12 Years a Teacher - John Caplis trading teaching for comedy

JOHN Caplis once a had a former teacher come up to him. “A nun, and she said to me, ‘I was so surprised when I saw your poster,’ and I said, ‘Oh, right, you didn’t know I did comedy?’ and she said, ‘Oh no, I was shocked that you did teaching; didn’t you stay back?’”

School days have always provided a rich vein of comedy for stand-up comedians to tap into, but the joke is usually at the expense of the teacher. In his show, the Tipperary stand-up turns the tables to give the teacher’s perspective on his 12-year stint as substitute history and CSPE (Civic, Social and Political Education) teacher, and finds the joke is still usually on him.

From his first ever teaching post in in Finglas with class 1BJ, or “one bejaysus,” as the teaching staff called them, through stints in the UK where his Irish spin on Cromwellian history caused a stir, his career has provided Caplis with material aplenty. So it’s little wonder he’s created an entire show to his tales of teaching.