have anything fun going on today. So I went on thinking and I thought I go into school then I have English which luckily was creative… Continue reading A Day in My Life – Filip

By Esme A normal day in my life. This morning I woke up extremely early at like 6 am. But I was really tired. When I woke up I felt really tired. Last night I had a terrible sleep because the night before I was up very late because. I had training quite late last… Continue reading James Joyce 2021

By Edy I have just woken up, I turn my head towards my wall and try and go to go back to sleep it is 4am. I flip my pillow over to the other side and it is so cold that helps me go back to sleep. I put my head facing furthest away from… Continue reading My Day

By Conor One year my cousin, my aunt, my brother and I went to New Zealand for holidays for 1 month, we were in Christchurch, that day we were going to get a campervan, we were renting a campervan from a company called britz, we were renting it for one week. The campervan we had… Continue reading Camping in New Zealand

By Anya I woke up at 7:00 this morning. I whipped of my cow print covers, my dog Oreo was sleeping on the end of my bed. He was snoring away. He was sleeping on his back with his favourite cuddly toy tom. I was very excited for today, I was going to the stables… Continue reading A Day in My Life – Anya

By Olivia Beep, beep, beep, I woke up startled. It had been months since I had woken up to that annoying noise which seemed to ring through my head like a siren. It took me a whole five minutes to realise where, who, what when, why, everything was happening. Once I finally managed to haul… Continue reading A Day in My Life – Olivia

By Tia Ann One Saturday morning, Mum was busy running around after my brother, so she sent Dad to do the shopping, me to help, with a very long List Of Things To Buy. Dad was grumpy, because the queue outside the shop was terribly long.  When we got inside, we went to pick up… Continue reading Small Things, Big Differences

By Cody I woke up to my custom alarm that said, ‘’It’s time to wake up. Get up. Stop being lazy. I know you’re hungry for breakfast… WAKE UP. NOW. STOP BEING LAZY.’’ I groaned and got up the third time it repeated. I wanted to stay in bed for longer but knew I would… Continue reading A Day in My Life – Cody

By Fionn I have not yet opened my eyes but already know the weather is good due to the morning chorus of the birds outside my window. I slowly peel myself from the bed and make my way downstairs. Mum is in the kitchen on a rant about farmers and the government as Killarney National… Continue reading One Day in My Life

By Alex August 19th 2018 All Ireland Senior Hurling Final   Limerick scores! Canning shoots! Crowd gasps… The sliotar seems to hang in the air forever…    As the ball glides so slowly towards the goalposts in Croke Park my mind travels back to how we got here.   It started a few weeks before when the tickets for the All-Ireland Final… Continue reading The Result

By Aedus It’s morning. My eyes and the lights are on in the car speed limit to Hell and the Devil Man United bottom of the Caribbean carry the 4 plus 6 is –             “Is everyone dressed?” Oh yeah forgot about that. Where I left my oh yes here it is put it on… Continue reading #Bloomsday21

By Paula Walshe Updated / Monday, 27 September 2021 13:03 Since the onset of COVID-19, many of us have been thrust headlong into various digital environments to a level which could not have been anticipated prior to March 2020. As adults, we may actually remember a time when the internet did not occupy a place… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Technology and the Social Skills of “Digital Natives”

Updated / Monday, 13 September 2021 18.24 This discussion adopts a wide-angle approach to non-criminal institutional incarceration in modern and contemporary Ireland. Focusing on Mother and Baby Homes, Industrial Schools, and Direct Provision Centres, the panelists consider topics such as: How do we as a society remember and acknowledge abuses past and present? How is… Continue reading Writing Irish Institutions: Jacinta Daly, Melatu Uche Okorie, and Emilie Pine

By the Leaving Cert Mandarin Chinese (LCMC) Concern Group Updated / Wednesday, 25 August 2021 10:04 Recently, the decision to include Mandarin Chinese on the Leaving Certificate in 2022 has received some media attention. Dr Isabella Jackson, for example, has appeared on The Pat Kenny Show (available here). RTÉ’s China Affairs correspondent, Yvonne Murray, has also… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Excluding Traditional Chinese from the Leaving Certificate

By Sinéad McCauley Lambe Updated / Wednesday, 28 July 2021 10:17 Since beginning my journey into early childhood education, I have learned that this sector appears to have its own “language.” And the more I think about how language is analysed and used in early childhood education, the more I think about Brian Friel’s Translations… Continue reading Reflections On . . . The Great Early Childhood Education Language War

Special Thanks to Our Guest Joycean Judges: Professor Margot Backus (UOH) Dr Richard Barlow (NTU) Dr Katherine O’Callaghan (UMass) Dr Sam Slote (TCD) And to the Inspirational Organisers of the 2019 Dubliners Short Story Competition: Dr Anne Marie D’Arcy (UoL) Marsh’s Library, St. Patrick’s Close, Dublin 8, Ireland Winner and Runners-Up 1st Place: Aedus, Age… Continue reading Online Exhibition: James Joyce 21

By Lloyd (Meadhbh) Houston Updated / Wednesday, 21 June 2021 12:39 When I deliver workshops for school staff on gender diversity and transgender inclusion in the classroom, I begin with an exercise I call “Unpacking the Gender Backpack.” I derived the premise for the exercise from an essay titled “My Genderqueer Backpack” by genderqueer activist,… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Supporting Transgender and Gender-Diverse Young People in the Classroom

By Mira Dobutowitsch Updated / Wednesday, 19 May 2021 09:54 During the weeks leading up to Christmas, my 5-year-old housemate and I had a ritual: after dinner, we would put on our coats, hats, scarves, wellies, and go in search of adventure. There was talk of ninja schools, monsters, goblins, fairies, and superheroes. There was… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Outdoor Activities and Activation Energy

By Jolanta Burke Updated / Wednesday, 07 April 2021 10:16 What if school wellbeing programmes were bad for children? I used to think that introducing any wellbeing programme in school was better than none at all. However, the more research I read, the more I wonder about the benefits of these once-off interventions. Wellbeing is… Continue reading Reflections On . . . How Not to Cause Harm to Children

↓ ↓ ↓ Molly, Lee Gaels – Gleann na Laoi and Drispey GAA ↓ ↓ ↓ https://www.facebook.com/mag.leahy.79/videos/10158332135282945 ↑ ↑ ↑ Molly, Lee Gaels – Gleann na Laoi and Drispey GAA ↑ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓  Conal Gillard, 6th Class ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ https://www.instagram.com/p/CLJuc_Jph5F/ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Conal Gillard, 6th Class… Continue reading Online Exhibition: I Love My Boots Because . . .

Reflections On . . . the Irish Language and Education By Freya Feeney Updated / Wednesday, 17 March 2021 10:17 “Ní hí an teanga féin an fhadhb” a deirtear nuair a thagann an t-ábhar suas i gcomhrá, “ach an tslí a mhúintear ar scoil í.” Tá gach uile dalta Gaelscoile tar éis an ráitéis seo… Continue reading Ag Machnaimh Ar . . . An Ghaeilge agus Oideachas

By Gráinne Carr Updated / Friday, 12 February 2021 14:38 Consent Matters Ireland is committed to creating a consent culture in Ireland. When we talk about a “consent culture,” we mean an environment where children can learn, grow, and play without fear of bullying, abuse, or assault. We mean an environment where teens feel comfortable… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Consent and Boundaries – Let’s Focus on Both

By Alannah O’Sullivan Updated / Thursday, 14 January 2021 11:07 In the spring of 2020, I had just celebrated my 17th birthday with my parents and grandparents. This was one of the most stressful years of my life, but it was also a time when regular visits with my grandmother became a welcomed routine. We… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Being a Leaving Cert Student in 2020

By Cathleen McDonagh Clark Updated / Wednesday, 09 December 2020 14:35 As a child, I loved to learn. This has stayed with me, both as a blessing and a trial at times. Please don’t get me wrong, I have a passion for learning. But sometimes the education system does not meet with the expectations of… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Formal Education as a Member of the Traveller Community

By Seán Henry Updated / Monday, 02 November 2020 11:32 “Sir, are you gay?” Not the question a struggling substitute teacher, lacking in confidence and already considering packing it in, expects to hear one week into the job! And yet, this was precisely the question I faced in my budding days as a religion teacher.… Continue reading Reflections On . . . “Coming Out” (or “Bearing Witness”?) as a Teacher

By Pamela Purcell Updated / Monday, 05 October 2020 11:37 Do you think the Montessori Method is particularly good at heading off any tendencies for an individual child or group of children to dominate another child? If you think it is, perhaps it is because you feel the Montessori Method offers plenty of opportunities for… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Anti-Bullying Strategies in Early Education

The Museum of Childhood Ireland’s Reflections On . . . blog invites people of all ages, ethnicities, communities, and backgrounds to address any topics regarding childhood and/or education in Ireland (800 words max.). Our objective is to stimulate important and timely conversations by creating a diverse and thought-provoking mosaic of the challenges and opportunities that… Continue reading Education Blog: Reflections On . . .