Author: Ashanti Salazar | Major: English Education | Semester: Summer 2024

Where greenery meets community at People’s Park

I studied abroad in Ireland for the course of about three weeks in which I visited three cities: Limerick, Galway, and Dublin. The program took place over the summer going into my senior year. I chose Ireland because as a future educator I strive to follow the best teaching practices and am always looking for opportunities to grow as both a student and teacher, which I strongly believed Ireland’s education system would grant me the chance to do. Ireland is known for having a high-quality education system and as a country known to be safe and welcoming. Both of which were important to me when choosing a program and country. When it came to my interest in the program, I was intrigued by the opportunity for practical experience. I was able to create a lesson plan and then teach it in local schools. The hands-on teaching experience in a different education system along with meaningful interactions with the students, teachers, and principals was exactly what I was looking for and what the program had to offer. I also liked that the schools would be showcasing different demographics in different cities which provided a more well-rounded perspective of Ireland’s school system. As for the interest in the country, I was fascinated by the government support for education and wanted to see what that looked like when implemented rather than in theory. When visiting the schools we would initially meet with the principals then either placed in the classrooms to teach or observe. Some schools did one or the other, while some did both. I had the opportunity to speak with each principal and ask about their school, their position, and perspective on several things. What immediately stood out to me was the passion for education, support for their teachers, and especially investment in their students. This was then apparent in the environment of the schools, which goes to show the influence of a strong leader. Having a principal who has good and strong relationships with students, parents, and teachers sets the foundation for the school. The teachers were just as amazing, caring for their students and I was able to visibly see the impact they carried. Their education system implemented progressive and innovative approaches focusing on child centered teaching. There was a strong emphasis on inclusive education that I saw from primary school up to college level. There were posters and signs in the hallways with statements of inclusion which were different from what I have seen in U.S. schools.

One valuable lesson I learned while studying abroad that I will carry with me into my teaching career and life, is that every country has good things and bad. While there were many aspects that I admired and would love to see implemented here, there were also some things that made me feel grateful for the resources or ways things are done back home. No system, organization, or country is going to be perfect. What we can do though, is learn from both the positive and negative and use our experiences to make an positive impact. Ireland invests significantly into education and ensures that all schools are well-resourced and provides a strong support system for students and educators. One thing I admired was that the government provides additional support and resources for schools deemed disadvantaged to minimize the opportunity gap. However, some of the schools I saw had infrastructure issues and the student ratio to teacher was much larger than in the U.S. Overall, I was extremely grateful for this opportunity. It has made me feel both thankful for resources I’ve had available and the good things in America while also hopeful for change and the things we can from others.