What's it like to work in. . . the Muslim National School, Clonskeagh, Dublin?

What's it like to work in the Muslim National School, Clonskeagh? Challenging and enriching. We have students from over 20 different countries here, some coping with four languages; their native language, English, Arabic and Irish. A lot of children in junior infants have no English at all.

There are only two Muslim national schools in the State, so we have a much bigger catchment area than most schools and a wide diversity of pupils. Getting the children to and from school is a challenge!

There's a warm happy atmosphere here.

How does this job compare to your last job?

I spent 15 years teaching at a Catholic school before coming here and there are many differences. The children here follow the same curriculum as all national school children with the addition of Koran studies and Arabic. The older ones go to the mosque to pray each day. The holidays are different too. The school reflects an Islamic ethos even though most of the teachers are not Muslim.

What's the best part of your job?

The satisfaction of seeing this school develop from having a staff of two (myself and one other) and 40 students 15 years ago to 275 pupils and 16 staff today.

What's the hardest part of your job?

Communicating with students and parents with no English.

Also, dealing with the enormous workload that every principal has to shoulder these days. There's not much time to deal with educational matters with all the paperwork coming from the department, the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and other bodies.

I believe every school should be able to appoint a paid accountant to handle the financial workload, which is considerable.

Where's the best place in Clonskeagh to retreat to when it all gets too much?

There's nowhere to hide!

Who's your education idol?

Mother Teresa. She said: "There is only one God and He is God to all. Therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim and a Christian become a better Christian.

If you could change one thing about the Muslim National School, what would it be?

I would dearly love a home-school liaison teacher to reach out to all those parents, and especially mothers, who are isolated from the school because of distance, language issues or lack of resources.

We are not designated disadvantaged, but our students come from varied socio- economic backgrounds.

What's unique about the Muslim National School?

The variety of students, the blend of cultures and the welcoming, inclusive atmosphere.