Una Buckley

Proving it is never too late to go back to education, Una Buckley enrolled on an Adult and Community Education course with NUI Maynooth last year, aged 50. Having left school with just her Intermediate Certificate at 16, Una had a 34-year gap between leaving one classroom and entering another.

As a youngster Una had dreamed about becoming a teacher and in recent years she decided to pursue that dream. She came across an advertisement for a course in Adult and Community Education in her local paper and decided to apply for it. Her application was successful and she began her studies on the one-year programme last year.

The one-year programme consists of one three-hour evening class per week and leads to a Certificate in Adult and Community Education. Una is due to graduate in December and plans to continue her studies by possibly doing a Diploma and then a degree in teaching.

Her experience is typical of many who return to education yet it was very different from what she expected. It was not simply a return to school and being told what to do and think, rather she was introduced to a new approach to learning. She explains, “it was a total revelation to see how adults actually learn” in the sense that it is based around group work, the role of the community in education, and also the psychology and philosophy behind education. Initially, she found this a daunting prospect but was surprised to discover that she took to it like a duck to water.

She has gained confidence from learning that she is able to keep up with other people on the course who already have degrees and she has a new-found assurance in her abilities and the many skills she has acquired during the course of the programme. She intends to use the Certificate to tutor part-time while she continues studying towards a career in teaching. Una is thrilled that she now has the confidence to speak in front of a group of people in a classroom environment and is looking forward to tutoring others.

Her experience has been so fruitful she would recommend others go back to education and fulfil their dreams too. “I have loved the course”, she says, “and I have gained so much confidence. It also gave me the chance to make friends with a great group of people who I would not have met otherwise”.