"It is difficult to describe any student teaching experience without using the word challenging at some point. My time in Ireland was just that. My largest problem was in developing a classroom management style that worked for me. I found that many teachers in St. Clements used a strict disciplinary style. My goal was to find a style that was less authoritarian. Finding that happy medium was a challenge, but well worth it.

Student teaching in the secondary schools in Ireland can be a great experience for the person who is ready to get their feet wet. Most teachers are very willing to let you take over the class at will. In many cases, the teacher will assume that you will be taking over the class from that point forward and could decide not to show or to show only once in a while. This can seem very intimidating at first, but it does allow for a greater sense of responsibility and creativity in classroom management and lesson planning.

Ireland as a whole was one adventure after another. I would recommend Ireland to anyone that is interested in seeing a culture that still holds to tradition. Try to get to the country as much as possible; this is where most of Ireland's real treasures lie. And of course, there are the pubs. Most of all though, Ireland was an opportunity for me to understand some of the assumptions that I make as an American, and how I can work to overcome some of those assumptions."

Paul is pensive while overlooking one of the edges at the Cliffs of Moher.