Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir delivered the keynote speech at the Blackboard Awards Ceremony held on Thursday, 4 December. The following is an extract from her speech:

Of course, it is not only the child who needs to become resilient, flexible and open to change and to learning. That challenge has to be embraced by the teacher. Today, graduating teachers need to be prepared for a period of time when they may not have a permanent post. More than ever, it is important that our teachers are creative, imaginative and resourceful to get that first post and then to develop as teachers. You represent the success story. One of the aspects of the role of teacher to which I am sensitive, and which I urge you to consider, is teacher well-being. There is a role to be taken up by an organisation whose sole function is to address the needs of teachers, raising awareness and putting measures in place to support teachers’ health and well-being. That work needs to be championed and prioritised. It is not enough that it is one of many other items within the remit of a body.

Good professional development is another area that plays an important role in the support of teachers and, ultimately, in the quality of the learning experience of our pupils. The highlight in my own professional development was the privilege of working alongside Dame Marie Clay. Marie has passed away since then. However, she was the world leading expert in children’s literacy development, and we worked together to develop a literacy assessment tool for use in Irish-medium schools. During those years, I learned many valuable lessons from Marie Clay. Two of them stay with me almost every day in a classroom or lecture theatre.

Firstly, she demonstrated that there are many routes to literacy, so let’s extend that beyond literacy. There are many routes to understanding, to learning. Sometimes the classroom can seem a bit of a maze, but there is a route that will suit each child.

Secondly, I recall her advice to me as a teacher, “Always be prepared to be surprised”.

So, maybe those little gifts of wisdom from her can now be passed on to you. I just cast them out there. You can catch them and make them your own.