James Flanagan – författare

The Phoenix Park in Dublin holds a special place in the collective memory of Irish people. From the assassinations of 1882 and the destruction of several imperial monuments, to the arrival of Douglas Hyde as Ireland''s first president and Pope John Paul''s 1979 visit, it has been at the centre of Irish society for centuries.But the park is also part and parcel of daily life for many Dubliners - none more so than the Flanagan family, who have been lighting the gas lamps within its walls since 1890.Here, historian Donal Fallon speaks to brothers Frank and James Flanagan, lamplighters of the park, to give us a snapshot of a fading tradition, and a unique history of one of Ireland''s most beloved places.With stunning photographs, historical events and personal stories, The Lamplighters of the Phoenix Park shines a light on the park at the centre of our national identity, through the prism of this singular family, whose histories have been intertwined for more than 150 years.

There is a superior approach to reading instruction. All students, but particularly students from low-income households, need immediate access to well-written, high-interest books from diverse perspectives and authors. Students need a high-volume of daily prosodic modeling and reading practice, and they need agency in determining the course of their study. I call this systematic approach to meeting these needs in the classroom narrative immersion.

Narrative immersion creates the right atmosphere for students to have autotelic reading experiences every day, and counters the dark pull of social media with face-to-face social literacy. When we align reading instruction with students'' emotional and learning needs we not only have more engaged, motivated, and happier students; but additionally, we achieve highly significant growth in vocabulary and comprehension.

The combination of joy, intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and freedom needs to be a daily experience for all of our children, and when we strive for it with intense, deliberate practice, we can achieve stunning results. Narrative immersion is a classroom structure that any teacher or school is capable of implementing, and the classroom structure every child deserves.