Remembering Teachers

It’s back to school season. I overheard a grandfather asking his granddaughter if she was looking forward to school, and when the kid couldn’t decide, he reminded her that she’d be learning new things.

The conversation reminded me of the of teachers who inspired and fueled my love of learning.
Sometimes we don’t like the teachers who challenge us:

• Like the English teacher who forced me to fix my backward sentences by writing a whole composition in simple sentences. It worked, and I’m thankful now.
• Or the US History Teacher who challenged me, a quiet introvert, to crawl out of her shell and debate historical impacts on current events. I found out it was more fun than sitting listening.
• Or the Social Studies teacher who required students to research a topic and present it to the class (I still remember facts about Abigail Adams).

And last but not least, the writing professor who said it wasn’t crazy if your characters followed you around and sometimes took charge of your stories. (Okay, it still sounds a bit crazy, but it's a common writing phenomena.)

Anyway, I wanted to thank them and all the dedicated teachers out there, and wish them a productive and pleasant school year, because a good teacher can really make a difference!

Do you remember teachers who inspired you?  Which subject(s)?