What's the best thing a teacher ever did for you?

[declansdad]

Since there is a negative thread going about teachers, it's only fair that we have a positive one as well.

So, What's the best thing a teacher ever did for you?

 

[RogueX]

My sophomore history teacher recognized quickly that I was having personal problems at home and it was affecting my school work. Once he got the whole story out (my grandfather was dying of brain cancer, we were losing our house and facing homelessness, my family was being split up, etc.), he made sure that I knew he was someone I could talk to about anything, no matter what.

I was able to pull my grades up with help from all of my teachers and managed to pass the grade with decent grades.

Out of all the teachers I've had, he's the one who always stands out in my memory.

 

[Moliphino]

I had multiple teachers push me into honors math and science classes when I was just going to breeze through in the regular classes and not push myself. I'm an engineer now.

 

[georgina]

My 3rd grade teacher recognized I was bored in class and just gave me the math workbook to teach myself at my own pace. I think I got through the 4th grade math book that year also.

 

[lynxstch]

My high school freshman English teacher, who also belonged to our church knew that I had a single mother and issues at home. He took me under his wing, along with his wife, and gave me extra help with all class activities. I have never forgotten about him, his name was Mr White, and I hope to this day that he realizes what a gift he gave me that year.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

My art teacher in eighth grade told me all about a fairly new magnet high school for artistic kids, the High School for Creative and Performing Arts, and told me that if I decided to try for it she'd help me get a portfolio together for the review day. And she did. Miss Baker worked many hours with me, helping me decide which drawings and paintings they'd probably like the most, and to have a variety of styles and techniques in the drawings and paintings. I had a great portfolio due to her guidance and I was accepted at CAPA. It shaped my entire future; I worked as a designer and illustrator as a career.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Passed me in Algebra 1 with a D. I was on home instruction due to back surgery. Covered in plaster and couldn’t get out of bed. My mom said he would cry sometimes after teaching me. Needless to say algebra was not my best subject.

 

[Kitty 34]

Mrs. C believed in me.

 

[tazdev3225]

Was this the one in Philadelphia? My granddaughter applied there and got turned down. She went to the other one n Philadelphia - Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush. As good as she was in Photography and Art the science teacher realized that she was very good in science and encouraged her. She was bullied so it made me happy that he did push her,

My favorite teacher was my 9th grade English teacher. She realized that I was incredibly withdrawn and tried to push me out of my shell. Like my granddaughter I had been bullied. She just encouraged me and was a mentor all through High School. I just wish she had remembered I wanted to buy her car when she sold it. Pontiac Lemans convertible in baby blue. I loved her car. When I was a senior, I was late every day for school because I hated my first class and teacher. She was my brother's home room advisor, so I always sent the late slips to that advisory. She asked my brother why they were coming there, and he explained what I was doing. She just threw them out for me. I never had a lateness the entire year except for the 3 days she was out. I often wonder what became of her.

 

[Pooh2]

My Algebra teacher taught me how to use a 35mm camera. I barely passed her class but that started a lifelong passion for photography!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I'm the youngest of 3 kids, so I followed both of my siblings through school. My sister led the way as a great student, very well-behaved, never got into trouble. Then my brother would get the same teachers and they would be shocked that he was from the same family. He would cut school. talk back, be generally disruptive. Then I would come along and the teachers would wonder what my story was. Some expected me to be like my brother until I would prove them wrong. I was much more like my sister. A high school dean used to stare me down after learning who my older brother was. He was just waiting for me to slip up, but he finally got bored and gave up.

In 5th grade, I was put into a class with a teacher who had a terrible time with my brother. My parents had to meet with her several times about his behavior and my brother claimed she was awful and hated him and he never did anything wrong. As soon as my mom found out I was placed in her class, she called the school to try to get me moved. The school said the classes were full, but they could switch me if any kids in the other classes didn't show up. I would have to start school in her class.

On the first day, she came over to me and whispered in my ear, "You know, you and I have something in common. We're both tall. I know what it's like to be the tallest girl in the class. And did you know that my father works in law enforcement, just like yours?" She obviously didn't assume I would be like my brother and she was trying to connect with me from the start. I went home and told my mom that I liked her and didn't want to switch out of her class. I ended up having a good year in that class and my mom said the parent/teacher conferences about me were totally different. They ended up liking her too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our school didn’t have calculus, but my math teacher gave me a self teaching Calculus course to study. When I got to college, Calculus 1 and 2 were a breeze for me.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Most of my teachers were really good to me it is hard to pinpoint one good deed. I am thankful for all of those who had such a positive influence on me. I would say that my HS Spanish teacher had the biggest impact. She always pushed me and made sure I did everything right and excelled. She also took me to school and brought me home a lot of days. The fact that she was my mom's best friend didn't hurt

 

[Allison Joy]

My 9th grade science teacher made me feel comfortable when I came into a large (2000+ students) high school as a tiny 4'8" freshman who immediately felt intimated. He was also the FCA sponsor, and when I inquired, he asked if I was going to join. I told him I wasn't an athlete. He said, "Well, here, we like to call it Fellowship of Christian Anybodies." He had a contest for perfect attendance, which I achieved, and that started 4 years of perfect attendance in high school. He was just able to connect with so many students. I've kept in touch with him ever since, and when I had hip replacement at 29 (due to hip problems earlier in my life... PM me if you're curious, because I love sharing my story and advocating) we met for lunch and he prayed over me. We still keep in touch and we're actually going to try to meet up again for lunch some time soon.

Also, my journalism teacher/yearbook advisor who had much more of a mentor relationship than teacher (in a good way). He had us write in a journal each week and he'd write back, and we could go far beyond journalism/year book in our journals and he'd just help us navigate any problems we had.

Quite a few more, and one particularly influential college professors too, but this seems to be focused on K-12, so I'll refrain, unless someone wants to know. Ha!

 

[tvguy]

My faculty advisor in College. He signed off my a number of academic internships that the Registrar questioned. Registrar didn't like that I was taking more internships that I could apply towards graduation. Also not happy that I was only taking one unit for internships that in one case involved 24 hours a week. My Advisor recognized the internships filled in holes in their program.

 

[kymom99]

I must be ignoring the poster of the other teacher thread because I haven’t seen it

 

[georgina]

I'm the youngest of 3 kids, so I followed both of my siblings through school. My sister led the way as a great student, very well-behaved, never got into trouble. Then my brother would get the same teachers and they would be shocked that he was from the same family. He would cut school. talk back, be generally disruptive. Then I would come along and the teachers would wonder what my story was. Some expected me to be like my brother until I would prove them wrong. I was much more like my sister. A high school dean used to stare me down after learning who my older brother was. He was just waiting for me to slip up, but he finally got bored and gave up.

In 5th grade, I was put into a class with a teacher who had a terrible time with my brother. My parents had to meet with her several times about his behavior and my brother claimed she was awful and hated him and he never did anything wrong. As soon as my mom found out I was placed in her class, she called the school to try to get me moved. The school said the classes were full, but they could switch me if any kids in the other classes didn't show up. I would have to start school in her class.

On the first day, she came over to me and whispered in my ear, "You know, you and I have something in common. We're both tall. I know what it's like to be the tallest girl in the class. And did you know that my father works in law enforcement, just like yours?" She obviously didn't assume I would be like my brother and she was trying to connect with me from the start. I went home and told my mom that I liked her and didn't want to switch out of her class. I ended up having a good year in that class and my mom said the parent/teacher conferences about me were totally different. They ended up liking her too.

My sister got in so much trouble with the nuns at the closest Catholic high school that my parents decided to let me attend another that was not within walking distance. They were generally very pro- teacher, but this particular order of nuns got on their bad side because of the way they handled my sister. I was very happy not to go there.

 

[NannyBeBe]

I think I have shared this before. I am 75 years old, but can still remember my first grade teacher's face. She was so kind and caring. There was no kindergarten back then. But Miss Pike made me feel special and gave me a wonderful start to my education. I would also mention my shorthand teacher in high school. Mr. Randy was very strict and insisted that when we transcribed our letters, we spelled every word correctly. Because of him, I not only still know shorthand but am also a good speller.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Since there is a negative thread going about teachers,

Is that thread on a different forum here? I do not see it, going as far back here to page 3, Sunday.

Wow, I recall when we used to do 7 pages a day here, now it's 4 days on 3 pages.

 

[luvthatduke]

9th grade science teacher refused to sign off for
me to attend what we called Tech School when
I started 10th grade in high school.
She told me, in front of some other students, that I was too smart and she wasn't going to
let me throw my future away.
I thanked her, then took a breath and explained to her that I had watched my mother go to court
to fight my father (who had left us for another pre-made family),
his new wife, and my grandparents, in order to get the judge
to order him to share the cost of my sister's underwear.
Somehow she was able to go to college,
I think my maternal grandmother helped.
I saw the condition of my mother every time she came home
from a court date and I told my teacher that there was no way
I was going to see my mother have to do that for me.
She signed the paper right then (required back then for 3 teachers to sign before being granted admission).
I am grateful, as the 3 years of Computer Science helped me tremendously throughout my life.

Speaking of Tech School.
One of the tests one quarter, for most of the grade,
involved having to write a computer program to solve a given problem.
I wrote mine, submitted it, and my teacher returned it a few days later with an "F."
I asked her why, and in front of the class (not spitefully)
she said that she was sorry, but my program wouldn't work.
I told her that I had ran it before submitting it, and it had worked for me.
She showed me every other student's program,
and all of them were identical, and that was the answer she determined to be correct.
I stood my ground, respectfully insisting that it had worked (I would never have gotten upset with her),
and she said, "Ok. I'll run it tonight before I leave."
The next day, she handed it back to me with an "A" and used it as an example
that if we know we're right we should respectfully not give in.
What she did for me that day cannot be understated.
My high school life was a living hell, I won't go into it here of course.
But, I cried to myself in the bathroom after that as it was like a gift from God.