Sunday, August 24, 2008

QueZZtion of the Week 8/24/08

My queZZtion this week might be a little self-serving. I totally have school on the brain, and it seems some of you do, as well. Some examples, Christy is the mom of a college freshman, Chris will be the teacher of a fifth-grade classroom, I am sure Marlene's boys are getting ready to start, too.

I'd like you to think back and try to remember your favorite teacher of all time. What was your teacher's name? What grade level did they teach? What made them so special? Do you have one memory of them that stands out above others? Have you ever contacted them to tell them how you feel?

School's back in session, babiezz.

5 comments:

Janet said...

I was blessed with many great teachers, but my favorite was my 5th grade teacher, Ms. Burden. She was fun and challenging at the same time... and I did get to thank her. In high school I graduated salutatorian (2nd in my class) and they had a citywide breakfast for the people who graduated number 1 and two in their classes... inviting parents and a favorite teacher as an honored guest. Each student read an essay they had written honoring their teachers - and we both got plaques for the accomplishment.

Ameribob cats said...

i had to think about this one and then the answer came with a definate"yes that's the one". mr. vlasic in sixth grade. i went to a catholic school run by nuns and some of them were really special, but mr. valsic stood out because he would praise my art and help a very shy girl and encourage me to continue. i have never seen him since that time. thank you mr. vlasic for the encouragement. marsha.

SharonDB said...

I have to name a few. First ones are Ms. Jones & Ms. Lee, my speech & drama teachers, respectively, from middle school. Ms. Jones also was in charge of the school paper; I was an assistant editor for 2 years. They were true mentors - encouraging my abilities & boosting my confidence during a VERY difficult time for me. Motivated by Ms. Jones, I competed in lots of speech tournaments & have a collection of trophies to prove it. Ms. Lee believed in my abilities so much, she cast me in the school plays' lead roles for 2 years (sparking some dismay in students/parents due to her not giving others a chance. I see their point but I was also delighted!). I kept in touch through high school then lost touch. My aunt subs in the same district, I should pursue contacting them... Thanks Ms. J & Ms. Lee!

The other teacher was Mr. Kralosky, a former college wrestler turned AP English teacher; I had him in 11th grade. It was the combination of the subject matter - I found transcendentalism incredibly moving during yet another difficult time in my life - plus his no nonsense disregard for h.s. stupidity that really made him an effective teacher to me. There is even a Facebook group about how he changed people's lives. I remember I was writing a lot of angst-y poetry at the time, I gave him some to read, he told me it was great but "a bit juvenile." I really appreciated that critique because it inspired me to remember there were different perspectives from my teenaged, self-centered views...a real eye opener. Thanks, Mr. K!

Unknown said...

Wow, it's so hard for me to remember my teachers, it seemed soooo long ago. One of my favorite teachers was Ms. Calhoun who was my choir teacher in junior high. She was always so nice, she would teach us new songs and how to read music. We used to put on concerts, I remember my favorite concert was when we did songs from the 50's and we dressed up in poodle skirts. Another teacher that I remember so well was Ms. Kok my 3rd grade teacher. I remember her because each week we had to do a current events articles and for weeks I didn't do mine. She sent a letter home to my parents. I was so scared when I saw that envelope in the mail. I had to make up almost 15-20 articles.

Gelidy Gelato said...

my high school art teacher is my most memorable and favorite teacher. She encouraged me and got me started down the "creative" path in life.
She lived in NYC, drove a volkswagon beetle, had brifgt red hair, and was a bit of a hippy. I even remember her lending me her bug and I drove it into NYC to return (which by today's standards seems unbeliveable...letting a 17 drive into the busiest city in the world).