Irish Eyes

Faugh a ballagh, lads.

Witches, evil queens, good wives + lion cubs,

Last week, I sent my first deck pic ever after keeping it hidden for years, just so no one else had to question theirs.

👩‍🏫📣 How are we holding up? Feeling threatened? Should I get back in the classroom where I belong?

I encourage you to reflect on those thoughts by yourself and buckle in, because sometimes — you have to be a little bit naughty. 🎶

Just like Ebrington Primary School’s choir from Derry, Northern Ireland. When Miss Stone brought her class to Britain’s Got Talent, it became bigger than the music. It was a step toward owning their story.

Keep pointing those wee fingers at The Crown, Derry! 🍀

Miss Stone and the girl at 3 minutes and 28 seconds gave me a naughty idea. Today, I am flipping a narrative of my own. Storytelling isn’t just about being heard. It’s about shaping how we learn.

I’m excited to introduce our newest storytelling method:

📓 MA & NY Test Prep Materials

Lesson Style: Empowering students to become critical thinkers and empathetic readers through culturally rich, historically relevant texts.

Each workbook centers overlooked perspectives, sharpening comprehension, analytical skills, and reflection — preparing students not just for standardized tests, but for meaningful engagement with the world.

TLDR: Power, precision + a playlist. 🧙‍♀️

How did we go from a deck of tarot cards to test prep materials (for two states across six grades) in just one week?

• Justice

  (reversed.)

• Kendrick Lamar

  (and

  Gahmya Drummond-Bey
  .)

• My nana’s memory

  (and Miss Stone’s Irish eyes.)

• A single worksheet

  (from a Cultural Studies class.)

📌 Want to know why I built this?

Check out my qualifications here:

👉 Teachers Pay Teachers 👈

When the time comes, I will share ample resources on Kendrick’s 13 minutes. For now, I’d like to continue teaching you about my culture while I get my decks in a row.

The classroom is open. The soundtrack is set. Here’s what’s been playing this week:

🎧The Track List: Volume 4

1. Irish Eyes

   by Rose Betts

2. Fields of Athenry

   by Petra & Charlie Haden

3. Famine

   by Sinead O’Connor

4. Zombie

   by The Cranberries

   (remixed for the clurb by Andrew Spencer)

5. Naughty

   by Alicia Weir & the cast of Matilda

6. Fields of Athenry (Live)

   by Gary Og & an entire nation

7. FIDDLE DISCO!

   by Elias Alexander & Ramblxr

🪩The Dancers

• Kait Rock

• The Gardiner Brothers

• Fusion Fighters

• Riverdance

⭐The Stars

• Sinead O’Connor

• The Derry Girls

• Miss Stone’s Class

  (watch that video up there - I triple dog dare you!)

**Dance with us daily on Instagram! Spotify mixtape here.

📖Next Week’s Track: The Troubles Persist

Just in time for St. Paddy’s Day, next week’s track offers multiple perspectives on Irish history, sharpening close reading and critical thinking skills while opening opportunities for discourse in cultural studies.

📓Storytelling Method: MA & NY Test Prep Materials, Grades 3-8

If there ever is gonna be healing, there has to be remembering and then grieving. So that there then can be forgiving.

There has to be knowledge and understanding.

🎶

Faugh a ballagh, lads.

Welcome to herstory class. <3 Nic

PS. You might not know Gaelic, but you do know how to use a search engine. You think I just knew all this? To critical thinking. ✊

PSS. If you wandered here from a past life, check out FranTic’s latest track on how Gwen Stefani still rocked out with the band after going solo.

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