Jackie Klein

Reflection Essay
Stranmillis University
December 16, 2014
What Then? A Reflection of Teaching in Belfast
'What then?' sang Plato's ghost. What then?'
This line has haunted me since I first discovered it in a small book of W.B. Yeats poems eight
weeks ago. The echoed phrase resonated with me both as a traveler and as an educator. It quickly
became my mantra for my experiences teaching abroad. Essentially, it asks, So what? I have this
tremendous opportunity to teach abroad, to meet new people, to explore a new city. But what then?
Success is not guaranteed from merely having an experience. In order to make it fruitful and truly
meaningful, one needs to reflect upon how they have changed because of it. Therefore, in order to
answer Plato's ghost's What then? I need not look forward to what I will do, but look back to what I
have done.
Going from student teaching in the United States to student teaching in Belfast was, at first, a
shock. There seemed to be innumerable differences. However, the more time I spent in the system, the
less overwhelmed I felt. Differences still exist, but they are no longer blinding. After some
consideration, I narrowed down three main distinctions between the two: the English curriculum,
sources for student motivation, and student-teacher relationships. These are also differences that really
challenged me as an educator and have caused me to reflect and ask of myself, What then?
The first major difference between the American and Northern Irish school systems that I
noticed is the curricula. The standards to which each adheres have their similarities and differences, as
well as which courses are required and what material is covered within them. Iowa is one of many
states that has adopted the Common Core curriculum. While the Core varies slightly by state, the
overall idea is to guide the entire nation.
The standards in the Iowa Common Core are incredibly specific, with English being no
exception. It is split into five categories: reading literature, reading informational text, writing,
speaking and listening, and language. Each of these breaks down farther into exact skills and
knowledge that students should have for a particular grade level. The Iowa Common Core contains no
vague language; writing breaks down not only into specific kinds of writing, there are also at least four
bullet points to describe each different aspect. For example, in planning a unit or scheme of work on
persuasive writing for ninth graders, the Iowa Common Core asks the teacher to address the following
standards:
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing
claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while
pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that

anticipates the audiences knowledge level and concerns.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons,
between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented. (W.9-10.1.) (DOK 3,4) (Iowa Department of Education, 2011)
Nothing of this caliber exists in Northern Ireland's curriculum. Their standards are similarly
sectioned by age into Key Stages, but they contain more broad ideas than specific skills. The intention
is to establish a Big Picture curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking while still providing national
guidance. For comparison, below is the equivalent standard from the Key Stage 3 document on
persuasive writing:
Explore the power of a range of communication techniques to inform, entertain,
influence and persuade, for example, compile and justify a list of top ten television
advertisements or web sites for young people; create an innovative lifestyle article
or feature for young people. (Northern Ireland Curriculum, 2007)
There is clearly a significant difference. Despite this, I have found that both have been crucial to
my success as a teacher. When first presented with the single page Key Stage 3 standards for English, I
nearly panicked that I had somehow misprinted it and had left the rest somewhere. However, shifting
from a narrow to a broad focus was in fact quite refreshing. After having worked with such specificity
for years in university and in practice, I felt more encouraged to work creatively in the classroom. I
attribute my success at Dundonald High School to my experience with both types of curricula.
After a few weeks in the classroom, a second distinction became apparent. After observing student
interactions with their teachers and taking a few crash courses in Northern Irish classroom
management, it became clear that students are very externally motivated, whereas the focus in the
States was on internal motivation.
Nearly every school in Belfast requires students in formal uniform (button up shirt, tie, sweater,
skirt/pants, and suit coat) to minimize economic difference and instill pride. Post-primary schools are
also likely to have a points system in place to reward students in categories such as attendance, effort,
homework, uniform, behavior, etc. In the same manner, there are also punishments for poor
performance, ranging from removing points and writing lines to having a meeting with the school
principal or being suspended.
Contrastingly, in recent years the United States has begun to encourage internal motivation in
schools. Classroom management courses in Iowa stress the importance of having real world application
and authentic learning experiences so that students create their own motivation. Competition between
students isn't encouraged as much as competition with self. Value of education is incredibly important.
I can see the benefits and disadvantages to both systems. While having rewards and punishments
teaches students responsibility and accountability, I have some issues with exclusive externally
motivating students. Because they never learned to motivate themselves, some will struggle without the
promise of a reward or the threat of a punishment. I also take great issue using lines as punishment. It
requires no reflection or response from the student, and it also reinforces the idea that writing is

punishment instead of celebrating it as a means of expression and communication.

A few weeks into my placement, I noticed a third variance in the student-teacher relationships.
Both countries are required to address the needs of the students outside of the classroom, but to
different extents. The expectations for within the classroom also vary.
In my experience, I found that in Northern Ireland, teachers expect more respect from their
students. Teachers are not accustomed to being questioned on techniques, especially by students, or
being asked, Why? Teachers are also required to administer pastoral care in whatever shape that may
take. Schools generally have one designated person in charge of pastoral care, but individual teachers
often address issues as they arise. These expectations are very much rooted in the idea of teaching the
whole child.
In Iowa, I have noted that teachers generally get less respect from the community and from the
students. I was constantly observing teachers defending questions like, Why do we have to do this?
or Why does this matter? While having authentic and applicable lessons help, teachers are still
expected to be able to defend their every move in a classroom to students and parents.
In both areas, I've found that educators are under constant scrutiny in the community and are
definitely held to a higher standard than others. Because I learned to design lessons in a way that I
could justify them both to administration and to students, my lessons and units are always solidly based
on curricula standards and contain research-based techniques. However, entering a classroom in
Northern Ireland already having credibility established from my students made me realize the
importance of creating a rapport and relationship with my students.
Obviously, there are many more comparisons that I could make. However, moving from specific to
generalized standards, studying different effects of sources of student motivation, and experiencing
different levels of respect in the classroom all specifically helped me to better myself as an educator. I
have seen both positives and negatives in each system, picked out what I admired from each, and
learned to apply it to my experiences both in and out of the classroom. I have become resourceful,
flexible, and creative. My success in this program is truly not going to be determined by a letter grade
or a completed certificate, but by how much I have changed and improved as an educator and as a
person. And should Plato's ghost ever sing to me, What then? I think I would have my answer.

References
Iowa Department of Education, (2011). Iowa Core: English Language Arts. Educate Iowa, pp.44-62.
Northern Ireland Curriculum, (2007). The Statutory Curriculum at Key Stage 3: Rationale and Detail.
Belfast.
Yeats, W. (1956). The collected poems of W.B. Yeats. New York: Macmillan.