Caitlín Ritchie

First job: Sales Associate at TK Maxx.

What it taught me: Working at TK Maxx taught me a lot, mainly how to be organised, how to manage my time and how to work well as part of a team. It was also a lot of fun working there, making friends and helping each other out..

Family/status: Married

Best advice anyone ever gave you: Always do your best. My parents were both very hard-working and always encouraged me to do my best at school, to be able to pick a career that I would be happy in. You can't always be the best at everything, everyone has different strengths, but as long as you do your best, it should always be enough.

Best advice you could give someone thinking of a teaching career: Teaching is a career that you can't do half-heartedly, you have to give it everything. You are moulding the lives of amazing young people. My advice would be to treat the children as you would like your own children to be treated and taught. They are somebody's whole world, and each and every one of them is an individual and should be treated as such. You need to be organised and plan ahead, you also need to be flexible and know that it is okay to change the plan – not everything goes to plan, have a back-up. Always be open to learning more, I've learnt more in the past year as a teacher than I did in four years in college. Some days will be very challenging and you'll ask yourself why you didn't pick an easier job, the good days will answer that. Believe in yourself, work hard and enjoy it, the years go by quickly.

I have been teaching for 15 years, 13 of those in Bunscoil Phobal Feirste. I have always had a great love and passion for the Irish language. I attended English medium schools as a child and was always somewhat jealous that I did not have Irish when I was younger. The language is what always motivated me in career choice. Both my parents worked very hard to ensure I had a good education. 

My mother, who sadly died last year, was a true inspiration, a teacher herself in adult education. She taught me a lot, not so much professionally, but her love for life, her kindness and never-ending generosity will always drive me to be better. 

I am married with four wonderful children at home and our little angel, Bláithín, in heaven. I also have two  brothers and one sister and a fantastic extended family. My mother-in-law and my aunt, my mummy’s twin sister, who is like another mother to me, looked after Niamh, my eldest child to allow me to finish my degree. The unwavering support from my entire family has allowed me to develop into the teacher I am. Teaching isn’t an easy job, but it is extremely rewarding.