Louise Ronan Graduate 1997
I graduated from T.C.S in 1997.As a student walking the corridors of this school I found it hard to find my feet for the first few years. I knew very few people starting in 1st Year as I had come from a different primary school to all other students in my year. A wonderful teacher Bríd Hayes created a classroom environment where I felt safe and became eager to learn. She was my Home Economics teacher and was such a positive influence on my learning journey. She set high standards and was so giving of her time. Her kindness is something I will never forget. For five years I had the goal of becoming a Home Economics teacher. Many people thought it was out of my reach. On completing my Leaving Certificate, I fell short of the points and made the tough decision to repeat. Second time round through determination, grit and lots of hard work I received my CAO offer for a four year degree to become a Home Economics teacher.
College life brought with it another level of study, project work and practicals. When you are studying what you love and what you find interesting it makes the learning so much easier. Training to be a teacher and once inside the classroom was where I began to flourish. Teaching is what made me tick. I became so motivated to improve, become better at what I did, learn from those around me. To be open minded to learning from others it what enriches your own practice. Teaching never felt like work. I went to school each day and was paid to do something I loved.
I was lucky enough to be offered a full time job as a Home Economics teacher not too far from this school. I had a wonderful leader and mentor who recognised a potential in me that I didn’t even know existed. She encouraged me to put my name forward for many projects, courses and initiatives. I was given the opportunity to set up a Healthy Eating Canteen in my school. This has gone from strength to strength and 10 years later it is well established and seen as canteen of best practice for Post Primary schools in Ireland. This was a project that started very small and became a success story and has benefited so many of my students. With a vision and the ability to work hard you can succeed at anything you put your mind to. I set up the school canteen while teaching full time and managed to make it work.
I continued to learn and was always open to upskilling and adding to my expertise. I completed a Masters in Leadership and Education with Trinity College Dublin. This qualification then led me to my current position of Deputy Principal of an all-girls post primary school with 970 students. Lucky is what I feel to have had wonderful female role models in my life who believed in me. My message to any student reading this is that you can achieve anything once you put your mind to it. I was a quiet, shy and a not so bright student who had to work really hard for every exam and even at that, very rarely achieved the A grades. I believe it is not solely about the grades. It is about using the unique skills you have and refining them. It is about learning to work with people and knowing when to ask for help. It is about taking risks and learning from your mistakes. It is having some self-belief that you are made for something more than what it says on your school report. You can do anything once you put your mind to it. Start today, make a plan and know that you are as good as anyone else. Be proud of where you have come from and believe that you have the potential to go so much further that you can even imagine. Education is the key the opens the door to so many opportunities. Don’t underestimate your time in school. It is the building block for the next stage of your learning journey.