Your Favorite Teachers?

fureverywhere

fureverywhere

beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
Location
Northern NJ, USA
I know for most of us our teachers from grade school and high school just kind of fade into each other. But were there some that stood out? Do you remember their name? Even if you don't...what made that teacher special enough to stand out? Let me rattle my memory bank to start...in no order.

Mr. Eller-A quiet unassuming art teacher that I had a crush on in high school. He must have been close to retirement but I was always attracted to senior gentlemen. The other art teacher was Mr. Lopez, so popular he had groupies. Kind of creepy when he submitted a painting to the town art show...a self-portrait...nude. But I had no interest in Senor Lopez. I still feel guilty almost forty years later. The only fist fight of my entire life was in Mr. Eller's class. Of course I told the biggest bully in class that disco sucked and she should turn her radio down. I wore rings on every finger in those days, one caught her lip and...I just remember Mr. Eller's face. This girl towered over both of us...I think he was as scared as I was.

Professor Ducksworth- Possibly my all time favorite professor. She was so much fun there was a group of us who took every class she taught. She taught literature and African American studies. A lecture would begin on track then run right off the rails. But the incredible stories she had to tell. She would begin with the text and the previous class topic. Then she'd remember a story "Selma? Yesss I DO remember Selma, wasn't that a time...". Or " I remember being there with my girlfriends and we were young and wanted to see what all the excitement was about. As I walked out the door my mother told me now you stay away from the crowd and that Medgar Evers...". Some students would turn and whisper are we supposed to be taking notes? No just listen to history from someone who was there.

Professor Treadwell- Cranky and bitter or quiet and charming, might depend which meds he was on that day. But what a terrific instructor. The course was journalism and he was preparing us for the real world. Real live editors can be way more obnoxious. He wanted us to write clearly and to the point...perfect sources and citations. I remember students getting so irritated they would march up to his desk...break their pencils and toss the assignment, then stomp out of class. He would grin and shake his head. But when he liked your article-after the 10th rewrite-you knew you had done an outstanding job.
 

I loved a lot of my college professors. One of them was Mr. Zinner who taught Interpersonal Communication. Every class was an adventure. He had us doing various things during each class that taught great lessons. There wasn't that much book reading but hands on experiential learning. He was a short man with a comb over hairstyle and had a heart of gold. He loved people and all beings. He was a very good teacher, too, he could get the quietest people to talk.
 
I recall very few professors from college and even fewer from high school. There was one in my freshman year in college, Professor Kitzmiller, who taught writing. He was tough, but I loved the class for what it taught me and prepared me for in later life. Lots of students hated him because he was a stickler on writing, punctuation and grammar. He graded homework too. Still, he taught me quite a bit.

One other professor I really appreciated was Nicholas Xanthaky. I had him for two semesters of accounting when I switched to business as my major. He was old school (this was really before computers became mainstream and a handheld calculator was relatively new). He taught the importance of showing up on time (you didn't come into his class if you were late) and accuracy (graded homework) and neatness. God forbid if there was something on your ledger paper that wasn't fully erased, or if every column and row didn't tie out. Again, it prepared me for later life as a manager at the law firm where accuracy was critical.
 

Same here, Bob, except for Mr Pritchard our science teacher, due to his halitosis, because the kids were so mean and made fun of him for it. I have to admit his breath was bad though, but I didn't participate in the nastiness toward him. There were teachers I like very much along the way, some who were demon spawns as well, but, I don't recall names or faces. I had a fantastic English lit teacher when I was in 9th grade who told some wonderful stories that scared the daylights out of a few of us classmates till he let own they were made up. I'm still ticked about that. kidding.

I do have a favorite guidance counselor who I'll never ever forget, she believed in me, encouraged me, stood up for me and never gave up on me when I wanted to give up on myself. If not for Mrs Brower, I probably would have not graduated from high school, at least not in the normal way.

Love you Mrs. Brower. RIP!
 
One professor, I don't recall his name...But he was right out of Rodney Dangerfield's "Back to School". It was Poli Science 101 and he had proudly served in 'Nam. But we were free to support our own opinions...egads. A defining moment was one night when he was explaining anarchy. It was a long lecture and some of us were doodling in the margins or snoozing. He had a wooden chess board in front of his desk...he cleared the pieces onto a concrete floor...dang if he didn't get everyone's full attention.
 
I had a female math teacher that made it so fun to learn math. I just can't remember what grade teacher she was. She had me cracking up all the time. She was so funny. The class went so fast and I learned so well. I can picture her just can't remember her name or what math it was or what grade I was in. lol
 
The math teachers either failed me or labeled me "high functioning"...bastards...but Mr. Sedlawitz. He knew I was clueless beyond basic multiplication but he passed me out of junior high. Bless you son or I might still be there now.
 
I hated school with a passion. I did like my 2nd grade teacher though. She made each one of us feel special and she always put a blue bird sticker on our papers. I still have one that my Mother saved. Like you fureverywhere, I was terrible in math and I still am. My 1st year of high school I had to go to summer school. I was so worried that I would flunk that also. Turns out the teacher wanted to be a ballet dancer. After giving us a few problems in adding,subtracting etc. which I was able to handle he would spend the rest of the time showing us the ballet moves he learned the day before using the ledge that holds the chalk as his bar. I must say he was very good at it and watching him was much better than doing math. Later on, I really respected and enjoyed my nursing school instructors.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I hated school with a passion. I did like my 2nd grade teacher though. She made each one of us feel special and she always put a blue bird sticker on our papers. I still have one that my Mother saved. Like you fureverywhere, I was terrible in math and I still am. My 1st year of high school I had to go to summer school. I was so worried that I would flunk that also. Turns out the teacher wanted to be a ballet dancer. After giving us a few problems in adding,subtracting etc. which I was able to handle he would spend the rest of the time showing us the ballet moves he learned the day before using the ledge that holds the chalk as his bar. I must say he was very good at it and watching him was much better than doing math. Later on, I really respected and enjoyed my nursing school instructors.
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My 3rd and 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Thompson, who kept telling me I was too shy and had no confidence.:rolleyes: She bugged my parents about it, too.:p When I look back she was a very dedicated teacher and spent a lot of time with students, but I just wanted to blend into the crowd, so I didn't appreciate her efforts at all at the time.

I should probably also thank our 8th grade guidance counselor in a backhand sort of way. He told me I'd never make it through algebra and Latin in high school, so forget the college curriculum. I didn't follow his advice, but he scared the heck out of me, and algebra and Latin were the only subjects I did well in in high school. Ha!

Mrs. Marquard, Algebra II, who would make you go to the blackboard and bow down in front of a big equal (=) sign, if you messed up working a problem on the board, or caused any trouble in class.
 
Math was the bane of my existence all through school. I was terrified I wouldn't pass algebra, but I did, after getting some after school help from my teacher. My dad was an engineer and loved math, and he couldn't understand why a daughter of his could be so dense in math, but I was. Just about anything else in school was a piece of cake for me, but in math I felt flat stupid.
 
Math was the bane of my existence all through school. I was terrified I wouldn't pass algebra, but I did, after getting some after school help from my teacher. My dad was an engineer and loved math, and he couldn't understand why a daughter of his could be so dense in math, but I was. Just about anything else in school was a piece of cake for me, but in math I felt flat stupid.

Oh darlin' it's okay, I can write the most amazing essay's and have to ask my special needs kid to do the math for me...and she can...easily. The thing that hurt me was a prof who originally thought I was plagiarizing until he discovered I could write pretty good. He said " If you could present yourself as well as you write you would be incredible"...thank you I will crawl back into my little shell now.
 
Well I went to Catholic school and was taught by Nun's, so it's hard for me to think of one I really liked. Thinking back the only one I kind of liked was Sister William Ann. She was rather sweet and I don't think she ever hit me with the ruler.:lofl:
 
I loved Amy Fletcher, my kindergarten teacher and town librarian. That sentiment was shared by many because she has been honored any number of times by the small town where I grew up.

Gail Lathrop taught me to love history. He would come into the classroom, tell everyone to close their textbooks, then he would sit on his desk and tell us stories about the Founding Fathers and other historical figures that made them come to life. He was such a great teacher they made him an administrator. I'm sure it paid more, but what a terrible loss to teaching.

Ben Weber only taught one year, but in that year he had enough patience to help me break through my mental barriers until I finally got algebra. I kept going to him and saying I didn't understand and he kept saying to keep trying because I would get it. One day I had a eureka moment and he was as pleased as I was. I went on to take three more years of math in high school and several college courses.
 

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