The Secret Teacher: ‘Sean made a disclosure to John in strictest confidence, leaving him with a real dilemma’

Learners come in all shapes and sizes – but so does learning. Being a member of a school community brings very steep learning curves, many of them miles away from textbook or whiteboard. In August 2018, Greta Thunberg stopped attending classes and instead started inspiring demonstrations demanding climate action from political leaders. She represented a new brand of youth, one which is not content with sitting quietly while being told what to think.

Even though they cannot all be on the global platform, there is no shortage of passionate articulate young people in our schools. Lydia is just one of them. Still only in 3rd year, and therefore with no formal State exams behind her, she has already proved herself a leader and a role model in her school community.

[ The Secret Teacher: Few principals have the training and experience required to manage a large organisation ]

[ The Secret Teacher: Schools must have licence to be firm, even harsh ]

To the amusement of both staff and students, Lydia has become synonymous with Green Schools. Successful teams frequently have one core person who never loses sight of the mission behind the group’s existence. When it comes to our ever-improving environmental habits both on-site and beyond, we know we have Lydia to thank. She is the driver of change and shines in this role in a way that she does not in the traditional academic arena. The confident organiser she has become is exclusively due to the roles and responsibilities on offer beyond the classroom. The confidence she has acquired can only stand to her when facing the assessments that form part of her schooling.

When I started teaching three decades ago the pastoral role I played was already very complex, despite times being much simpler then

These learning opportunities are not exclusive to students, and nowadays we the adults often find ourselves playing catch-up. Many schools’ annual calendars now include events which promote awareness of equality, climate action and the countless other opportunities for learning which are revealed when we engage with what matters in the world. Themed weeks such as Stand Up Awareness have become a staple in many schools. Planning and organising the initiatives for such weeks were once the preserve of the teaching staff, but the power of student voice means young people play bigger roles than ever before. This creates welcome opportunities for them to teach us more about this new brand of youth and what it stands for.

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Young people are experiencing adolescence in a very different world from that of any previous generation. As their parents and teachers, we cannot claim to understand how complex life and identity is for them now. While everything which exists today may have existed “in our day”, little of it was actually talked about. Hand in hand with encouraging our students to be open and to share goes a responsibility to ensure that it is safe for them to do so.

When I started teaching three decades ago the pastoral role I played was already very complex, despite times being much simpler then. With the diagnosis of complex disorders rising rapidly in young people and increasing numbers now taking prescription medication, one-to-one conversations come with a whole new level of responsibility. Youngsters are often privy to each other’s secrets and experience the concern that a friend’s revelations may cause. They often learn tough life lessons simply through being a good friend to someone. Just as John did when he had no choice but to betray his classmate Sean’s confidence. I was contacted by John’s mother recently because he had confided in his older brother, who had in turn confided in their mother. Sean had made a disclosure to John in the strictest of confidence, leaving John with a real dilemma. He knew that breaking the confidence could hurt the friendship and that not breaking it would mean his friend remained in potential danger. By the time the information had reached its correct and final destination it had been passed through two students, a parent and a teacher. In many instances such things remain among peers and we speak too little about how burdened students can feel as they help carry the fears and woes of their friends.

Valuable learning takes place whenever our perception of the world as we thought we knew it is challenged, and schools are a hotbed for this kind of learning

Despite much being made of how long reform can take in our education system, we have been faster at recognising our students’ needs in other ways. While curriculum change may not be keeping pace with evolving needs, is that really the change that impacts most on a student’s daily life? When a child talks about how they feel about going to school, the curriculum never features. What they see and hear at school every day always features, as does the way we treat each other.

In May 2022, 13 secondary schools were awarded accreditation to Belong To, deeming them safe and supportive for LGBTQ+ students. The following month a Co Longford primary school became the first at primary level to raise the Pride Flag. Such conscious public statements provide assurance that is very badly needed.

In conjunction with Columbia University, Belong To recently conducted a survey of more than 1,200 LGBTQ+ second-level school students in Ireland. Three quarters of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or queer admit that they do not feel safe in Irish schools. Many report instances of harassment (physical, verbal and sexual) as a result of their gender identity or sexual orientation. For many, not attending class is one way of avoiding the unwarranted behaviours. Despite progress made we must recognise that data such as this reveals how much we still have to learn.

Valuable learning takes place whenever our perception of the world as we thought we knew it is challenged, and schools are a hotbed for this kind of learning. Today’s learners do indeed come in all shapes and sizes, and our learning task is to make room for them all. Core to that is simultaneously nurturing a sense of belonging while acknowledging and promoting their right to be uniquely themselves.