Happy New Year! To kick off 2026, we are rejoined by Sophie Cole (@special_education_muinteoir), for an update on her campaign to amend assault leave. Sophie's story is shocking, heartbreaking, and inspiring all in one.

If you haven't already, make sure to listen to Sophie's first episode last year, Assault in the Classroom.

Please make sure you also follow Sophie and her campaign on social media - she is doing such important work for education professionals, and for the children in their care.

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It is Episode 100 of That'll Teach You! To celebrate, we are joined by fan favourites Tina (@teacherofdotes) and Robbie (@positiveprimaryprincipal) to look back on the first term of the school year. We also spoke with Simon Lewis (@anseodotnet) of Anseo.net and Mash.ie to catch up on his very different first school term.

Thank you for listening to us - we can't wait to start back on 7th January with Episode 101!

Don't forget to enter our fantastic Christmas giveaway competition - follow us @thatllteachyoupodcast for details!

Please recommend us to a friend, and take a moment to rate and review us - it really helps!

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It's Christmas! Everyone in your life needs a book, and we're here to help! We welcome back Dr Becky Long from Children's Books Ireland (@kidsbooksirel) to take us through books for all ages. Becky appears to have read every book ever, so who better to help fill your Christmas stockings. From picture books to JRR Tolkein's Santa letters, Becky has something for everyone.

Make sure to check out our Instagram (@thatllteachyoupodcast) to enter competition where you can win some fabulous prizes!

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Dyslexia is the most common learning difficulty in the world, and yet there are still so many misconceptions around what it is, and how we can support the dyslexic children in our care. Dr Jen O'Sullivan (@readwritejen) joins us today to discuss (and debunk) some of these myths, and to give teachers and parents advice about early intervention and support.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to last week's episode with Dr Treasa Bowe on Morphology?

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Literacy guru Treasa Bowe (@betweenthecoversofagoodbook) returns to That'll Teach You to talk about the the sci-fi-sounding topic of morphology. Why does breaking words into component parts make it easier for children to develop vocabulary and spelling skills? Is there a risk we're over-complicating what our students need to know? As ever, Treasa has the answers.

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Author and illustrator Tarsila Krüse takes us inside her creative process, from drawing books backwards to sketching star signs with her son. If you haven't read and experienced Tarsila's books yet, why not?

Follow us @thatllteachyoupodcast and follow Tarsila @tarsilakruse

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Trina Golden, principal and all-round education queen, is back on That'll Teach You to talk Special Education. What changes were made with the updated SET guidelines in 2024? What do school leaders need to do to show that SET is valued in schools? And what can we all do in our day-to-day lives to help support the most vulnerable children in our care?

Follow Trina @fromtinyacorns and make sure to check out her recent webinar on this very topic.

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We talk a lot about play, but how can we bring it into everyday teaching in the senior classes in primary school? Luckily for us, we are rejoined by play expert Gillian (@the_glitter_and_coffee_teacher) to discuss exactly that. Gillian talks about the importance of letting children learn in a variety of ways to aid their development, and tackles the tricky question: how do we assess play?

If you liked this episode, please leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen!

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Ciara Reilly is back in the classroom! After several years working in other areas of education, Ciara is back where (we think) she belongs, and we are so excited to have her on the show again to chat about how her first half-term has been. We ask Ciara about the positive and negative changes she has seen since returning to school, we discuss writing and the use of technology, and Hugh discovers a seasonal spider to kick off the show.

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Award-winning author Sinead Moriarty joins the podcast, and we are EXCITED! We discuss the important themes and messages that Sinead's books can bring into the classroom, discover her writing process, and try to coax her into saying what's coming next. If you haven't read Sinead's books, what are you doing? Her children's novels are very accessible while still dealing with meaningful real-life issues.

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Dr Ciara Joyce, clinical psychologist and director of Emotion Skills Ireland joins Hugh and Jane this week to discuss how parents and teachers can support children in experiencing emotions. We talk about the importance of validation as a first step, and the increasing reports of anxiety and depression amongst our students. Jane also relives her favourite screaming bike crash of the term so far.

TTY listeners can avail of a discount code for Emotion Skills Ireland - make sure to check it out.

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Scared to sing with your class? Not any more, now that Riona (@rionasally) is here to help! Riona talks about how we can use music to help with so many areas of school, not least Gaeilge. Make sure to check out her new album, Úlla Búlla, as well as all of her wonderful, fun songs that will make your life as a parent or teacher that little bit easier.

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Prepare to be inspired! Angela Cummins (@specialedteacherireland) is on the show this week, and we're excited. Angela is as experienced as it gets when it comes to teaching in an autism class, having begun 27 years ago. We chat to her about her goals at the start of the year and beyond, the challenges faced by teachers and SNAs, and what the school community can do to support our colleagues in autism classes.

This is the first of a number of episodes this season with a focus on neurodiversity in our schools. Make sure to follow us @thatllteachyoupodcast on Instagram and Tiktok to see what's coming next.

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Author and illustrator Paddy Donnelly joins us for the start of an exciting new miniseries - Meet the Author. Paddy's books include The Vanishing Lake, The Golden Hare, For and Son Tailers and Dodos Aren't Extinct. We discuss his schooldays, his route to creating books, and how visiting schools as an author is just the best! If you can't tell, Hugh's class is full of Paddy's books.

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Shona Kelly (@mskellys) is back to help you plan your Art lessons for the start of the year and beyond. As always, Shona's advice is practical and easy to implement, and she reminds us once again that you can bring Art into ANYTHING!

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Creative psychotherapist, play therapist and teacher Karen Riordan (@primarylinks) joins Jane and Hugh this week to continue our discussion on how best we can build relationships in our classrooms. We highlight the importance of caring for both our own mental health, and our students', to create the best possible environment for safety, play and learning.

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It's the first week of school, and who better to help us kick off Season 3 than Lorraine (@all_things_primary)? As ever, Lorraine gives practical, sensible advice on how we can build relationships with our new students, starting on the first day (or even beforehand) and continuing throughout the year.

Hugh veers wildly between excitement and terror at the prospect of his first Junior Infants class, while Jane is full of plans for another great year in 6th Class.

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This episode of That'll Teach You is sponsored by Mash.ie, the number one platform for Irish teachers to buy and sell resources online.

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We are back! Jane and Hugh are all set for an exciting new season of That'll Teach You, so we hope you are too. This season will bring you interviews with authors, a mini-series on neurodiversity, and a whole host of new and returning guests.

We are have a new sponsor - Mash.ie - the best place for Irish teachers to go to buy and sell resources.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @thatllteachyoupodcast

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It's holiday time! For our final episode of Season 2, we are rejoined by Peace (@muinteoirchukwurah), who tells us all about her first year as a qualified teacher. We chat about maintaining a good work-life balance, bond over our lilac clothes, and consider a world where Hugh takes over our social media.

Have a wonderful summer - we will see you in August for Season 3!

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Imagine starting Junior Infants for the the first time. Imagine moving from 6th class to secondary school. These might be the two biggest transitions in our educational lives, and we are joined by fan favourite Tina (@teacherofdotes) to discuss these, and indeed all the transitions teachers and students face. Whether it's moving class or simply moving from one lesson to another, transitions are a big part of everyone's day in school. We also have a That'll Teach You exclusive, where Hugh reveals a pretty big transition of his own.

Come back next week for our last episode of Season 2 with Peace Chukwurah (@muinteoirchukwurah) before we break for the holidays.

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