Later today the Irish Examiner will have a front page cover story with the headline “Teachers want paid leave for assaults by pupils”. The headline itself will catch many people’s attentions. In fact, many will have to do a double take and make sure they are reading it properly.
But, is it realistic to believe that there can be such problems in Irish schools? Well, there must be. Where has Ireland come from to arrive at this juncture? How has this request by teachers come about? These questions need to be asked and answered, and we need to address these issues now.
Of course, you`ll have to read the Irish Examiner today to see what exactly the article claims. But, if only one teacher is experiencing these problems in a school then we should all ask “How” and “Why” this is. In a few short years, all of us as a nation of people will have to live in an Irish society that will home these soon to be young adults. Of course, there are so many wonderful young children and adolescents nowadays, which is great to see. But, the very fact that there are calls from some teachers who mention the words “ pupils” and “ assaults” in a singular sentence like that, ought to be a watershed economic moment. If not, then in the not too distant future Ireland`s professional life coaches, counselors, psychologists, social workers and other such skilled personnel will be raising their price for the growing client base.
Irish teachers are extremely well trained and are internationally recognized as being of great repute. We all need to become aware of what these teachers are saying or else, in a few short years, we will all ask again “ How” and “ Why” and look back on another economic decision that went so horribly wrong by our nation’s political leaders.