Emer O’Neill is a broadcaster, author and teacher. She sat her Leaving Certificate in Loreto, Bray, Co Wicklow in 2004.
What is your most vivid Leaving Cert memory?
We had played a match with my club team a couple of weeks before the exams. I had fallen on my elbow and it was in bits. I remember having to write for three straight hours for English paper one and then another three straight hours for paper two.
All I could think was “I think I have a broken elbow” and also telling myself “man up and get through this”.
Who was your most influential teacher and why?
My music teacher. She was one of the only teachers who I felt took time to get to know me. She could see I was very passionate about music and pushed me to sing more. She introduced me to my love of The Beatles and classical music.
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What was your most difficult subject?
Maths. I honestly cannot add two and two together. My cousin Kate, who’s an engineer now, did grinds with me. She couldn’t comprehend how I was unable to grasp basic maths stuff. She came up with imagery to make it more visual for me. I got an A in pass maths because she taught me in a way that I could really wrap my mind around it.
And your favourite?
PE was my favourite subject, but it wasn’t an exam subject back then. Otherwise, it was music and art.
Can you recall what points you received?
420 points.
How important were the results for you ultimately?
They were important to me, but they didn’t actually matter. All I needed was to pass every subject because I was going to college in United States and had already been accepted, but I wanted to prove it to myself and people around me.
What did you do after secondary school?
I went to the United States on a sports scholarship, where I got a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a masters in educational leadership and administration.
What would you change about the Leaving Cert?
There’s still too much regurgitation of learned information. We need to teach our children to be philosophical. We want them to have their own ideas and question things. To have knowledge, but be creative in what they do. There can be a real lack of creativity in end-of-year State exams.
What advice would you give to your Leaving Cert self?
Life is looking good for you. So, keep the head up and stay positive.
– In conversation with Jen Hogan
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