More than just an educator: the power of that one teacher that reaches

As we move towards the end of the midterm, Gwen Loughman looks at the importance of that one teacher who champions and nurtures their students

Athy native Graham Herterich

Long after we have discarded our uniforms and forgotten locker combinations, random memories of our school days can remain.

How a lunchbox smells for instance, the squeak of a whiteboard marker, or the bell signalling the end of class. Minor flashbacks are imprinted in our brains forever.

Or maybe there was a teacher who championed you by tapping into a latent aptitude and took the time to help you nurture it.

Katriona O’Sullivan spoke of such an educator in her book Poor, a memoir of growing up in extreme poverty.

Harry Styles and Adele paused both their concerts to acknowledge their own childhood teachers in the audience.

These days, I am on first-name terms with the person who taught me to read when I was five. She’s a grandmother now. I hold a very tender place in my heart for Ms Lundy, my second class teacher.

She liked to give me extra work when I had finished my English comprehension assignments, and I loved it.

Andrea Mara at her home in Foxrock, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney

Best-selling author Andrea Mara speaks highly of her secondary school German teacher, saying it is not an exaggeration that she shaped the rest of her life.

“Mary O’Dwyer was famous in our school for her incredible ability to teach and had that perfect balance of ‘firm but fair’ — nobody risked turning up for Ms O’Dwyer’s German class with homework undone.”

Mara “fell in love” with the language and went on to study it in college. In a serendipitous development, one neither she nor her teacher could ever have envisioned, German played no small part in leading Mara to the next love of her life, her future husband.

“I began working at Pioneer Investments, a US firm with offices in Germany and Ireland, who needed German speakers on their growing teams.

“Then a new guy started work there. Our eyes met across the photocopier and, 20 years on, we’re married with three kids.”

Following a “wonderful 17-year career in financial services,” Mara now writes books for a living.

“In a lovely full-circle moment, a first-ever German edition of one of my books is coming soon.”

She had the pleasure of meeting her former mentor recently at a fundraising lunch.

“I tried to explain in person how grateful I was, but sometimes it’s easier to write than to speak. So Ms O’Dwyer, formerly of Sion Hill, Blackrock — if you’re reading this, thank you for everything.”

Graham Herterich, aka The Cupcake Bloke, fits eating into his very long day.

Award-winning chef and author Graham Herterich, aka The Cupcake Bloke, says his third class teacher, Ms Kaye (now Byrne), was the kind of teacher you would never forget.

“She always encouraged her students, finding ways to bring out the best in each of us,” he said.

“At the time I didn’t know I had dyslexia — my diagnosis didn’t come until my 20s — but I think she knew.

“Somehow she understood the quiet struggles I faced and responded with patience, kindness, and and unwavering belief in me.”

Herterich, the owner of Ernie’s in his hometown Athy, Co Kildare, says Ms Kaye had a gift for making her students feel capable.

“She didn’t just teach lessons; she built confidence piece by piece. Her encouragement gave me a sense of self-belief that has carried me through life. Even on days when I doubted myself, I could still hear her voice reminding me that I could do it.”

Now as an adult running his own business, Herterich says Ms Kaye’s support hasn’t faded.

“She still cheers me on, buying my products and offering that same little smile of reassurance she gave me as a child. It’s a look that says ‘I knew you could all along’. Her influence has woven into my achievements, and I will always be grateful for the way she saw my potential long before I could see it myself.”

Recently retired principal Richard Daly comments that, “while it is not something that you can manufacture, a genuine interest in the young people in your space leads to wonderful things and can give them a sense of support and direction”.

Recently retired principal Richard Daly comments that, “while it is not something that you can manufacture, a genuine interest in the young people in your space leads to wonderful things and can give them a sense of support and direction”.

He says it is a privilege to be in such a position and recalls a staff member going that extra mile.

“Recently, one of our teachers spotted a reserved young lad playing some sounds on a school guitar.

“They turned that infrequent attender into one who never misses a day, and now plays front man in a local band.”

Daly remembers being approached by a man at the end of an open school event.

“He said: ‘A few evenings after school in the 80s, you stayed back with me to show me how to do some basic coding on the computer. You advised me to follow that interest, and I did. Your interest in me and your advice made all the difference, so I decided to drive up from Cork for this event to say thanks.’”

“I’d love to take credit for it, but in reality it is what we all do in our profession,” says Daly.

Lucina Russell, Lecturer in Teacher Education in Limerick School of Art and Design

Lucina Russell, a lecturer in teacher education in Limerick’s School of Art and Design, has fond memories of her secondary-school religion teacher Noeleen Shaw.

“She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and always encouraged me to enter art competitions, make posters for school events, and pointed me towards people who could advise me on third-level options. It’s over 30 years now since I left secondary school, and I moved to Kildare, but our paths have crossed a number of times over the years.”

That guiding light still burns brightly and, today, has instilled in Russell a motivation to encourage her own students, “to be that teacher who looks for pupils’ strengths, sparking a fire in them, through a real passion for their subject”.

Anne Marie McKenna

Anne Marie McKenna is principal at Scoil Eoin Báiste, Co Meath, and remarks that “there is more to a teacher’s job than just teaching”.

“We are presented, daily, with a myriad of children from various backgrounds, with various talents and abilities, with different home lives and varying degrees of loving and tolerating school.”

She is of the opinion it is up to the educators amongst us “to make sure that each child gets a fair shot”.

“For some, it will be in the world of academia — but that world is not for everyone. We have children in front of us who struggle from the minute they start until the minute they finish, so we need to make sure that we have a diverse range of activities to cater for all of them.”

McKenna feels there is too much emphasis placed on standardised tests. She puts forward alternatives to connect with students.

“Do a musical, have a sports team, have a student council. A friendly hello at the door in the morning can make a child light up. Like I said, we don’t know what home life is like for everyone. Giving them a good start when they walk in the door is the least we can do.”