Review of the Year 2024 - July to December

 If you have been listening to the first half of this episode where I covered the education stories from January to June, you'll notice that the first half of 2024 in schools was not exactly filled with hope. With special education slowly but surely been stripped away and the world falling apart with war. Could the second half of the year, bring some hope? Let see...

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello?

(00:00):
Hello.
You're very welcome to if Iwere the minister for education
from unsharp dot Nash.
A regular podcast where I delveinto the world of primary education
and let you know what I would do.
If I were the minister foreducation, this is Simon Lewis.
If you enjoy this podcast, pleasefeel free to subscribe on your

(00:20):
favorite podcasting platform.
And if you'd like to leave a review andwe very much appreciated as it helps
other people find the podcast more easily.
If you have been listening to the firsthalf of this episode where I covered
the education stories that I coveredfrom January to June, you'll notice

(00:42):
that the first half of 2024 in schoolswas not exactly filled with hope.
With special education slowlybut surely been stripped away and
the world falling apart with war.
Could the second half ofthe year, bring some hope.
And that's what I'm going to go straightaway, where I moved to the first month

(01:07):
of the second half of the year to July.
Now, when I write about theprimary education system.
I really do try my bestto keep things general.
I discuss systematic failures thatpeople working in schools identify with.
But to be honest, they're not.

(01:27):
Particularly sexy.
They're not sexy enough to makethe media headlines for sure.
Yeah, free school books, freeschool buses, free school meals.
They're ready-made headline, grabbers,and the media to lap them up and rightly
but arguing lash section 37 of theemployment equality act is preventing

(01:51):
teachers from diverse backgroundsfrom applying for jobs in schools.
It doesn't have the same sexy ring.
Two-ish.
I given that July was the summer holidays.
The primary education system tends totake a break from the media, with the
exception of the perennial family.
Being forced to go to the media asthey don't have a place in a school for

(02:12):
their child with additional needs and noschool place is a very sexy news story.
And it shouldn't be obviously,and it's not a sexy new story.
It's just a new story thatjust comes up every year.
And it's basically it's.
It's a shameful thing, thatit should be a new story.
But my story about how my school appealedit's 15 hour course, which is basically

(02:37):
a number of special children withadditional needs, not getting any support.
My 50 and our coach, my SACallocations by the NCSC.
Wasn't sexy enough to be covered anywhere.
And despite it being one of hundreds ofschools who has their set allocations
costs because of the withdrawal of thecomplex needs criteria, which of course,

(03:00):
as I mentioned in the previous partof this episode, our representative
bodies denied, was it thing.
I spent a lot of the summer playingaround with some artificial intelligence
tools to generate ready-made unitsof work, which teachers could
use in their classroom every day.
I made thousands of them coveringeverything from worksheets on almost

(03:21):
every single town in Ardennes tounits of work with lesson plans for
every single school day of the year.
They're available on mash.plus if you'reinterested in using them because they're
all there and they're all for free.
However, maybe I should have used myAI programming skills to get them to
generate sexy headlines for the failingsof the primary education system.

(03:44):
Or maybe even hire some decent spindoctors like the minister for education.
August is the summer holidays still.
So not a lot happens, but it wouldn'tbe the summer holidays in Ireland.
If there weren't stories about a lackof school places and a lack of school
buses, and this year didn't disappoint.

(04:05):
However, what there was a lackof was interesting stories about
education and pedagogy itself.
And instead of that, no, it was aminister, Norma Foley, still banging on
about banning smartphones and schools, thecost of hiring taxis to bring children to
school and the cost of school uniforms.

(04:27):
Yes.
It's still all about the money.
I even found myself on the radiodebating, whether we should have single
sex schools in our, and under nosh.
And whether that kinds, evenas educational, I don't know.
But everyone is entitledto a summer break.
So I guess the education system deserves amonth off to, although the way this year.

(04:50):
Has gone so far.
I'm beginning to wonder if 2024was more about budget giveaways.
Then pedagogy.
So I might leave August, July,and August as very short things.
And I will move in to September.
So as we came back to school for the 2024 25 school year, the scoping report

(05:13):
into the heinous crimes, committed bymembers of the Catholic courage clergy.
And covered up by the hierarchy ofthe Catholic church failed to make
the majority of people think aboutsending their own children back into
the buildings where children weresystematically, sexually abused,
routinely less than a generation ago.

(05:35):
I spent most of my time in a September.
Absolutely baffled by the cognitivedissonance and the obsession
that money redress it's all.
It was again, all about the money.
It seems to be a theme that 2024.
Could best be rememberedabout money, all the time.

(05:56):
I in fact, there seem to be more calls forapologies from the textbook company EDCO.
After they published a chapterin the SPG, which lampooned a
stereotype of an Irish family.
There is calls and calls forapologies from them more apologies
than from the Catholic church.
Because of an, a just need mereally, I don't know, shake my hat.

(06:20):
I am actually shaking my head asI'm reading my notes, that this
was seen as a bigger thing than.
Apologies from the Catholic church forcovering up the raping of children.
Anyway, one of the schools named in thescoping report and I'm still going on.
Had a lovely articlepublished in the Irish times.

(06:42):
Because they were about to become aco-educational they were being divested
by the Christian brothers schools tobecome a guayle Closter co-educational
and in the entire article, despiteeverything there, wasn't a single
mention of abuse in that school.
It was one of the mostpredominant schools, which

(07:04):
raped and beat and abused boys.
Not that long ago.
It wasn't even mentioned.
And more.
Even more.
So the school still remainedunder Catholic control,
despite it's a reconfiguration.
I was almost glad to see that theonly other main story in September

(07:24):
involving schools was the constantstream of smartphone ban articles.
If we could do, just do whatwe need to do with smartphones.
I would suggest that this generationof young people might also be spared
from looking at inappropriate andhorrendous sex crimes in their youth.

(07:48):
If you told me in October that thebiggest story from budget 2025 was
actually going to be education.
I wouldn't have believed you.
But because of Norma floatiescampaign on smartphones.
Heard advisory teamare either very clever.
Or very stupid as pouch plan was launched.

(08:11):
The last set about this year's budget.
The batter.
Even the very silent stakeholderswere baffled by how bad the
budget was for primary education.
Personally.
I have no idea why they havebeen shafted and why there's a
price, the primary education.

(08:31):
Isn't getting a look in.
When you decide to be partnerswith the department of education,
you can be assured that youwill be taken for granted.
However nothing can forgive Foley'sadvisors for trying the rest to
make her sound like she was downwith the kids with a Bluetooth joke
that has to be read to be believed.

(08:53):
And if you can't bring yourself togo to my show notes and click on that
link, I have to give you the punchline.
She said, Norma Foley said.
I grew up before mobile phones,when Bluetooth was something
he got after eating a Mr.
Freeze.

(09:13):
The bushes yielded nothing.
To help with the crisis in the teachershortage, which was always a lingering
story of being a, being denied by theminister as an issue in education.
It was interesting to read two articlesin October about the barriers that are
there into prefab into the profession.

(09:35):
The first was from a trainee teacherwho claimed the Irish language is
a barrier to working class people.
And it was mashed with dismay by many,particularly when it turned out the
author herself from a working classbackground, went through the education
completely through the movements.
And, the fact is that, a lot of people.
And, we'll claim that well, scone.

(09:56):
Our elitist.
I know.
And that it's a place where whitepeople go to, to avoid dash schools.
But I would be guilty in so much ofsaying that a lot of the time and there's
evidence suggested it's absolutelytrue, but there are quite a number of
ag Wells garner that are dash as well.
Scotland.
And they there's enoughof them to do their bit.

(10:17):
To give people from working classbackgrounds who might go to dash
skills and the ability to haveenough Irish with their immersion
to get into the profession.
Anyway, the second article wasfrom three Irish teachers who
discussed the road of religion.
As a barrier and some of those teacherswho by going public are now going
to face a real prospect of being onhire-able in denominational schools,

(10:41):
because they publicly have gone outand said that it is a barrier to
them because they aren't religious.
However, we shouldn't worry too much aboutreligion and schools if October is to
believed because minister Foley is goingto save the day because she's going to put
out another parent survey about patronage.
Isn't I just find this anastonishing thing, and I'm going

(11:03):
off a little bit on script here,but I find it really astonishing.
That the media.
And the political classes seemto think that a public service.
Which is supposed to teach childreneducation who's supposed to get provided
an education service to children.
No different than the police.
The Guardi are supposed tokeep a security of the country.
Or how, I don't know how the firebrigade are supposed to make sure

(11:27):
that the country doesn't go on fire.
Our job is to provide childrenwith an education, not to provide
parents with this choice, like asupermarket of Of what school they
centered, send their kids here.
It's a bizarre kind of thing.
Children should go to their localschool and be taught the same curriculum
in whatever school they go to.
And it shouldn't bebased on school choice.

(11:48):
Especially along the lines ofreligion and having a survey.
It doesn't matter, even if the,like the thing I can't understand
as well, is this survey supposedto achieve, it was, if the survey
reveals that Irish people once Us too.
I want us to teach, I don't know, a 100%.
I'm trying to think ofsomething ridiculous.
Like I didn't know that the flyingspaghetti monster is our God and we

(12:10):
should all decide that we should prayto this flying spaghetti monster.
And that's a hundred percent ofpeople in this server decided that.
It doesn't matter.
It really doesn't matterwhat people think.
We have a curriculum to cover and.
That's all that should matter.
It doesn't matter whether people want.
The flying spaghetti monster orthe Catholic church to be in.

(12:31):
To have control of the system.
Yeah.
And it shouldn't be up to parents.
Why that should be the face.
I don't understand why we thinkeducation is a parental service.
A surface for parents.
And I think this is the theme that we'vehad all year where we're deciding to
give free things to parents and turnthis into some child-minding service that
parents can pick their favorite one from.
But anyway, I ran to on every month andevery time I'm on the internet about this.

(12:56):
The defenders of the faith though,are doing everything in their power to
stop their house of cards from falling.
By trying to make out that religionis taken out of schools that will
all be teaching children pornography.
And in, in October the infamous videofrom the natural women's council
that who's the I, to be honest, I'vebeen trying to figure out who this

(13:17):
women, natural women's council are.
But it appears to be some Americanconservative who seems to spend
a lot of our time giving outDemocrats who are in America.
Rather than Ireland where, I think she's,I don't want to be little what she does,
but I am in a way, because I think.
She's found this really interestingkind of American movement.
Republicanism where, more than halfof Americans are quite happy to elect

(13:42):
someone someone like Donald Trump.
And despite finding them in parent.
And more than half of Americans seem tothink that owning a gun is a good idea.
That we're bringing that.
Retard rhetoric to Arden's dash andwe're bringing this idea of moral panic.
And I think this is howDonald Trump and the a.
It was elected through thismoral panic of blaming.

(14:03):
Blaming minorities forall the ills of society.
And the natural women's councilhas seemed to have picked up on.
This moral panic that a lot ofpeople have and including, across the
spectrum, I've spoken to people andI speak to people about this because
it's something, you get, that's avery aggressive thing and people are
canceling each other international.
I've had people from the, I wouldconsider myself a liberal person.

(14:25):
I am very happy to talk to people.
You don't have to do who don't sharemy opinion on a particularly when we
talk about gender, which is the onethat the natural women's council.
I really centering their campaign on.
And I talk to people who don'tbelieve and who don't agree with.

(14:46):
The idea of J gender educationand gender identity, and
they call it gender ideology.
And I've had people on the liberal end ofthings and telling me that I shouldn't be
speaking to these people and I should be,I shouldn't be following these people.
And I shouldn't be engaging with peoplelike this and quite aggressively as well.
And essentially telling me I'm as badas those people for engaging with them.

(15:07):
And I should shut them down.
And.
I found at this again, tobe a theme in 2020 for that.
Silence is the weapon of choice whenit comes to anything controversial.
And I spent a lot of Octoberand November and December.
At talking about this in aspecial episode of my podcast.

(15:29):
Which was on special education where Iargued that the way we treat children
with additional needs in this country.
Is going to be the 21stcentury equivalent.
Of the Catholic church's reign ofterror and abuse in the 20th century.
And I concluded that the biggestenemy of children and the biggest

(15:53):
reason why this will be calm.
And we will be saying in50 years time never again.
And this shouldn'thappen was a silence of.
People in the system.
And I wasn't surprised thatdespite pleading with people.
To speak up and commandand even talk privately.
To me that it was mattemostly by a wall of silence.

(16:16):
And just going back.
And I think, The reasonfor the silences people.
Are afraid.
Of being judged and potentially, orof making a mistake or be in consult.
And I think when people.
Stop talking to each other.
We allow conspiracy theories to Take root.

(16:37):
And we've seen this particularly in thenatural winds cancel because the video.
That was published in October aroundthe second level SPHC curriculum.
Was a very good exampleof how silence can create.
Moral panic.
And I decided I'd watched thatwhole thing, the whole video.
And I'll be honest, I, while Iwas watching the first 10 minutes

(16:59):
or so, but I was starting to feela little bit uncomfortable and
saying, oh my gosh, maybe this.
Something to that.
So now I confess that I felt that way.
Until the whole thing fell apart withmad conspiracies, Emad, moral panic.
They would have done well to shortenthat video by 20 minutes, because
it might have had more of an impactby what that woman was saying.

(17:22):
And I still feel despite the madnessof it, all that we need to listen to
these people and we need to listen andtalk to each other about the various
things that they spout alphabet,because this isn't just about gender,
because gender is the big story in town.
It's the big controversy, but it, butwe also these people there was, we're

(17:43):
starting to see a polarization thatyou fish into one camp or another.
So for example, the fact that I speakto somebody about gender or I speak.
Speak to somebody about religiousthing religion, or I speak to somebody
about Israel and Gaza and you haveto fish into one side or another.
So if you are the liberalmind, you have to feel the same
way about all these things.

(18:03):
And if you're in a conservativeway, a bracket, you have to
fit into all these things.
And that worries me greatly.
That worries me really greatlybecause our education system
and I suppose our society.
Shifts from one.
The pendulum shifts from theleft to the right and so on.
And you and.
And I'm basically our education system.
Has been routed.

(18:24):
And conservatism, and it's still rootedin conservatives of, and if it remains
there, you can see how some of thesemoral panics will filter in there.
We end up finding ourselvesin a position where.
If you don't fit into aparticular box, you end up losing.
And the silence that we allow, and Italked about this with the secret teacher,

(18:47):
call you in the times, that's the.
That is the voice of teachershidden behind a shadow.
I don't know.
I think when we allow for conspiracyand moral panic to set in.
We have a problem and this is somethingwhere I can see we have a problem.
Imam.
I think we still need to talk.
I wrote an article aboutapp gender in particular.

(19:09):
And how we need to keeptalking to each other.
We can't be shouting at each other.
And even when we disagree reallystrong with leaders, we have to
keep talking to each other and I'vetried my best to do this and over.
Over the last few years andin the face of just shouting.
I more or less gave up.
The Goshen, trying to discuss those ants.

(19:30):
I suppose that whole naturalwomen's canceled video.
I have to admit, I felt sorry fornormal Foti for the first time.
And it was actually really nice.
To get a glimpse of what I thinkwas the real norm of Foley during
that, despite the fact that Ithink if Norma Foley wasn't.
Since the minister foreducation at the time.
And because in her past, as a counselor,she would be quite a conservative.

(19:50):
When she voted, she would have campaignedagainst the abortion referendum.
I don't know what I didn't see.
I couldn't find anything about her.
Marriage equality feels, butcertainly a conservative person.
I felt very sorry for her being, probablyher natural feelings would be in sympathy
with the natural women's canceled, butshe had in her job, she had to do her job,

(20:11):
and I felt, sorry, a little bit.
Sorry for her, but my sympathies were.
We're short lived when she went backto calling for her mobile phone poach
pan, a pouch plan and calling it arevolutionary mental health and wellbeing
initiative, which to anyone sufferingfrom mental health and wellbeing issues.
We'll be quite insulted by, and therewas also a time for the media to turn on

(20:32):
pesky teachers taking career breaks, asit was revealed at over 1000 positions
were unfilled in primary schools.
I wrote an article almost exactly ayear before they called on a worthwhile
canceling career breaks would do nothing.
And I offered some solutions in 2023finishing with the one thing we can't

(20:53):
afford to do is exactly what thegovernment has been doing since 2014,
when the issue of teacher shortages wasfirst raised and that's to do nothing.
However, unfortunately I thinkthat's exactly what's going to
happen and I expect I'll be back.
Here.
The same time next yearsaying the same thing.

(21:15):
Let's move on to November.
The general election wasfinally called weeks after it
being unofficially announced.
And Norma Foley's first announcementin her manifesto was a significant,
and I absolutely emphasize the wordsignificance 9 million Euro investments
into primary school resources.
This was her promise.

(21:35):
If we were to elect her again,And cleverly Connor Murphy.
Second level teacher noted that thiswas direct contrast to her announcements
of the 9 million Euro budget housefor foam pouches, which she said
was only a tiny fraction of the.
Budget.
Not as significant investment forthe few weeks of the election.

(21:57):
Run-up the newspapers duly obligedthe government parties by reporting
how great the government was.
I have a piece of software that scansall of the national newspapers and
the local newspapers every singleday for education related news.
And it was very interesting that halfof the local papers in the country were
quite happy to share the news that solarpanels will be installed in schools.

(22:18):
I had roughly 13 versions of the storybecause half of the counties in R and
D are gaging these solar panels on thegovernment press releases were sent to
all of the local papers, almost wordfor word, except for the county name.
And of course they would publishthem without any question.
Of course when it came to the media onthe general election, the only story

(22:41):
about education at all in the media.
Was, oh no, the schools aredoing to close for the day.
When I was brought on to the radio to talkabout the general election, it was all
about should schools close for the day.
And of course, obviously I believe theanswer is no, we shouldn't because for
the day, but it's very depressing that isthe priority when it comes to education.

(23:04):
And the election and you thinkthe politicians at the time.
So little, do they care about education,but you think they will be making sure
they watch their PS and QS in the run-up.
When they talked about education,but Faena Gatlin, Phoenix has, seemed
determines to trip themselves up.
Not only did Simon Harris have that GAF.
I mean nothing to do with educationwe're in I don't even know when it was

(23:26):
for ABA with the health worker, bothin education, Peter Burke ad decided
to ask Michael O'Leary to launch hiscampaign, which resulted in him losing
whatever teacher vote he might have on.
The nice thing about this is he may endup being the minister for education.
He is due to get a ministerial portfolio,despite the Michael owned everything.

(23:46):
One could have described earlier hisperformance as a crisis for Peter
Burke, but thankfully Norma Foleydecided to trip her up, believing
that all crises are opportunities.
Yes.
As the symptoms say atChrist, the church unity.
Yes, enormous display in the educationdebate where she mimicked that famous
Simpson's quote, which was streamed onthe IMTS platform, was about the only

(24:08):
place to hear politicians talking abouteducation, which has been woefully and was
woefully neglected in the main debates.
When talking about the election, I wasparticularly interested in the question
of patronage, where none of the panel,when add on this ICO debate that knew
how many multi-denominational schoolsthere actually are in Ardennes I'm
minister, Patrico Donovan decided that he.

(24:29):
He wants his kids to go to Catholicschools because he wants to outsource
sacramental preparation to teachersor words to that effect on a feed.
A guy had an iota of a chanceon a number on my ballot form.
That was the end of my support.
Thanks to Patrick Donovan, whoI believe is going to be the
next minister for education.
And in December I wrote my top 10.

(24:51):
Top 10 people who I believe wouldbe a, it would be the minister for
education and Patrick, I don't knowwho came top of that, but anyway,
more about doc, maybe in a minute.
It seems a minister Fotis Christ'sAttunity was fairly accurate in the
end because the election resultsproved that despite all of that.
They have the opportunityagain, to govern.
However, it normally did getinto a bit of hot water over

(25:11):
her famous pie phone pouch plan.
When it was revealed, it's goingto need a regular 2 million
year old top-up every year.
Meanwhile, Australia announcedit was actually going to do
something meaningful by banningsocial media for under sixteens.
And that was an actual investment inwellbeing and it will cost nothing.
I'm sure We'll use that as anopportunity or maybe as a crisis,

(25:35):
let's move on to December.
And as we reach the season of Goodwilland the end of this review of the year,
where to quote yet another famous Simpsonsepisode where Bart Simpson says Christmas
is a time of year where people of allreligions come together to worship Jesus
Christ, a school in Lucan decided thatTIS the season to breach children's
constitutional rights and saying thequiet bit out loud when they wrote to.

(26:00):
Their parents and wrote in their ethosstatements that pupils are required to
participate in all subject areas andattend all school religious ceremonies.
Ah, which has.
I see a breach of their rights, this.
The school is add.
They said going to reviewtheir ethos statement.
But if the only thing that'sgoing to change is removing that

(26:20):
statement and having no action.
It's going to be a missed opportunity.
And the don't ask don't tell systemthat we seem to have no problem with.
We'll continue on to 2025 and beyond.
Personally, I was disappointed at withtheir patron body, the church varnishes,
and this guys who didn't step in withsome sort of statement, because ultimately

(26:43):
I know I'm disappointed that immediatedidn't go to the church of Ireland to ask
them for a statement, because ultimatelythis isn't about the school itself.
Despite how stupid theywere to put that in writing.
Patron buddy's insist that schoolsuphold their ethos and they put
those schools in these very difficultsituations where they have to succeed.
So as the demands of their patronbody and also cater for the needs of

(27:06):
their students and their families.
And to be fair, the media did cover thestory, but the one thing they haven't
been too interested in is who's goingto be the next minister for education.
And I decided I would do a shortlist of my top 10 possibilities.
Where Faena gals PatricaDummen is my favorite.
And only in the gamblingsense to get that post.

(27:27):
However with the dynamic duo ofPhoenix hall and Faena gal deciding
to support Verona Murphy as thecounty corridor, who knows who's
going to get what position anymore.
I wouldn't be surprised to see PeterBurke, despite his Michael O'Leary GAF.
Becoming the minister for education.
He doesn't feature in my top 10.
But who knows?

(27:49):
Sure.
Couldn't even Michael Larry be putinto the role and finally answer
the calls from 2021 to put some airfiltering systems into our classrooms.
I know it's only whenI got through the year.
That was in primary education.
It is apparent how neglectedprimary education was in 2024.

(28:10):
While I watched the Faena fall andPhoenix El politicians' defending
the performances by listing all thefree things they given to parents.
I didn't realize that this wasthe extent of government action in
primary education for the entire year.
Given the election.
I'm not convinced we're goingto see much change in 2025.

(28:32):
And the only thing I'll have to change inmy review of the year will be the name of
the minister, the way things are going.
I guess the only thing I have left to do.
It's a thank you for yourpatience during the year with me.
I was thinking to myself.
That my podcasts aregetting a bit repetitive.
But when I look back at the year,that was, I can absolutely see why.

(28:56):
The most exciting thingshappening in education.
Seem to be with younger teachers.
Who are almost oblivious.
To what's going on.
Systematically.
They seem to be spendingtheir time on Instagram.
Where.
Community of education influencers hasbeen building for a number of years.

(29:20):
I think that these teachers.
Are brilliant.
And I think.
They're fantastic becausethey're finding a lot of joy.
In their classrooms.
Helping each other out inareas like literacy with the
science of reading campaigns.
And in many other areas ofwellbeing and mindfulness and I

(29:43):
don't know all the kinds of things.
That younger people.
I feel.
Needs to do to keep themselvesgoing while older people like me.
R.
I suppose tearing my hairabout tearing my hair out.
In terms of the systematic issuesthey're looking at the day to day.

(30:04):
They're looking at the thingsthey can probably do locally.
Despite the system and maybe it'sa little easier for them because in
some ways, They are parsed and theyfish, they fit easily into the system.
And that's not a criticism ofthem particularly, but even those
that don't fit into the system.

(30:26):
Are using Instagram.
In interesting ways to spread there.
Their message.
And I think of minority teachers,Ireland's at the Instagram page.
Which is from a young Muslim teacher whowas trying in a positive way to explain.
The power of diversityin the education system.

(30:46):
And she's doing really well at that.
And you, she's definitely worththe follow trying to be positive.
In a system that directlydiscriminates against her.
And I also want to point out assomeone like Kira's classroom, who's
been going on for quite some time.
She's a teacher and aneducate together school.
And.
In a very positive and quiet.

(31:07):
And friendly way and promoting resourcesto help schools all over the country
and be more inclusive to children.
And I feel that.
Instagram.
Is that kind of place.
Where that kind of thingmay be the place to do it.
And I've been spending, theyear looking at Twitter.
And I remember I do a kind of a, I goto on an ice house to my friends and

(31:31):
we add the, at the end of the year.
And we talk about what are weplanning on doing for the year?
What is our aim for the year?
Like a new year's resolution.
I remember this time last year sayingthat I was going to hopefully leave
Twitter and or X as it's known, becauseeven back then it was falling apart.
I'm not really interestedin all the, there was this.
S, escape to blue sky thathappened after the presidential
action that most people went on.

(31:52):
That was the last straw.
Twitter has been assessed fish forquite some time, but I haven't managed.
I haven't been managed to leave it.
And this is all about ego, by the way,on my partial on I admit that freely
that I built up, an audience on Twitter.
I don't have an audience anywhere else.
I'm going to spent the last year trying.
I suppose to build upan audience elsewhere.
And in fact it was been on mynewsletter, which I suppose time

(32:15):
for a plug for my newsletter.
I've over 400 people.
Who've subscribed to mynewsletter and every two weeks.
I send a newsletter where Ireview what's been going on in the
Irish primary education system,as well as my podcasts as well.
But I've been trying to leave treasurer.
It's falling apart.
And many of us old heads havestarted looking into Instagram

(32:37):
where all these positive souls are.
Some braver.
Those are heading to pick talk.
I'm not brave enough to go and stick talk.
I don't think I lost a minute ontech talk, but it, maybe I will,
maybe that's my plan for 2025.
I don't know.
So it might be interesting to seewhat will happen in 2025 when.
Older generations start mixing inwith the younger generations, with

(33:00):
their positivity and their what?
What's the coded there.
They're being mindful and being demure.
Am I right?
I don't know.
Maybe I shouldn't say those words.
Maybe I've just.
It destroyed any sense?
And he of any sort of.
I dunno.
Credibility.
I might have otherwise have had.
Ah, maybe I've lost whateversort of credibility I

(33:22):
might've had just therapy for.
I mentioned those two words anyway,while our friends at second level
are battling against the roleof AI in the leaving search.
I'm hoping to use 20, 25 to findmore ways to use AI, to help teachers
primary school teachers in their work.
And I have a few projects plans.
So I look forward tosharing them with you.
And maybe that's my newyear's resolution for 2025.

(33:46):
While I will still absolutely battle.
Trying to question the structuresof the education system.
I'm hoping that I might be able to use.
2025 to set up some projects.
At that might be useful for teachersdespite the systems that are in place of,
things that will help in the day to day.
Of our work.

(34:07):
But in the meantime, I hopeyou have a fantastic break.
You're having a fantastic break.
Whatever you're doing.
If you're celebrating Christmas, I hopeyou're having a wonderful Christmas.
If you don't celebrate Christmas, Ihope you're enjoying the break from
school and whatever you're doing.
And I want to take thisopportunity to thank you for.
All of you.
Who've been listening to my podcast.

(34:28):
I want to thank the people who the very,the poofy people you do send me messages.
And throughout the year, it doeskeep me going to be on a city.
Sometimes it does feel likechefs shouting into the void.
And I wouldn't blame youparticularly this year when I
don't think there's been very much.
To celebrate, I feel it's been a kindof a year where I've asked at my time.
And being a bit negative.

(34:49):
An older asset, both.
I hope that 2025 will be a morepositive year for soul, as on, maybe
we'll see some change and we will seesome movements in a good direction.
As we're living in very scary timesthat hopefully the education system
can come to the forefront to tacklethe moral panic, to tackle the awful
things that are happening in theworld and give people hope, because I

(35:11):
think that's what we do in education.
I think we try to give hope.
To people around the country, maybethat's just me, I'm inflating our
influence, but I do believe, and thereason I am in education is because
I think it is the job of hope.
So that's hope the 2025 will be ayear of hope, a year of positive.
Change.
And I will be chatting to you.

(35:33):
In January.
Thanks so much for everything this year.
And thank you for coping with me.
Thank you for listening to me.
And I, if you.
do anything that you're hearing,please do subscribe to my newsletter.
It's Simon sorry.
It's on shot dot Nash slash subscribe.
And in the meantime, have a great holiday.
All the very best.
Bye bye.