A Leitrim teacher who is taking early retirement says she felt she needed to step down before she became burnt out.
Mairin O' Keefe who has almost 40 years of teaching experience announced her retirement as principal of Drumshanbo National School a few months ago.
She says she thoroughly enjoyed working with the parents, students and staff at the school, but says the bureaucracy at Department level and the constant struggle to get resources was a significant part of her decision to step away.
Speaking on the Let's Talk show this afternoon, Mairin says constant communications from the Department at the weekends and during school holidays means there's little time to try and switch off.
She says she can't understand why the Department of Education drags out application processes for any resources that schools have to apply for.
I know so many people who are retiring this year it's incredible, and they're y'know people I would regard as very professional , hard-working people, who just feel it's getting harder to do the job adequately all the time.
So for example you make applications with regard to provision for children with special needs, in January.
You have your forms filled for things like transport and such like in January, and as of today that isn't sorted, so I know that the new principal in my school is on the phone today trying to sort out transport for children based on applications that were made last January.
