Secret Teacher: This pandemic is bringing the flaws of an inefficient system to the surface

Teachers, parents and students deserve better

While we fight amongst ourselves about who should go back first, we miss the obvious. The need for actual safety for whoever returns. File photo.

Conversations about education in Ireland make you feel like you’re at a bad family dinner. The food’s awful because someone has forgotten to prepare properly. Everyone’s fighting over scraps, even when they resemble Bridget Jones’ blue soup.

An argument erupts because everyone’s hungry and fed-up. Someone says exactly the wrong thing at exactly the right time for it to explode. Someone else bangs down their plate and leaves the table. And it’s all over. The ‘food’ goes to waste, doors are slammed, and everyone regrets turning up in the first place.