Rating my teachers from Benildus
I checked out www.ratemyteachers.ie to see what all the fuss is about. Most of the feedback is very positive. I checked out St. Benildus College and I was gratified to see glowing comments for Michael Daly, the man who raise me up to B standard in French. Seehttp://www.ratemyteachers.ie/ShowRatings.php?tid=5677&type=0
Michael Daly was also a reknowned English teacher, but I don't think I would have swapped Liam McLoughlin for anyone. I had been lucky with english teachers all the way up (Páiricín Ní Mhaoláin of Scoil Naithí, Ms. Jordan and Brian Doolin in C.U.S.). But Liam McLoughlin was a quiet educational hero. He had a deeper focus than mere exam results and was eager to expand the syllabus to include Joyce and Beckett (then proscribed). He got us to think about the philisophical and political context in which literature is produced.
I found an essay at home I had wrote for him at 14, and in his lengthy comments were wise words about politics, family and other issues. In the privacy of "corrections" I found validation and mentoring. He was also happy to share his bookcase with us; I remember bringing home a copy of "Night in Tunisia" by Neil Jordan in 1983. Liam was always happy to give considered feedback on any poetry or short story I had to offer. He also nurtured creativity through the annual Creative Writing competition, and was happy to see pupils push the boundaries. Only after leaving did I find out that he had gone out on a limb to champion my right to free artistic expression. Others on the staff had considered a particular poem too sexually charged! Liam also encouraged me to speak in front of a group for the first time, as he developed debaters for the school team. I didn't amount to much of a debater at the time, but his encouragement was sorely appreciated. Finally my neurotic and cavalier approach to exams must have tested his patience, and I never got a chance to thank him for helping me on that front also.
He nurtured depth, and self expression.
I hope he is keeping well.
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