Mary O'Hagan
I have a son and daughter doing Leaving and Junior this year so I'm helping them as much as possible and taking them to exams in June. I can't afford time for a holiday in July as I'm involved in correcting papers. I'll probably get a couple of weeks in August, then it's back to the mayhem of exam results and hopefully getting a child ready to go off to college.
Tom Sharkey
I'll probably take about three weeks' holiday in June. I'll just relax around home as I can't really afford to go away anywhere. July and August I'll be teaching in the Donegal Gaeltacht. I do it every year - I teach Irish and it's a good refresher course. There is a little bit of money involved but really you just get board and accommodation. I really enjoy the social side - it's great craic.
Bridget McAree
I'm very busy at the moment getting ready for the exams. In June I'll probably be supervising Leaving and Junior Cert exams. After that I'm going off travelling with some friends to Vietnam and Thailand. To be honest I think the length of time that teachers get off in the summer is justified because we only get paid enough for nine months' work.
Nelius Flynn
I teach art, craft and design so the summer is a time when I can concentrate on my own artistic projects. I'm chairperson of a local artists' group; we have study trips planned to places like Cavan Crystal and an old working cornmill. I'll be preparing work for an exhibition of my work I'm hoping to hold. I'll enjoy taking early morning walks.
Deirbhil Kelly
This is my first year teaching and I'm getting married in July. I'll spend June organising, then our honeymoon is three weeks in Thailand. My fiance's a Garda and hopefully he's transferring closer. We'll spend August sorting out the cottage we've bought. I worked summers in college, so my attitude is: this is my summer and I am really going to enjoy it.
Roy Mallon
I'm a guidance counsellor and I teach French. I will be very busy over the exam period, then I'm involved in marking for Leaving Cert honours French. This year a friend and I are hoping to go to Australia. I'm taking four weeks there - a wee bit more than normal for my holidays. In August I'm back in school for the Leaving Cert results and CAO offers.
