Making nice things happen in class

THERE really is no such thing as a typical day for John Allen who teaches fifth class at Togher National School for Boys in Cork…

THERE really is no such thing as a typical day for John Allen who teaches fifth class at Togher National School for Boys in Cork.

A 41-year-old GAA enthusiast, Allen describes himself as an innovative teacher who likes to keep the boys on their toes. When we called to the school in the city suburbs, the class had just returned from Ronald Dahl's The Witches at the Opera House and they were in high spirits.

Allen is a great believer in exposing his 31 pupils to the world of the arts and sport. In the past he has had singer Jimmy Crowley in to talk to the boys as well as Michael Bradley, the rugby player. Recently the boys were asked to bring in a bowl, a spoon and a glass for a breakfast of cereal and orange juice. They're planning a full Irish breakfast for next month.

Not exactly the kind of fare that one would expect in a national school. "If I can keep the class wanting to come to school with them not necessarily knowing that they're being educated, then I reckon they'll learn and want to do things because nice things happen in class," says Allen.

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"We start at 8.55 am. The boys line up in the yard if it's a fine day and I take them into class. We start with prayers. Then there's a minute of silence for the boys to concentrate on their own private prayer. That generally goes well. There's no looking around or giggling and that's probably the most important prayer of the day.

"If we're not doing maths or Irish, then we're working with the computers. We've had computers for the past 10 years and we're on the Internet. At 11 a.m. we have a break for 10 minutes when we go to the yard. At 1 p.m. we break for lunch for half an hour. Once a week each teacher has the dreaded yard duty. What with litigation and that kind of thing, you would need to have eyes at the back of your head.

"That's always a tense half hour. Rainy days are also tough in that you don't get out. And whatever about me needing a break, the boys certainly do."

A typical day would have to include some exercise, says Allen. The boys play hurling, football and basketball. "I'm interested in hurling and football myself so I would play with them at lunchtime." Allen never takes a proper lunch break. He has a sandwich `on the run' and, if he's not doing sports he's tutoring boys on the guitar.

Allen has spent all 22 years of his teaching career at Togher. But there's no fear of him flagging or fobbing the boys off with a tedious routine. "The English class is great fun," he says. "I bring in cuffings from newspapers and magazines for the boys to read and discuss. I also read one book every month. I would normally read about five pages of it every day and, when I'm halfway through, the boys are queueing up for a loan of the book. At the moment we're doing a play called Alas in Blunderland by Peter Gunning, a Cork teacher. We intend to perform it for the school. We spend about three-quarters of an hour every day rehearsing it. It's a learning experience because it involves reading, learning lines, music and mime and there's a role for everyone in the class.

Is the job stressful? "What is stressful is the fact that you have 25 or 30 kids looking for attention all at the same time. But I like the job. I like teaching. I like being with children. I enjoy their innocence and spirit. If I came in feeling under the weather, the boys would spot it and the day would be disastrous.