H1 Leaving Certificate, Bachelor of Education Gaeilge UCC fully qualified Irish & Spanish secondary school teacher, and I offer personalised, engaging grinds designed to build confidence, strengthen

Find out more about Aoife

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I speak Irish fluently because I was very lucky my mother is from a Gaeltacht in mayo tuair mhic eadaigh and she had very good Irish and spoke it with me at home when I was younger. I was then sent to Scoil na nÓg where I day boarded and used Irish as the language of communication. For 5th and 6th class I had classes at 9-2 and then played sport and had study in the evenings until 8pm all through Irish. This is where my love for the Irish language grew. I also did my leaving cert through Irish and do complex subjects like chemistry and biology all through Irish.
  
  
  For Spanish I had a brilliant teacher in secondary school who inspired me to continue with the language. I had an amazing tutor in university who’s dedication and passion for not only the language but the student enjoyment inspired me to continue my journey as a language teacher

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  For me Grainne mhaol represents the Irish language because like the language she was strong, courageous, beautiful and resilient: she survived hardship just like Irish did during the British rule in Ireland. Grainne mhaol didn’t give up her fight for freedom and neither did the people of Ireland who kept the Irish language safe.
  
  
  While I was on Erasmus in Bilbao I took a Spanish literature course and one person I studied was Miguel de Cervantes, I think he represents Spanish because his writing helped shape Spanish literature he showed creativity and imagination through Spanish which left a huge impact on the language but also the Spanish culture

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  I love the phrase in Irish ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine because to me it shows how the Irish language brings people together and makes a community. It also reminds me that people need to support each other and that by sharing our traditions and cultures it helps remind us of our identity
  
  
  In Spain I was lucky enough to go to Las Fallas which is a festival that celebrates Spanish culture through colourful sculptures music and fireworks. I like it because it showed me the pride and appreciation that locals have for their history and their lanaguge but also their connection and appreciation to local traditions.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Irish is the language of Ireland and it shows our identity without a language we have no identity no purpose and no history. For me it is the same as my view as voting, people fought, risked their lives and died for the language and our rights to be communicated with in our national language. If we do not value and protect our language we lose not only our history but our culture and our identity as Irish people.
  
  For Spanish I think it is important to learn languages that will give us access to a wider community. Spanish is a growing lanaguge worldwide and I think it is important to be pluringuisgic as it stands to us in all aspects of our lives. I think it is importang to appreciate other cultures and to learn how to respect them.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  I think the main challenges in language learning are grammar, fear of failure and willingness to learn. I think that in the classroom students struggle with confidence in a different language and need supports to help them. I think creating a good relationship with your students really helps the process of learning and showing them that mistakes are important for learning shows them that there is no judgement.
  
  
  In both Irish and Spanish for secondary school students I think that grammar is a very difficult aspect as we are unconsciously competent in English and don’t realise the complex aspects of what we say. I think that guiding them slowly and using easy to comprehend comparisons really help all students but these have to be differentiated appropriately so that all students can learn.
  
  
  Finally I think for language learning students need to have a willingness to learn as language learning never ends there is always more to learn new vocab, new slang words further grammar topics and the list never ends as a student you are always a learner even once you complete the tasks that the exams give you there is always a step further forward.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  Like I said above I think students really struggle with fear of failure and judgement in learning language but that is because I remember being nervous about speaking language in school because of the fear of making mistakes. I was a very academic student and the fear of making a mistake was overwhelming for me.
  
  
  With a kind teacher and a lot of at home practice I became more confident and started to slowly understand that mistakes were just another part of learning. It is something I have to remeber now as a teacher and I push it into every class I teach that mistakes are good I want people to make the mistakes so that I can help them learn from them! I want my students to feel comfortable giving things a try and not feel judged by anyone especially me.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  I lived in Spain in Bilbao for 6 months on Erasmus I went there on my own without knowing anyone and I lived with a family that only spoke Spanish they didn’t have English. This experience was amazing I will never forget it the kindness of the family I stayed with, their patience but also the connection I wanted to learn more about culture so I took a basque class so I could communicate with them a little through their language and they asked me to teach them a couple of Irish phrases.
  
  
  Through this I was able to make a cultural exchange and see the importance of languages the history behind Irish and basque were very few which was really interesting I found that the languagess suffered from colonisation and oppression and that there were also small hedge schools in the basque region to keep the language alive the fact that the same thing was done in Ireland really blew me away.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  What makes me a Superprof is that I genuinely enjoy languages and helping people build their confidence. I teach both Irish and Spanish and use a mix of conversation, games, visuals, technology and real world examples to make lessons engaging and suited to the students themselves! For me, lessons aren’t just about teaching and learning they’re about building relationships and seeing the whole student. I want to understand their interests, strengths and challenges so I can support them in the best way possible.