Peter McGuire

2 months ago | irishtimes.com | Peter McGuire

Schools are crying out for staff. Last month, a survey showed that 75 per cent of post-primary schools had no applications for teaching posts. But the problems in education don’t end at second-level. For at least the past 15 years, the third-level sector has been in a state of perpetual crisis. A lack of funding, precarious work conditions and intense competition for fewer resources means that the once-revered and stable job of lecturing has become less attractive as a viable long-term career.

2 months ago | irishtimes.com | Peter McGuire

Every part of learning was a battle for Catriona Fahey. She was the last person to complete her homework and struggled with English. “Primary school had always been a problem, and I was 14 when I was diagnosed with dyslexia,” she says. “When I got into college, I struggled in first year and didn’t disclose my dyslexia until the second semester. But then I had to prove myself – doing assessment after assessment – again and again.”Fahey qualified as a nurse and now works as an occupational therapist.

Jan 21, 2025 | irishtimes.com | Peter McGuire

Not so long ago Shannon Ahern, a maths and science teacher, could be found working until late at night creating time-consuming resources or worksheets for students of different abilities in her classes. When one of the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools was released, she set it a challenge: create custom-made worksheets for students, ranging from high achievers to those with numeracy and literacy difficulties, on statistics in Formula One racing.

Jan 13, 2025 | irishtimes.com | Peter McGuire

When children hit secondary school, they quickly become aware that there are a whole host of jobs and professions out there – like architect, engineer, journalist or accountant. But as the class of 2025 comes even closer to that CAO form, they will see that there are even more options. Some of these are unfamiliar or unknown, so we’ve put together a short primer on just a selection of these outside-the-box courses.

Jan 13, 2025 | irishtimes.com | Peter McGuire

What will college be like? Websites, talks and prospectuses can give a sense of what to expect from a course, and open days can give prospective students a sense of life on campus. To really get a sense of the day-to-day, however, there’s nothing more helpful than simply talking to other students. We caught up with two students – both called Hannah, but on different campuses on either side of the country – and asked about their experiences so far.