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Soma
Velociraptor
Joined: Jun 25, 2005
Posts: 474
Location: Somewhere...
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 Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:55 pm Post subject: Teachers who have affected you... |
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I had my life changed this year by one of mine, and I was wondering if anyone had a similar experience with one of their teachers.
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.
Henry David Thoureau, 1854 |
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Sean
Banned
Joined: Apr 04, 2005
Posts: 3503
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:11 am Post subject: |
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| I've had a few like that. One of them was a resource specialist introduced me to the computer in elementery school at a time when my teacher and I were openly hostile towards each other. The ammount of time I spent on the computer in the resouce room away from my mainstream class was illegal, but it help keep the peace, so everybody looked the other way- including the district office. In middle school I had two teachers that I managed to see all three years. One was a regular teacher and the other was my band teacher. The band teacher gave me a reason to go to school and be productive in my other classes, the other teacher made it possibe for me to succeed in those classes. Taking lots of band classesin high school ended up being critical for me to graduate. Now I am studying for the Microsoft Certified System Engineer exams and drawing heavily on the deductive reasoning skills I developed early in part to my (at the time) early exposure to computers in elementery school. |
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pyraxis
Phoenix
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Joined: Mar 26, 2005
Posts: 1527
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:29 am Post subject: |
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Oh yes. I was 13, she was teaching 8th grade English for the first time (before that she was librarian). We connected through mutual love of the subject, in a class full of students who couldn't care less. I was writing my first full length novel. She talked her way through the school's bureaucracy until they let her pull me out of class and set me free with the time and privacy to work on it. Every class I'd escape to the computer in the corner of the library to write. Every week or two we'd meet one-on-one for a writer's conference.
Somehow, though neither of us knew about the spectrum, she instinctively knew how to connect. She made it clear I didn't have to respond in any way, didn't have to talk or even look at her, while she insisted on reading each chapter aloud. On the surface it was fiction, I was writing through metaphor. But even so, this was the most honest communication I'd ever had with another human being. I fell in love with overload in her office, staring at the carpet with my fingernails digging into my palms as her voice filled the air with my words.
She knew things without my ever having to tell her. During exam week, she'd seat me in the corner of the classroom, which helped reduce all the little sounds that other people make in a dead-silent room. At the class Christmas party, she promised I could escape to the library whenever I wanted - but encouraged me to go "for just a little while, as research and inspiration" for my writing. She'd pull me out of class to go book-shopping with her for the school library - leading me to a giant wholesale warehouse full of books and telling me to take anything I would want to read. She introduced me to Cynthia Voigt's books (before that, I'd read only fantasy and sci-fi) and through a weekly reading journal we analyzed the characters and dialog and symbolism - another step towards figuring out what makes people tick in the real world.
So yes - she changed my life in more ways than she ever knew, and I won't forget that year. |
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Soma
Velociraptor
Joined: Jun 25, 2005
Posts: 474
Location: Somewhere...
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:51 am Post subject: |
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Pyraxis, that's amazingly beautiful! Mine was very different, you were on when I wrote this, but my post, the really long green one, contains kinda the whole story, is down the bottom of the page. I know zilch about html, so if this stuffs up, don't kill me for it, 'k
http://wrongplanet.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=3704&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.
Henry David Thoureau, 1854 |
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Namiko
snape-o-doodle
Joined: Jun 14, 2005
Posts: 2439
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:25 pm Post subject: |
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I've had a couple of teachers really impact my life. One was my sixth grade homeroom teacher. I was extremely shy in sixth grade and would only talk to people if spoken to first, or sometimes not at all. Mr. H was amazing and really helped me get involved with my classmates, as well as with my poor organizational skills.
One of the other teachers who has really impact me is Doc. He's my science teacher (and has been for the past couple of years). It was just really cool that he's willing to help us outside of class if we need something to be explained again or in a different way, and he usually asks me about how my other classes are going, as well as personal life. But the best thing is that he doesn't overdo it.
The last teacher who has impacted my life wasn't really a teacher at all. Christine was my friend (and she still is) who is about four years older than I am. We met at school, and she was the one who got me interested in writing, which I do almost all the time now. She's always positive and willing to chat one-on-one. 
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Itaque incipet.
All that glitters is not gold but at least it contains free electrons. |
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MagicMike
Phoenix
Joined: May 30, 2005
Age: 21
Posts: 559
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| Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Of them, perhaps my History teacher in 11th grade. The guy was a character, using Simpsons and Monty Python references, and occasionally reading from The Onion to teach about everything, be it Taft's getting stuck in the bathtub to the disappearance of William Morgan. |
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lchadd_uk
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Jun 17, 2005
Posts: 51
Location: Going CRAZY with these BLODDY GCSEs!!!!
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:11 am Post subject: |
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| Well my year 4 teacher terrorized me the whole time. I used to get nightmares and I hated going to school. Then in year 5 I had the nicest teacher in the world. She boosted my confidence loads! |
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Nomaken
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 10, 2005
Posts: 2059
Location: 31726 Windsor, Garden City, Michigan, 48135
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:13 am Post subject: |
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I have had a few excellent teachers, and a couple of them really gave me inspiration and confidence, but i built all my life changing crap on my own. There was 1 who really gave me confidence and happiness that i had made good changes with all my own life changing crap.
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And as always, these are simply my worthless opinions.
My body is a channel that translates energy from the universe into happiness.
I either express information, or consume it. I am debating which to do right now.
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BlackLiger
Phoenix
Joined: Apr 22, 2005
Posts: 1525
Location: My Posh Leather Chair. England.
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 11:13 am Post subject: |
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Quite a few
Mr.Perry: The most driven teacher I have ever seen. Also the most annoying. He made me RE-DO my GCSE geog coursework 18 times just to make sure I got the best grade. Yes, that was a good thing, but also annoying!
Mr.Goodlad: Certainly the strangest of my teachers...... Also 1 of the funniest.
Mr.Sher: Physics, Year 7,8 and 9. Inspired me to think about doing martial arts, and also began a line of physics teachers who all supported Man City.........
Mr.Hornsby: No way will I have done well at AS physics without his help....
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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?" |
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PhoenixKitten
Vivi's Familiar
Joined: Jun 14, 2005
Age: 22
Posts: 1609
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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I have been touched by several teachers.
Robyn was just the most amazing woman. I don't quite know what got to me, but I think it was her general enthusiasm, wit and honesty, coupled with her love of literacy and her amazing voices while reading to the class! She taught me that kids could enjoy the company of adults, and that fantasy books are just the best thing on this earth. (Prior to then I believed they were manifestations of the devil!) She taught me that teachers are human beings.
June basically got me back to school. She was known as my surrogate mother. She reminded me that teachers are human beings too, and nice ones at that! She offered me her office as a sanctuary and gave me hugs when I needed them.
Then there was Lloyd who taught me that it was ok to do things that people didn't understand. A writer and an actor, he taught me that there was beauty in writing a secret on a piece of paper, folding it up and leaving it to hang in a tree until it disintegrated. He taught me that some of the best pieces of writing are written in a code created by the authour and never to be translated. He taught me that I could take a chance and be brave.
Katie again reminded me that teachers are human. They make errors, say things they shouldn't have said, and then cry when you get angry at them. She was my sounding board. She listened to all my problems with care and concern and patience.
And finally, Mary-Ann. She taught me to believe in myself. She taught me that it is possible to do the impossible. She taught me that when you love somebody, nothing is too big or small to do for them. She taught me that sometimes you just need to break out the m&m's and grab a rather drink of something high in caffeine. She taught me that it is ok to be different and ok to have troubles, because even the best of us have skeletons in our closet. She taught me that it is possible to grow up into a successful, happy person, knowing and living within my limitations. She respected me for who I was.
Well now, enough of the soppies! But yes, I had some pretty awesome teachers along the way!
*Edit: How could I forget? Ned: he taught me that in the subject of chemistry, it is far more important to understand the anguish of a scientist who has just lost his wife than to understand the workings of molecules. He taught me that humanity has a place in science and that juggling and clowning has a place in everything. He taught me that even grown adults can go around in pink or rainbow tie died shirts, dying sneakers and holey shorts. He also taught me what fun could be had with gas, dishwashing detergent a bunsen burner tube and a match!  
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...though fire may burn & flames envelop me, I will arise from the ashes... |
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Namiko
snape-o-doodle
Joined: Jun 14, 2005
Posts: 2439
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds like we've all had our share of good and bad teachers. I think the most important one have taught me that I can do things when I put my mind to them, no matter what anyone else says. They have challenged me more than anyone else, been there to offer encouragement when it's needed (and accepted), lent me some of their logic and common sense in areas where mine is lacking (due to my runaway intuition when it comes to crazy ideas) and listened when I've spoken to them.
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Itaque incipet.
All that glitters is not gold but at least it contains free electrons. |
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CockneyRebel
Sid The Love Rat is a Sweet Pea :O)
Joined: Jul 18, 2004
Age: 34
Posts: 21178
Location: Out in the evening, with me two best Rat Mates :O)
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| Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:41 am Post subject: |
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I'd have to say that a teacher that I had during the early months of my Grade 7 Year has affected me. His name is Mr. Jones. He was my Music Teacher for a very short while. I was 12 and I didn't really care for the Classical Music that he got us to listen to at the time. Now whenever I hear a Classical Piece, I feel like I'm in Heaven. In fact, he's influenced me so much, the next time I go on a Shopping Spree, around my Birthday, I might buy a couple of CDs with music written by Classical Composers.  |
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Assassin
Phoenix
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Joined: Apr 24, 2005
Age: 19
Posts: 1679
Location: Not here, Not there, not anywhere.....
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| Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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Good: Mrs Hanson, year 9 English teecher, boosted my confidense with riting lodes; Mr McNeel, year 10/11 English teecher, helped me lodes with Sons of Earth and let me work on that a lot of the time after finishing the classwork; Mr Wadsworth, Phisics teecher (who by the way chris, supports Leeds, beleeve it or not  ), helped me lodes with Sons of Earth, keeping the sciense in it realistic, and debated theoretical quantum sciense a lot; Miss Ashan, Year 10/11 Drama teecher, supported me with Sons of Earth and was the first time i took Drama seriusly - if it wasnt for her, then my ambitions to be an actor wood be totally unrealistic; Mr Oliver, Year 8 English and Year 8/9 Drama teecher, demolished the mith that no teecher was eesy going or had a sense of humor, (embarrased to say this) was the teecher who finley managed to teech me to reed 
Bad: Mrs Brown, year 1/2 teecher, tyrant, emotional scars from her rain of terror still remain; Mrs Wing, Year 7/8/9 Art teecher, year 7 form tutor, just as bad as Mrs Brown, exept she seemed to have sumthing personal agenst me, as well (mabey it was the fact that i was one of the few pupils - or teechers for that matter - in the scool who wasnt scared to stand up to her), made my life miserable throoghout high scool and almost succeeded in getting me expelled on numeros occaisions, and was the main reeson i dropped Art after year 9, but she did give me a sense of focus and defianse that kinda helped me survive scool. Corse i woodnt have needed that help, mabey, if she wasnt there...
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Astarael
Numquam obliuiscor..
Joined: Aug 07, 2005
Posts: 1293
Location: Western Australia
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| Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 10:08 am Post subject: |
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*digs another long dead topic up*
All of you seem to have like really good experiences with teacher. The one I remember best is well it's still happenning, but my ancient history teacher, who last year, taught me Roman history and totally reworked my thoughts on it, I could recite what she'd told us easily and I love the subject. But Greek history isn't my kinda thing, so I asked her for help one day before an assessment and she told me to go away... I got totally confused, and ended up spending the next hour and a half crying from tonnes of things just coming from those words. It was horrible. It affected me good, because I will always love Roman history, but also badly for I will never look at the Greek history, only their writers.
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"A flower plucked carelessly and left to wilt.." |
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Sophist
Professor of Pedantry
Joined: Apr 24, 2005
Posts: 6172
Location: St. Louie
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| Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 10:16 am Post subject: ... |
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Yes.
My French teacher, Madam Gaylor, from age 7 to 14 and then I kept in touch with her until I was about 20.
Mrs. Bostick, my 5th grade teacher, who started me on poetry and even met with me throughout 6th grade after school on Tuesdays to help me go over the work I had written. Very kind.
Mac (Mr. Maguire), my 12th grade art teacher. The most dedicated and kindest teacher I have EVER met. He would get to school at 6 in the morning and bring donuts for all the students who would come and put in studio time and he wouldn't leave until 10 at night for more studio time for us after school. He would also come in on the weekends in mornings and afternoons so we could come in and work some more. Amazingly enough, there were a LOT of students who would be there all the time and not just from the advanced classes. (This is in high school, people.) He was awesome and the gentlest man I've ever known. He only ever got about 4 hours of sleep a night.
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