(Image – Credit 1)
By Emma Papangelopolou & Lucia Yepes Puerto (Y10)
An exclusive interview with the best math teacher in school, Mr Doyle.
Mr. Micheal Doyle. The man, the myth, the legend. What truly goes on in his mind every day, plaguing his thoughts and influencing his view of the world? That’s what we set out to find.
His lanky frame rested atop the high chair of his beloved classroom. As he saw us approaching from the dimly lit hallway, his eyes lit up with dread, sensing the questions on the tip of our tongues.
He greeted us with a sigh, and the questions began.
Why did you become a teacher?
Michael Doyle grew up in Ireland and spent his youth in a tiny primary school that he did not disclose the name of. He was inspired by one of his teachers, who Mr. Doyle shared such a close bond with that he later invited him to his wedding, and apparently viewed him as a god while at school. Perhaps the true reason Mr. Doyle became a teacher is that he too wanted to revel in the divinity of godhood.
A teacher since graduating from university, Mr. Doyle doesn’t regret his career choice, sharing that he feels lucky, blessed, and very privileged to be able to teach at this school. “Life’s pretty good,” he said. For Mr. Doyle, the best thing about teaching are the many interactions he has with teachers and students alike, and he admits it’s going to be quiet once he retires and is “stuck” with his wife. However, as someone who loves being prepared and hates not having enough time to do things, the job gets quite stressful for Micheal—teachers don’t have as much free time as it may seem, he said.
How did you become best friends with Mr. Todd?
He seemed bemused by the question, if not a little resigned. The Toddfather and he share a natural bond, having many common interests and traits, notably history. The two worked overseas together and Mr. Doyle even revealed they had once had a joint birthday party. About Mr. Todd, he says “he’s an incredible guy.”
If you could teach any other subject what would it be?
Without missing a beat, Mr. Doyle answered history. He said he’s always been enamored with the subject and even reads it for pleasure. When asked to share a little-known history fact, he told us Zanzibar and Oman used to be the same country and the citizens in both places are very similar. Additionally, slavery was only abolished in Oman until the 1970s and a dad he met at an old school was born a slave.
How does it feel to be the tallest math teacher?
Upon hearing this question, Mr. Doyle found himself momentarily lost in thought. He stated that he’s never paid particular attention to his height when compared to other math teachers, especially considering their equally imposing stature. He went on record saying all math teachers are “tall, big guys”, namely Mr. Collinson and some others we forgot the names of. However, Michael also revealed that he often gets asked for directions, confirming that his height allows him to see far into the distance, and that he height-mogged everyone during his trip to Hong Kong.
How does it feel to not be bald?
Our most anticipated question on the list, Mr Doyle admitted he’s never thought about it before. And although younger teachers at this school have already lost their hair (Mr. Robinson foremost), he doesn’t view it as a sign of superiority. He thinks it must feel strange for a man to lose his hair. It seems the bald life isn’t for him. Laughing, Micheal told us he struggles recognising old students at reunions because they’ve all become bald.
What’s something not a lot of people know about you?
Mr. Doyle admitted that there are few things people don’t know about him, as he tends to overshare. However, he validated tall people stereotypes by revealing how he not only used to play basketball at a high level, but was extremely athletic overall. Despite trying many different sports, he ended up playing in a basketball league in the Philippines, where the sport is massively popular. A fun anecdote he shared was the crowd’s tendency to laugh if one of the players made a mistake. Sounds rough.
When will you run for president of StuCo?
“NEVER!” he objected, scared and confused by this perfectly reasonable question. We were deeply saddened by the news, but decided not to press the subject. After taking a moment to recover, he did say “I’d throw my hat in the ring for the French president because everyone else is doing it these days”.
We wrapped up the interview by urging him to read our article once it was published, engaging in a bit of harmless self-promotion. However, it wasn’t so harmless when Mr. Doyle admitted to “not reading the Update religiously”. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he doubled down saying he’d rather read the LIBRARY NEWSLETTER. Tsk tsk tsk. Despite all this, Mr. Doyle remains an incredible teacher, a truly iconic member of the Ecolint community, and has given his students some truly great memories.
Bibliography:
Credit 1: Doyle, Michael, “Irish teacher in Geneva: ‘At times Switzerland reminds me of Ireland a lot'”, Irish Times, 05/09/2019, Accessed 15/06/2026, https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/irish-teacher-in-geneva-at-times-switzerland-reminds-me-of-ireland-a-lot-1.4001308