I like teachers.

Over the years they have inspired me, opened worlds, drew pie-charts, found ox-bow lakes and generally helped my engage with the world with a sense of joy and wonder.

I like teachers. Most of the time.

Easter week is not one of those times. You can read what I thought of last year’s shenanigans here.

Well, Easter is around the corner and that means the Minister of Education roams the country glad-handing teachers at their various conferences. It’s as much an Easter tradition as the Easter Egg. It’s not something that would slip the minds of neither the department’s officials nor the various full-time union officials who liaise with each other to make sure the Minister’s set-piece speech happens. Not a thing you could actually forget.

The ASTI forgot.

That’s what they said on Newstalk Lunchtime today.

Awww, the poor teachers. They don’t seem to be able to multitask. They were so busy managing their opposition to a common sense proposal to resolve a silly dispute, that they forgot that the minister always addresses them. To make matters worse, they are saying, ‘Ah well. The Minister probably has a full diary by this stage so we can’t really send an invite to her.’

This is getting into ‘the dog ate my homework’ territory. It is spiteful. It is absurd. I call it a snub. A snub not only to the minister but also to the hardworking teachers who inspired and made me and thousands like me to become the adults we are today.