Madam, - I am a secondary teacher who, between substitution jobs, does day-by-day teaching in national schools - at the moment there are very few permanent, full-time jobs in post-primary schools. Recently I worked with traveller children, in small groups, as a substitute teacher, giving them extra coaching in reading, writing and spelling.
Having also worked with travellers at post-primary level, I realised how much I have always enjoyed teaching them.
Consistently they respect the authority and competence of the teacher, are co-operative, unspoilt, mature, cheerful, confident and very enthusiastic to learn and work. They are independent and self-reliant and able to start a conversation with an adult on a topic of their choice.
They are not deferential - the teacher is spoken to as an equal, not as a superior - which suits me, anyway. I asked one particular group how old they were, expecting to hear eight or nine years. They were four and five years old. I then wondered to myself how the many middle-class five year olds I have taught compared to them .
Until then, I had accepted an unconditionally negative image of travellers, and I cringe with shame to have let myself be so bigoted and susceptible to a stereotype.
Of course, there are still many social problems among Travellers (as in the settled community), at least some of which are self-inflicted and which usually arise from fear, ignorance and anger. Nevertheless, in this instance Travellers have given me a positive experience which has changed my attitude. - Yours etc.,
CHRISTIAN MORRIS, Howth, Dublin 13.