A few posts back we stressed starting more positive conversations both online and in person. We put forth that sharing with each other why we love one another, or at the very least, what we find admirable, would be a great start. Considering that randomly asking people, “What do you like best about me?” Can be difficult for some people. Not me, but then again I am not like most people. I have come up with another question I am going to both ask you, my readers, and suggest you do the same through your social media and in your personal conversations. I am going to share my answers with you in this post, and I would love to read yours in the comments below.

The question is a two-part one, but a simple one. Who was your favorite teacher you have had and what did they bring to your life? Margie and I shared our answers with each other last night over dinner. It was funny how each of us was affected by different teachers for entirely different reasons. It was also nice reflecting on people who have made a positive impact on our lives. I also learned some things about my beautiful lady and what really touches her and what she values in people. A pleasant side-effect to this conversation.

Now for my answers. My favorite teachers inspired me in many different ways. There were no Cameron Diaz Bad Teacher, type moments. No, my teachers inspired me in both positive and negative ways. Some of these happened in the moment, some happened in reflection. Let us start when I was young. Shall we?

One of the first teachers I remember having a fond interaction with was in my 3rd grade class. This teacher was big on having us write stories. She was constantly complimenting me on my ability to write a good fictional story. She even kept some of mine as examples to use in the future. This was very helpful to boost a young man’s self-esteem. It shall be noted, however, that out of my 3 published books, none are fiction. The second teacher from when I was young was my 5th grade teacher. She was big into reading to us. Something that Margie remembered about one of her teachers as well. One day she lost her voice and guess who she picked to read to the class? Yep, yours truly. For 2 whole days I stood in front of the class and read a book called Owls in the Family. The class was ruthless in their review. Although I was able to read quite well, I was not the teacher, who had read the book several times and did different inflections for each character. It was one of my first experiences in public speaking. It also turned out to be my first experience in being heckled. Good to get both of those out of the way when we are young.

There was only one teacher in middle school that I recall having an impact on me. Her name was Ms. Bede. She taught both business management and short-hand. Two subjects I was fairly certain I would not need in my future endeavors. Although in hindsight, the first might have been a little helpful. She was a sweet little lady. Reminded you of someone’s grandma. For that reason alone, I think she had everyone’s respect. What I enjoyed about her is that she really seemed to care. She was constantly on my case about paying better attention. After assuring her I had no desire to be a court reporter so I had limited use for short hand in my life, she gave me words of wisdom I remember to this day. “Young man, I suggest you pay less attention to socializing with the young ladies and more to your homework. Do you think in the future people will be paid to just talk about themselves?” I wonder if Ms. Bede has ever watched the Kardashians?

In high school, I had several teachers who made an impact on me. First one I recall was my physics teacher, Mr. Velk. When asked why we should pay attention to physics, his answer made sense to me. “Let us suppose you are on a roof on a windy day and want to throw a rock and hit someone in the head with it. Wouldn’t you like to know what angle and how hard you would have to throw it?” Not exactly the most noble of pursuits, but it taught me to find the practical application for whatever I was learning. There was also my history teacher, Mr. Hein. His passionate zeal for the subject, and often colorful and racially insensitive language, really made history come alive. The teacher the year before had just repeated dates and facts in a monotone. He also had really bad breath.

That leads us to my final example. My senior year teacher in the subject of English. We often butted heads. I could not understand how knowing what a dangling participle was, and how many levels the story Paradise Lost was told on, could improve my chances for a better life. To this end, it was questionable as to whether or not I would pass this class, and thus graduate school itself. It was what she said to me on the final day of school that, upon reflection years later, would impact me. After signing some generic thing in my yearbook, she looked me right in the eye and told me, “I pray to God you will never have a career in writing.” In her defense, I would have told that version of myself much the same thing. Still, 3 books and almost 2000 blog posts later, here we are. Never let anyone, even an authority figure, tell you what you can or cannot do.

The point here is that there are no bad teachers. I view teaching, just below being a parent in the field of noble careers. To be able to impact the lives of young people is something I respect and admire very much. There were many great teachers that I have had in my life time. I have touched on just a few and only stuck to the field of professional teachers. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, doesn’t everyone have the opportunity to teach us something? I would love to hear about teachers who have made the most positive impact in your life.