Podcast 391, Finbarr Hurley on European Schools and School Leadership (26-2-20)

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney.

On this week's podcast I interview Finbarr Hurley about his experience teaching in some European Schools and about his thoughts on leadership. He is currently working as a Coordinator with the Centre for School Leadership. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are the following:

• Wanting to teach from a young age


• His experience in Mary Immaculate College


• Proving yourself as a teacher when you begin in a school


• The importance of changing career post every 5-6 years


• The importance of figuring out what makes children tick


• Teaching in Cork and Teaching in Brussels


• Designing a classroom of the future


• A synopsis of the European Schools system


• Learning from working alongside teachers from other countries


• Moving to an International School in Qatar


• Working with teaching coaches


• Involving children in parent-teacher meetings


• Teaching without textbooks


• Bringing members of a circus in to work with his students in Germany


• Identifying what is valued in a school, across the school community


• Challenges of being a principal in Ireland


• Providing continuous professional development (CPD) for principals and principals’ needs for CPD


• Why it’s okay for principals to fail (the first attempt at learning)


• One of his own principals


• Simon Senek (Be the last to speak)


• Andy Hargreaves


• Book: Wholesome Leadership


• Luke Jefferson Day, editor of GQ Magazine in London.


• Simone Marchetti – creativity outside of education


• The value of sofas in classsrooms