Who Is The Best Teacher You Ever Had?

[Daryn Kagan]

I recently got to thank my 8th grade English teacher, Mrs. Bernice Anfuso, for having such a big impact on my life and learning.
I share the experience in my blog.
I'm wondering who your great teachers have been?

[Sarah]

It's funny you mention this! A few days ago, I was on my local school system's web site and I saw that one of my favorite teachers had won an award out of everyone in the entire metro Atlanta area. She was my 7th grade history teacher and even though it was never my favorite subject, I always looked forward to her class at the end of the day. She was always warm and inviting during a school year that (for me) was anything but...and thanks to her, I can name the capital of almost every country in the world without hesitation! I'm thinking about going back to school next year to get certified to become a teacher myself, and when I think about why I want to do that, she is one of two or three teachers I had that remind me of a teacher's potential influence on a child's life! I decided to look her up and send her an e-mail to let her know that. She seemed thrilled to hear from me and it was nice to hear her words of encouragement about my own career.

I'm beginning to think they are so unappreciated these days, it'd be nice if everyone looked up an old teacher that had a positive influence on his or her life and let them know just exactly how much they meant to them!

[robert p. wallman]

I have had many fine teachers. I don't think I could pick just one. One thing I did find
out in school was that when I liked the teacher I usually did very well. And when I didn't,
I usually underperformed. I had one teacher at the University of Dayton that said I scored
the highest out of anyone on his final. Then the next semester, in a related class, I
struggled just to pass. Good teachers have a way of inspiring us to want to learn.
And I think they are one of the most underpaid professions.

[Charles]

First, thank you Daryn for sharing you your story about Mrs. Anfuso!

I've been lucky to have many great teachers in the course of my life, but, strangely enough, no one had ever had as strong an impact as my grade 8-9 gym teacher, Sister Elaine Grondin. Sister Elaine stood out in so many ways... First of all, back in the 70s, there certainly were not a lot of female gym teachers who happened to be sisters - probably aren't that many today either! She was young, she was cool, she was kind and she was motivating.

I was the geeky kid who much preferred to bury my nose in a book so, needlesss to say, phys ed was not my favorite class... I was doing quite well in school in general but because of a clear lack of interest on my part, I managed to flunk gym. This had happened before, but Sister Elaine was the first one to want to help me with this issue. Rather than flunk me out and forget about me, she decided to take me on and teach me a thing or two: I had recently started gaining weight and she made a deal with me. If, over the course of the summer, I tried to integrate a bit of activity in my lifestyle, kept a food diary, and, consequently, returned to a better-suited weight, she would give me a passing grade (and in those days, flunking out even gym meant a bad stain on your academic record). She spent quite a bit of time with me and kept in touch with me throughout the summer. She called me, encouraged me, took the time to listen to me complain about my parents (grade 8, remember?) and convinced me to get out there to do things. Oh, I was not always too happy about it, but, even then, I think that on some level, I knew she had my well-being at heart. I went swimming every day, I wrote down every single bite that passed my lips and, lo and behold, by the end of the summer, I was feeling great and I had shed the extra weight!

I lost track of her for many years and tracked her down a few years back - she was working in an AIDS hospice in Africa. That did not surprise me - it seemed only natural that her kind heart would lead her to help people in need. She remembered me well and we kept up correspondence for many years. She is now back in Canada, in her mid 60s and hopefully enjoying the quiet life she so richely deserves.

I wish I could tell you that what she taught me stayed with me for a lifetime, but of course it did not. I soon picked up my bad habits again and lived most of my life in a very sedentary fashion. Over the past year, though, I finally shook off the curse of being unmindful of my health and started eating sensibly and trying to take care of my body., Nowadays, you will find me at the gym most days of the week, I'm a fit man and living life to the fullest. And for each good dietary choice that I make, and for each time I step through the doors at the gym, I think of Sister Elaine and how she was the first to introduce these concepts to me.

Of all the great people that taught me over the decades (and there have been many), I can honestly say that she was the only one that cared in a very personal way.

I am grateful for this unforgettable, wonderful woman.

Charles

[Connie]

I have a couple favorite teachers in my life. First one is my mom. Yes - not only did she teach us at home, but she was also a teacher in the same school we attended! I have learned from mom (and dad) about compassion, service to others, loving family unconditionally and how to simply have fun. Second one is my daughter who has followed in the "family business". Most of the people in our family are either preachers or teachers! Angela not only followed in her grandma's footsteps into her career, but is teaching in the same school system, in the same building and in the same classroom that my mom did for so many years.
However, my favorite teacher in high school was my English Comp teacher, Mr. James Mollis, a teacher at Springfield High School in Akron, OH. He was the only teacher I had who actually prepared me for college. If not for him, I wouldn't know how to write a paper, a bibliography, but more importantly, if not for him, I wouldn't have coped as well when tragedy struck a dear friend of mine. We were seniors, her knee was bothering her and she went to have it "drained". She found out she had bone cancer and was going to lose her leg above the knee. Things happened so quickly. I didn't know what to do to help my friend. Mr. Mollis took me to the library and showed me how to research the disease, telling me that "knowledge is power". (That was back in card-catalog days!!) He encouraged me to write to young Ted Kennedy Jr. who at the time who had recently lost a leg and tell him about my friend. I was so impressed - in about a week, my friend received a hand written letter from Ted Kennedy Jr. explaining his ordeal and how he overcame it. He also sent her a picture of him show skiing on one leg.
Mr. Mollis taught me so much more than English. He taught me to arm myself with knowledge to overcome fear and to take action and not sit back and boo-hoo about what's happening around me.
Thank you Mr. Mollis. (and thank you Daryn for reminding me of this special man)

[Heather Halter]

All I can say is that I hope someday my students will say nice stuff like this about me!

[Libby McKinmer]

I was blessed to have many talented and dedicated teachers as I grew up, and they helped foster my love of learning. My grandmother was a Grade One teacher and, although she taught some of my siblings and cousins, I wasn't lucky enough to have her as my teacher.

I'd say, though, the best teacher I had was not a traditional educator in a school. He was my dad. Dad grew up during the Depression and didn't have the opportunity to go on to post-secondary education, although he worked hard and his one brother was able to. However, he taught me the joy of learning, reading, never stopping the education process. He was so well-read, so smart and so able to connect with people he'd have made a wonderful teacher had the opportunity been his. Of his four children, all of us have at least a BA, two with Masters, and one with a law degree. One is an educator, one a archivist with a school board, one an writer and editor, and one a lawyer. And three of us are women -- we learned from him our gender didn't affect our ability to be whatever we wanted, but that it should to be combined with being the best people we could be.

Thanks, Dad!

[Harry Tucker]

I have two favorites.

Miss Margaret Rowe, my grade 1 to grade 3 teacher, gave me my love of reading, a gift that I am eternally grateful for.

Mr. Newton Morgan, my grade 9 and grade 10 geometry teacher gave me a love of mathematics, logic and giving to others who are less fortunate.

I am a much better person because they appeared in my life when I needed their influence the most.

Thanks for posting this question!

Take care,

Harry