Best teachers

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Alright, here's the flip side of the "hated teachers" thread - who were the teachers you liked best? Who were the funniest, most enthralling in what they did?

Mr Rosbrook, St. Andrews
A great bloke, certainly the best history teacher I ever had. His lesson on propaganda was the decsive moment I began realising that the world wasn't as black and white as it all seemed. Oh yes, and some the girls had huge crushes on him.
Mr Palmer, St Andrews
I think I may have got his name wrong, but anyway - very cool, laidback art teacher. We all respected him, and he let us paint and draw all sorts of outrageous stuff, without a raising of an eyebrow. Could be quite scary when he lost his temper, though, but it was always because of one dimwit in our class who'd cause trouble in almost every lesson (said pupil once cut his knuckles so that the scars spelt "hate").
Mrs Crouch, St Josephs
The first person who encouraged me to make the most out of my imagination and writing abilities. We would have "conversations" though her marking, where she would ask me something like "how did you come up with that idea about Keith Chegwin's head being placed in the core of the earth and causing volcanic eruptions every time he thinks of a nude lady" (only it wouldn't be about something like that, it would have been more innocent, obv.), and then i'd write a short answer back. I liked that.
Mr Carver, St Andrews
English teacher, who continued the encouragement of my writing. I remember an ancedote where he was giving a talk on something, he opened up the Oxford English Dictionary, and gave a huge laugh at what he saw. "Trust me," he said, "I open up the OED and the first thing I see is the definition of the word fuck!" There were loads of other daft little things like this but I've forgotten them all. I have a dreadful memory.

― Chris Lyons, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mr Durham. Solely resposible for me getting an A at A Level Economics. Lovely man, wise, funny, non-patronising, severe when needed but inspiring. And his brother is the Great Suprendo (sp?), hence his sister in Law is Victoria Wood, which is cool.

Would this thread include discussion of which teachers we had the most wanks over?

― Mark C, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ah, here I can give a definite answer -- eleventh grade, Mr. Skelton, English. He was actually only an indifferent teacher (your success ultimately was based on how well you did things on your own) but he was a character, thought outside the box, got me into _Life in Hell_, good sense of humor and for an individual reading assignment for the second half of the year assigned me _Gravity's Rainbow_. Luvly.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Gravity's Rainbow = grate, but even *that* wd not automatically place a teacher in my wank-fantasy pantheon ned you exciting man

― mark s, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

*weeps bitter tears* But trust me, this is a matter of context -- we're talking smug suburbia, Navy town, southern California, and a teacher specifically assigns a book with a shit-eating sequence among other things. He obviously figured I wouldn't report him or anything (and of course, I didn't).

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hey, JM, remember our freshman yr. history teacher? She was damn hot. Bust = best?

Speaking of Best, Mr. Best who was Junior yr. Social Studies was like the coolest guy ever.

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, Sterl I don't remember Freshman year history... you might also be thinking of Foxy Roxy...

You're also thinking of Burroughs for Jr. Year History, who is legendary... and his ever faithful companion Mr. Dewar...

Also big ups to Mike Irwin, the baddest art teacher on the planet.

― JM, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Foxy Roxy the german teacher, by the way, dated the lead singer of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Current Latin teacher. This is my fourth year having her, my sixth Latin course. She has a habit of thinking she did or said things despite the entire class insisting she didn't, and you can never predict when she'll get angry, but the older the students are the more tolerant she is and the less work she makes us do. Everyone was scared of her first year because she yelled a lot but she settled down amazingly when we started yelling back. This year we're supposed to be translating the Aeneid and everyone has dropped out of AP Latin so we have a class of seven, and we spend the entire period talking about random things and have no possibility of finishing the syllabus this year. I think I wouldn't be taking Latin if I hadn't had a good teacher, though.

― Maria, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That sounds exactly like JM's and my experience in Latin. You don't by any chance go to school in Santa Barbara?

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

twenty years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrOzY86YcEM

― Punster McPunisher, Monday, 17 January 2022 16:39 (four years ago)

context:

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/01/15/ferris-state-university-professor-suspended-video-barry-mehler/6538760001/

https://www.metafilter.com/194004/You-people-are-just-vectors-of-disease-to-me

and just for funsies, his RMP page

https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=5661#ratingsList

― Punster McPunisher, Monday, 17 January 2022 16:49 (four years ago)

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