Marann Gourley

St Kieran's P.S 

Subject or Primary School Year:  Parent Liasion Officer/SEN Classroom Assistant 

Place of Birth: Belfast

Where you studied: Belfast Met

What was your first job? Youth leader

What did your first job teach you? That you definitely need a sense of humour to work with children as they are the most honest people you'll ever come across. You never know what they are going to say or ask.

Family/Status: Married.

Best advice you would give to someone thinking of a teaching career: That you have to have a great love of children, remembering that each child is unique and they need to be treated as such, because what works for one child might not work for another.

Marann was born in Sailortown, moved to New Lodge when she was seven, before moving to Andersonstown at 11. She is now 63-years-old, married 42 years with a wonderful hubby Paul, and two beautiful children, Christopher, 40, whose married to Patricia; and Maria, 32. She has two amazing grandchildren Carla, 18, and Shea, 10.

She now lives in Lagmore, Dunmurry and has been working with children for 45 years, finding her love for working with young people at St Agnes' Youth Club; joining there first as a member, progressing to Youth Leader and then to part-time worker in charge before becoming a Classroom Assistant 30-years-ago at Holy Child Nursery School. Marann moved to St Kieran's PS to work in their SEN Unit. She particularly loves working with children who have special needs, watching them grow and develop gives her great satisfaction.

Marann certainly loves the challenge, and that's why she has now taken on the role of Parent Liaison Officer which is only a new role in the school, which she says she is enjoying immensely from starting a PTA to fundraising, to helping support the children that need it and give them some love and guidance to face that big world that we all live in. If she only impacts a few lives, she says, she feels that she's achieved her goal. Children spend six hours a day at school, so her motto is "let's make it as happy a place for them as we can – there are never problems, always solutions".