Who was that special teacher in your life?

[Rick Abelson]

We all have that special teacher we will never forget who helped us discover the joy of learning rather than the drudgery of being taught. I remember my 6th grade teacher Mr. Sladek whose family escaped Czechoslavakia in the early 1950's. He was so happy to be an American with the opportunites he was afforded that his passion for learning a new way of life in America really changed all of us young 12 year olds. I am almost 62 now and he is as vivid now as he was then. Who was your favorite mentor?

[jsot]

I don't know about helping me "discover the joy of learning" but the best teacher I have ever had was this teacher I had in sixth grade. Sixth grade was when I started thinking about the world differently than how I had been raised. It was not just the teacher either, him and the other people in that class were one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Also, he was the only homosexual teacher I have ever had.

[Rick Abelson]

Must be something about the 6th grade!

[Rick Abelson]

I'm curious. How did you know he was gay as a 6th grader?

[sheffy4]

Mine was my 10th grade American History/American literature teacher. She was always very straightforward and honest, and she was really excited and passionate about both history and literature. I remember she was completely "in love" with Thomas Jefferson and admitted to having a "crush" on him because he was so awesome. That made me think about history a little differently

[Tasaio]

Originally Posted by Rick Abelson

We all have that special teacher we will never forget who helped us discover the joy of learning rather than the drudgery of being taught.

Not everyone does, it often comes from within. One of the major themes of Steve's site is personal development on an individual level.

I remember my 6th grade teacher Mr. Sladek whose family escaped Czechoslavakia in the early 1950's. He was so happy to be an American with the opportunites he was afforded that his passion for learning a new way of life in America really changed all of us young 12 year olds. I am almost 62 now and he is as vivid now as he was then. Who was your favorite mentor?

The closest thing I had to great teachers were my mother...and Steve Pavlina.

My mother taught me to pursue my passion of reading and writing, even when it flew in the face of a very strict father. And she also bestowed upon me a very strong work ethic--something that schools no longer teach, I'm afraid. This work ethic was so important because it taught me to strive for excellence in everything I did; it wasn't confined to school and the working world.

It is for this reason that I was attracted to Steve Pavlina; his professionalism-mixed-with-simplicity appeals to me. More importantly, he taught me that the true odds of success in any field are dependent on the person, not on external factors.

. . .

If you truly are 62, then I'm not surprised that you had a great teacher.

Older generations like to complain that today's young people have no respect for their teachers, but they seem unaware of how generations of teachers have changed over the years. I think many of the younger teachers (but not all!) need a dose of the professionalism I mentioned.

When I was in university, the same problems existed. Older professors were fair, friendly and hardworking; younger professors were "cool" but notoriously lazy and unfair.

Someone posted this quote by a Californian judge:

A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare.

With this quote in mind, I would propose that asking many of today's youth "Who was that special teacher" is like asking older people "Who was that special CO when you were drafted to serve in Vietnam". In both cases, few will respond because they have no good memories of that period.

[Trezker]

In my early days I had a teacher who let us do what we wanted as long it was some kind of schoolwork for a big part of the day. Most of my basic "schoolskills" I learned while I was in the mood for it because I was allowed to choose when to do what.

I also never experienced pressure under her teaching while other teachers were always demanding. When people present their goals for me as demands I put my foot on the breaks and start thinking about why I should do as they say. A teacher that express what they want from me more like wishes and tells me I can take my time will get much better results.

I implement wishes but not demands. I don't go along with terrorism.

[Old Soul]

Actually for me my mentor was my girlfriends mother, she was more like my serogate mother , when my home life was unbareable , she always let me stay there on weekends, she took me under her wing and helped me along

I refer to her as my guardian angel :-) Although not a school teacher , but more like a teacher of life, giving me what i was not getting and needed as a little girl , safety, security, and a functional love

[jonarmis]

Hi Rick,

This made me remember the book, Tuesday's With Morrie, have you read it? It's a real tear jerker. A true to life story where a dying High School professor in the last moments of his life taught his student about the 'School of Life.' It was remarkable and a very compelling story.

[Rick Abelson]

Actually I fibbed. I won't be 62 untl August. I don't look 62 because I am from Minnesota and was frozen for part of my life!

[Ree]

My favorite teacher was the librarian in my elementary school. She encouraged me to the read, read, read and I've been hooked ever since. Also, I'm named for the librarian at our public library who was my mother's best friend. When I was a teenager she would let me check out unlimited numbers of books over the summer because she knew I would devour them immediately and be back for more!

[Masya]

My favorite teacher was Ms. Ireland. Grade 7 teacher. She introduced me to something called Peace and Hope, via the Bible. Something that I never knew existed

[jsot]

Originally Posted by Rick Abelson

I'm curious. How did you know he was gay as a 6th grader?

We were discussing homosexuality one day and he was talking about when he realized he was gay. But even before that it was pretty obvious he was.

[Rick Abelson]

Pretty serious topics for a 6th grader! How long ago was this?

[Michael Chui]

I don't think I had the sort of teacher you describe; I don't remember a time when I didn't completely grok the distinction between learning and being taught. However, I do have a special teacher.

His name was John Lovas, and what he showed me was the joy of teaching. He was, in effect, an activist for education, and I loved him for that; it was inspirational. Unfortunately, he passed away three years ago, during his last quarter. Just before he would retire.

[jsot]

Originally Posted by Rick Abelson

Pretty serious topics for a 6th grader! How long ago was this?

About three years ago. I will admit, we talked about some deep stuff in that class. Which is partly why I loved it so much.

[Tamra]

My 6th grade teacher also I lucked out in placement and ended up in this fabulous science classroom. My teacher was a science teacher but also covered the other subjects. It was a magical place to me w/the jarred speciments, microscopes, etc. He wasn't like the other teachers and he spoke to us as equals and let a few of his personal beliefs come through in the endless discussions.

[nowpower]

I have been very lucky to have a lot of great teachers in my life. But if I had to pick the best, it would be my engineering coach in my first year design class. An incredible man..always there to give and help. He taught us about the "real world" and would never let us be anything less than what we could be. Never let us say I give up. Gave us incredibly hard projects mind you but also showed us how to apply problem solving in real life.

[Love]

Originally Posted by Rick Abelson

Actually I fibbed. I won't be 62 untl August. I don't look 62 because I am from Minnesota and was frozen for part of my life!

LOL. I lived in Minnesota last year and now know everything there is to know about staying warm....

I don't have a favorite teacher in the sense that one teacher motivated me personally to achieve. However, there is a teacher I regard as my "favorite" because he was the most interesting and the most committed to challenging us.

It was 11th grade, American History. He came in each day with a disheveled mop of grey hair, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. He seemed possessed by his topic, and had us do projects that seemed above what we were expected to do. For example, he assigned us groups, and we had to create a mini-magazine addressing a topic within a give historical era. Then he made us find a university professor to come into our class to interview and ask questions about the topic. He also took us around NY like a madman, getting hyped up about Ellis Island, the tenemant museum, and even more hyped about the 5 points and the nearby the pickle store. It was great.

I teach now, and hope to be that teacher for someone else!

[ticktockclok]

My sophomore english teacher gave me 30 detentions. She made me hate school more than any person, but she was the catalyst that jump-started my life. I realized that if I was going to learn anything, it wasn't going to be in school. I just started viewing school as an elongated course in time management. Can you waste your time in school and still create time for the things you really want to do?

[silicon toad2000]

That special teacher in my life was an old cost accountant I used to work with

[Nyx]

My primary school teacher. I used to have no idea that I was good in studies, I had As and all but I just wasn't into studies - couldnt care less. Then she sparked that light in me. I don't know, after that I became aware of my strength. Ill never forget her.

Also my former boss, although I had a love-hate relationship with him, kind of like he made me feel motivated to try new stuff, yet I hated it cos I knew he was using me all the time >.<

[Jonathan Mead]

I too, like many others here have had a lot of great teachers in my life.

I think the greatest teachers for me were the spiritual and philosophical ones. People I never met personally, but had a great impact on my life.

The biggest of those is probably Alan Watts. His talks on Buddhism, Philosophy, Taoism, Hinduism, and the nature of life in general gave me the greatest leap in my understanding of life. I am eternally grateful for his dedication to his work.

[supertom]

Actually i never had one YET.