Meet The Team
Peadar Glennon - Teacher
Short Bio
My name is Peadar Glennon and I am an ESOL and literacy tutor at Spirasi. I also work at Dublin Adult Learning Centre. I am co-founder of ESOL MATERIALS IRELAND, a platform where teachers across Ireland and beyond can access resources for teaching lower level ESOL/literacy classes. I have been working with groups of asylum seekers and refugees for 13 years. I specialise in working with learners who cannot read or write in their own language. I teach from Monday to Thursday and on Friday and Saturday, I do gardening work. In the summer, I help run archaeology summer camps where we teach children the principles of archaeology.
I am originally from Dublin but spent 8 years working overseas. I worked in India, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States. Before starting my teaching career, I worked for a number of years in Occupational Therapy.
My hobbies include reading philosophy books, callisthenics and growing veg on my allotment.
Fun Fact
After working for 4 months in the Yukon in Canada, I hitched around Alaska.
What attracted you to your role at Spirasi?
Having worked in Africa and India, I felt that a role facilitating groups of asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland might match my experience. I also felt that Spirasi had a unique advantage when helping asylum seekers- not only could it offer rehabilitation through therapy, but it could also offer an educational environment with accredited English language courses. Therapy and education is a powerful combination when helping to rebuild a life.
What are the challenges and rewards of your job?
A fundamental aspect to facilitating groups of asylum seekers and refugees is to create a positive environment where each client/learner can feel safe and flourish. In the classroom setting, there can be over 10 different nationalities from various ethnic backgrounds. Many have experienced torture. It is the facilitator’s/tutor’s role to create and maintain a sense of structure and order throughout the course and also to bring a sense of calm into the learning environment. Waiting a number of years for a decision on their future can be a stressful time for our learners, so sustaining and supporting this healthy atmosphere in the classroom is both the challenge and ultimately the reward of the facilitator’s/tutor’s role.
