Secret Diary of an Irish Teacher: I questioned Irish being a compulsory subject and I clearly upset people

One of my favourite novels to teach is Of Mice and Men. I know it’s been on the curriculum forever; I remember watching the film with Gary Sinise in school myself, but Steinbeck’s message is timeless.

You grasp the context of each character and in some way, you sympathise with them. They are flawed but worthwhile too, depicted with a beautiful kind of potential.