Before the Exchange
I am in my last semester at Bridgewater State University where I have been undergoing my Student Teaching practicum. I am a history and secondary education major with plans to become a high school history teacher. The first 8 weeks, I was fortunate to do my Student Teaching at Middleborough High School. The staff there was incredible and really helped me out to become the best I could be. It was definitely a good amount of work and the perfect amount of challenge. I loved it because I felt stimulated always when I was at the school, always thinking of the next lesson plan. It really helped me get in a teacher’s mindset and get a deep dive into the life of a high school teacher. I wanted to go to Dublin, because I wanted to take a risk and a challenge.

Organization
The organization of this trip really relied on trusting the process. I knew I was accepted to the study aboard program in October but did not know where I was going to live until weeks before I left and even DAYS before I left to learn where I was going to teach. Accommodation is hard in any major city, Dublin is packed. We were originally going to try to stay in the Marino Institute of Education dorms, but they were full. Marino has had a partnership with Bridgewater for many years and they were so kind to me and Danielle when we arrived there. Through the likes of their very kind Dean Julie Uí Choistealbha and her collogue Sylvia McLoughlin we were able to find a home stay. Our first home stay was in Balgriffin, Dublin which was for 11 days. We lived with Gemma Preston. We both had our own rooms, access to the kitchen, and a clean bathroom. Our second home stay we stayed at Conor & Margaret McLoughlin’s house. This was in Coolock, Dublin. This location was convenient because it was a little closer to the school as I was able to take a bus route, rather than a 40-minute walk to the school at the first home stay. The rooms were a little bigger and we had access to everything we needed as well as a small living room which provided a nice tv and couch. It was only 180 Euro (less than $200 USD) a week for the seven weeks so did not end up being bad price either. In the end, it worked out!
The Exchange, Studies & School Experience Placement
On March 27th, I began my school placement at Donahies Community School. I was able to get settled in as they appointed me four classes to teach right when I got there. As you can read in my previous blog posts, the Irish Education System is quite different. I learned a lot from it. Teaching younger students that I did in Middleboro was great experience. It was also great to be able to teach aspects of American and world history. All the teachers I worked with were so welcoming. The school environment is independent. I was surprised when I took over a class my first week and the teacher had full trust and just left me in there. Overall, Donahies was great as it is a friendly environment, and I was able to teach a variety of topics to a variety of age groups.

Living in Dublin
Living here has been easy. For future students considering make sure you get a leap card. You will be taking the bus everywhere. Both my homestays were on the north side of town about a 30-minute ride into the city center. I was extremely lucky to be able to have known some friends while I was here because of connections I had made when I worked at a summer camp and international students worked there. Hanging with them and them showing me around was a great time. The 2-week easter break was nice to explore the city and the country! Living in Dublin, there is so much history. As a history teacher, I loved it. So many great museums and places to go! I would recommend following social media pages that give Ireland suggestions. That helped me a lot. The Hop off Hop on bus is a great way to get to know the city.
Conclusion
I am returning to the U.S. to graduate Bridgewater State! I am extremely grateful for my opportunity. This was a life-changing opportunity, and I cannot thank Dr. MacMillan, Study Abroad, Emma Lynch and Mike Sandy, and BSU’s administration enough for the thought and planning that went into this program. Another thanks to all the people at Marino Institute and the two home stays. I had a great time!