Geraldine reflects on a great career
THEY say when one door closes another opens and that’s certainly true for a local primary school teacher who has retired from her profession after an association with Clongeen National School stretching back five decades.
Geraldine O’Sullivan, who is originally from County Clare, took up a post in Clongeen on January 7, 1972, and remained in the school until she retired at the end of the last school term.
She took over the role of Principal when John Cullen retired in 2008 and speaking to this newspaper about her career she said primary education has undergone ‘enormous changes’ since she arrived in the village.
‘I was the sixth assistant at the time and there have been vast changes since; it’s a completely different job now to what it was when I first started,’ she said.
She said many of the changes were to be welcomed including the ban on corporal punishment and she pointed out that children have essentially remained the same.
‘ They are beautiful and that is what keeps people doing the job.’
Ms O’Sullivan said there are many expectations around the role of a teacher and they have to adapt to change, however, she added that nowadays there is also an over-emphasis on paperwork.
‘ That has taken from the job in many ways I think,’ she said.
‘However, at the end-of-theday we have to change with the times.’
Speaking to Ms O’Sullivan it’s obvious how passionate she is about the role of teachers and of their importance in helping children become the adults they can be and realise their full potential.
‘Children are very resilient and while they have their upsand-downs they are basically kind to each other and they only learn to be different types of people when they become adults,’ she said.
She said another change that has taken place locally is in relation to the family demographic: ‘When I started there were families of 14, 16 and even 21 members whereas now two or three child families is more common.’
Ms O’Sullivan said that during her career she benefited from working with very supportive priests who always had the best interests of the school and the children at heart.
‘ The Parents’ Association was also always willing to help and has always been very interested in, and supportive of the school,’ she said.
With regard to the people she has worked with during her career she commented: ‘I have had fantastic colleagues over the years.’
The welcome she received from people within the community in Clongeen when she first arrived was something that also impacted very positively on her: ‘ They made me feel very welcome and they would come to me with problems and treated me as family.’
Living in Aclare, Ms O’Sullivan is married to Thomas Ryan, and the couple have three children, Aidan, Rebecca and Emmet. While she is retiring from her role as Principal she plans to remain involved in another field of education.
‘I think it’s a very important time to mentor people entering the profession who are at the beginning of their careers when I have come to the end of mine,’ she said.
‘I think there is a huge need for those entering a career in education to be supported.’
Unfortunately, Ms O’Sullivan had an accident in May which ultimately prevented her from spending the final month of her career in the school that she loved working in and that was something she found very hard to take: ‘I would have liked to finish up in better circumstances and I didn’t get to do that.’
However, there is little doubt that the positive impact she has made on generations of people who received their education in Clongeen National School is very well known within the community.
There can be few teachers who are as sincerely passionate about the role they play in the lives of their pupils: ‘You do it for the children and they give you such warmth and feedback.’
She said one of the most satisfying aspects of the job was knowing she was trusted by the children and their parents in her role.
‘ Teachers are good people who want to do a good job,’ she said.
‘ The affect I have had on people through teaching has kept me going.’
She also said that one of the most important aspects of being a teacher is to instill confidence in young people: ‘You encourage young people to realise their full potential, be decent and kind to each other, and to have confidence in their worth.’