17/03/2026
Did you know St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish?
I didn’t know that either until recently.
This week I was teaching my students about St. Patrick’s Day, and it turned into one of those lessons that’s much more than just vocabulary.
St. Patrick was actually born in Britain. As a teenager, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. During that time, he prayed constantly, and later he wrote that his faith is what gave him strength. Eventually, he escaped, and years later he returned to Ireland as a missionary.
The legend says he drove all the snakes out of Ireland.
To this day, there are no snakes there.
He died on March 17, which is why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on that date.
And then there are the fun parts…
We wear green because Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle.
And according to tradition, if you wear green, leprechauns can’t see you.
If you don’t… they might pinch you.
Every year, my kids and I build leprechaun traps.
And somehow… every time… the leprechaun escapes,
but leaves behind a little surprise.
That part never fails.
On a personal note, my grandmother was Irish.
That’s where the red beard comes from.
I usually look more Irish than Italian, even though my name says otherwise.
And this is exactly why I teach the way I do.
Language is not just words.
It’s stories.
It’s culture.
It’s history.
It’s identity.
When students learn English through real traditions like this,
they remember it.
They connect to it.
They use it.
And honestly… it just makes learning a lot more fun.
