Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Ben Holmes:

I will answer quickly. When educating young people, the main thing is not to treat them as if they are ignorant or unaware of these issues. At this stage, as a sixth year, I know much more about many social topics than, I am sure, some of my teachers. I am referring in particular to topics associated with young people. I am still being lectured on material that I may have learned years ago. It is a question of creating a classroom environment that involves discussion and in which, I hope, teachers could learn from us as well as educating us. There is a lot that we can learn from them and a lot that they can learn from us. It is a discussion, not a lecture; that is the main thing.