Jordan awarded for outstanding performance
BRAY WOMAN Jordan O’Reagan recently won an award for outstanding performance in school experience and professional practice, post primary, as she graduated from Hibernia College.
She was one of almost 800 students to qualify as primary and post-primary teachers at a ceremony held recently in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Jordan graduated with a Masters in Post Primary Education.
She also holds an MA in Gender, Sexuality and Culture, and has worked in Dubray Books for many years. She has a great knowledge and understanding of literature for children and young adults, which she will bring to her new job as an English teacher.
‘I have always had a love for education and effecting change in young people,’ said Jordan.
‘ This made teaching a natural career for me. I have a great love for English and owe my own teachers a debt for giving me that love. Instilling that same passion in my students (attempting to, anyway!) is incredibly fulfilling.’
She was working as a bookseller for Dubray when she decided to apply to Hibernia College.
‘I had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with many Irish authors about their works, especially authors of children’s and young adult fiction,’ she said. ‘I feel that my work with Dubray Books has been a real benefit to my current position as my knowledge on children’s literature is a lot more comprehensive. I am able to advise students on books that are suitable for their age group and that they may enjoy, and have also accumulated a wide range of resources in relation to specific texts.’
Jordan’s research primarily focused on how heteronormativity influences experiences of education for students.
The research dealt with questions relating to inequality of treatment or expectation within the classroom and school environment. The research study questions whether schools and teachers contribute to or reinforce inequality in relation to gender and sexuality, and whether an individual’s experience of their school environment affect their participation in education.