Teaching the unthinkable

For teachers considering continuous professional development courses this summer, Teaching the Holocaust sounds unusual and stimulating. The three-day course for postprimary teachers, from August 18th to 20th at Trinity College Dublin, is led by international Holocaust scholars and educators. The course considers the context of the Holocaust, pedagogic challenges, cross-curricular perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches; topics include ghettos and persecution , the roles of perpetrators, victims, bystanders, rescuers and resisters; and trivialisation and Holocaust denial ; as well as teaching the Holocaust in an Irish classroom and its relevance for students . Presented by Holocaust Education Trust Ireland, it is supported by the Department of Education . You can get m ore information from hetireland.org or 01-6690593.

Junior school closure

There seem s to be more than rumour to the suggestion that the junior school at CBC Monkstown Park, in south Dublin, may close . The school’s website makes no mention of it, and the school can’t confirm the state of play, as discussions are ongoing. But a recent meeting for parents announced the closure of the fee-paying Christian Brothers school (fees €4,136 per year) from September. Boys in fif th and six th classes would finish their schooling there, but children in other classes would need to move to other schools. While the private CBC post primary school on the same grounds has a large enrolment – about 53 0 students, according to its 2012 whole-school evaluation – the junior school has only about 100 boys, in classes of 15 or so . Were t he school to close it would probably put admissions pressure on nearby primary schools .

Far flung debating

Students are proving that distance is not a problem when it comes to preparing for a debate. Students from Sacred Heart schools from around Europe, including Ireland, Northern Ireland, Austria and Scotland, take part in a Comenius debate at Mount Anville Secondary School, in Goatstown, Dublin, this afternoon on the topic of whether Africa should g o it alone . The debaters have been working together on their topics remotely, via social media; they will meet for the first time as a team this morning. Liz O’Donnell, the former minister for overseas assistance, will chair the debate. The adjudicators include Eamonn Meehan, head of Tró caire, Mary Casey, who is a solicitor, and Bryan Sheridan, former group law agent at AIB .