Why did you choose teaching and why Hibernia College?

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. My mom, my aunt and uncle are all teachers, and I was always interested in the career. However, when doing the Leaving Certificate, it is a huge decision to choose a career that you want to do for the rest of your life. So, I chose to give myself options and studied a business degree. While studying my undergrad, I did work experience in a school and that confirmed that teaching would definitely be a career for me. During the last year of my undergrad, I researched the Professional Master in Education and what it entails. I researched each college, but Hibernia College was the college that stood out best to me and was most suitable for what I wanted at this exact time in my life.

What field of work or study were you in before you started your PME?

Directly before my PME, I was studying a Bachelor of Business (honours). I was also playing music. I chose to go directly into my PME as I knew teaching was something I wanted to do, and I wanted to continue on with my education journey.

Can you tell us a bit about your research project and why you focused on this area?

For my research project, I focused on the area of classroom management. When choosing a thesis title, I wanted to ensure it was something that, firstly, I was interested in and, secondly, a topic that was relevant to teaching in today’s class. I felt effective classroom management was extremely important in classes today to ensure a rich learning experience. Through my research, I focused on different methodologies, differentiation methods, strategies and ideas different teachers with different experience and subjects used to ensure productive learning. I also focused on the perspectives teachers had on how productive a class was when classroom management wasn’t in place. The research proved to be extremely relevant to today’s teaching and provide knowledge and strategies for teachers who were involved in the study.

Now that you have graduated, what are your plans?

Now that I have graduated, I am teaching in the school where I did two of my work placements. I also have a huge love for music, and I travel the world playing shows with my family band. This was another reason why Hibernia suited my lifestyle as I was able to focus on my studies without having to give up playing music. I plan to continue teaching while playing music.

What piece of advice would you give to any person considering starting a PME?

The advice I would give someone considering starting the PME is to do your research and try get experience in teaching before deciding to do it. The PME is a Level 9 master’s, and it requires hard work, dedication and passion. Before starting, it is important to know the work that is required and the time that it takes. However, if you know teaching is something you want to do, it will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.