Who was your favorite or worst teacher you ever had?

[miss priss]

My favorite teacher was Ms. Jackson my 10th grade math teacher. She was 65 at the time very shapely, spunky, pretty, and spontaneous. She was a member of AKA and helped me get scholarships to go to college at her alma mater. She died in 1995 but she is why I am who I am today.

R.I.P. Yvonne Jackson
Love ya! Peace

[neicy81]

My favorite teacher's name was also Mrs. Jackson. She was my 6th grade teacher.She really cared about us and also cared enough to treat us like adults even though we weren't.She also let us in on her problems and her daily struggles. I guess what really made her different than the rest was she wasn't afraid to open up to us and she wanted us to do the same.A lot of teachers don't want to get on that level with their students for whatever reason.

Worst teacher-I honestly haven't a clue.I guess pick any teacher from 7th grade up!

[kiml122]

My worst teacher was my 11th grade history teacher Ms. Lobo. She was horrid. She never got up from her desk ever, and she didn't teach anything. It was basically read it in the book.

The rest of my teachers were pretty much nuns, I went to a catholic and school and they were all ok. I'm not going to say that I had a favorite teacher, but my 12th grade relision teacher was a lay teacher Mr Letiere and the topic was Sex and Marriage in 12th grade, well all I will say is he let us in on a lot of stuff that was going on in his marriage. He was funny, he was the type of teacher where if you felt like taking a nap in class he didn't mind, as long as you woke up before class was over.

[SweetestDiva]

I never realized how many teachers have touched my life until I really started thinking about this topic.

MY FAVORITES:
1. Mrs. Mallett, my 2nd grade teacher. She was just so SWEET! When I decided I wanted to go to Baylor (her husband's alma mater), they even went so far as to contact the financial aid office on my behalf when they were tripping with my scholarships.

2. Mr. Trousdale, my high school band director. He would cuss you out at the drop of a hat and not hesitate to remind you that he had an award-winning band long before you got there. But he's one of those people that regardless of what they say, you KNOW they love you. There's nothing he wouldn't do for his students.

3. Dr. Packard, my physics professor from freshman year. The whole physics wing is named after him, so you can imagine how long he has been teaching. I would estimate him to be in his early eighties, but he has so much spunk and is one of the cutest little white men I have ever seen. One of those teachers that will stop and chat with you on campus long after you've finished his class.

MY LEAST FAVORITE:
1. Dr. Anderson, my British Lit. professor from this semester. Y'all, this woman HATED me. I mean HATED. I was the only black person in the class, so I don't know if I'm suffering from that unexpressed racism paranoia or WHAT. On the day of our final, she told each person what a pleasure they were, to have a good summer, etc. when they turned in their test. This heffer SNATCHED my test and didn't say a word. Cow.

[FeeFee]

My favorite teachers would have to be my 5th grade (Mr. Klein) and my 6th grade (Mr. Newman). I think Mr. Klein left the teaching profession to pursue a career as an attorney

My wackiest - my Black Studies professor. Every other class he would talk about how he like to eat opposum and racoon (stew, fricassee, whatever). He would always say "If you come over to my house for dinner, you would be eating opposum and not even know it". Whatever man!!

My worst - my 11th grade history and homeroom teacher. He was such a jerk! Not one student in our class liked him. Did I mention that he's a jerk? And oh yeah, he was a jerk!!!

[miss priss]

This thread is dedicated to the millions of teachers like me who feel a little underappreciated until there is alwaysone kid who brightens your day and you realize that it is worth it.
BTW, I am starting an org. called
math werks!
If you like or are in math ed. and you are interested e-mail me @msdogood@blackplanet.com. Our children depend you!
thanks!

[Secretluv]

Hello Ladies,


I won't count elementary & middle school because I always found myself being the teacher's pet so all of my teachers were favorites

My worst teacher was my highschool 12th grade English Honors instructor. I was the only African American student in the class and my teacher was in her early 80s.

YES, SHE WAS IN HER EARLY 80s.... and teaching 12th grade english. She had a building named after her and everything. She was loved by every one except for me ... She use to give me the hardest time.

The administrators and faculty of the highschool prasied her, the school board praised her, and she was even praised by the Governor of the state (needless to say she taught him English when he was in highschool).

We had it out on several occassions... And to top it all off. I graduated in 1998... AND SHE IS STILL TEACHING !!! HELLO... It is 2002 !!! You would think she would have retired by now.

I AM DREADING A HIGH SCHOOL REUNION FOR FEAR SHE WILL BE THERE


On a good note... my favorite teachers (I had two) was my Marine Biology teacher my 12th grade year and my Business Law teacher my 12th grade year. My marine biology teacher was so cool and she made the class very interesting and entertaining... I cried the last day of class. My Business Law teacher was a favorite because he was the cutest teacher in the entire highschool. My classmates use to tease me all the time because they knew I had a crush on him. HE KNEW IT TOO AFTER MY FRIENDS REPEATLY EMBARRASSED ME IN CLASS... needless to say I was crushed when I found out he was engaged

AS FAR AS COLLEGE... I can't say that I had or currently have a fav/worst professor... I ain't trying to make any friends or enemies... I just want my degree!

[NOWorNEVER]

My absolute FAVORITE teacher was my high school Algebra teacher, Ms. Anne Briggs. This woman scared people into learning math, I tell ya. She was an bitter older white lady and she was a lesbian, but she was ON POINT. She wasn't scared to knock you down if you gave her any lip, but she made sure that everyone understood algebra....excellent teacher....excellent teaching techniques....just moody and mean as all hell Luv ya AB!

My second favorite would be Dr. Tim McMillan, one of my professors at UNC. He taught African American/ African history. The first day I walked into his class, I was like because he was a white man teaching me about my own history. Boy did I get over it fast! I learned soooo much about myself and about black people in his class. He was on point with everything he taught and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to study under him while I was at UNC.

[Dionysus]

My dance teacher, Jane, that winch gave me whooplash!

[LikeASista]

Originally Posted by kiml122

My worst teacher was my 11th grade history teacher Ms. Lobo. She was horrid. She never got up from her desk ever, and she didn't teach anything. It was basically read it in the book.

We had several teachers like that in Junior High. It was like all the teachers at that school hated all of the students there. (And to think, now I'm going to be one.) I had more favorites once I got to high school and college(s).

My absolute worst teacher, though, was a woman who was my 5th grade Math teacher. (This was during the time they were experimenting with 'changing classes' in elementary school.) Corporal punishment was an acceptable standard of punishment, and this lady was always such a warm and friendly person before the bell rang. But as soon as the bell rang, she'd slam the door, walk into the class, give us all dirty looks and think of every single reason to pull her paddle out and beat the living plasma out of us. It could be anything. She'd pull students out of other classes, bring them in front of our class, beat them to smitherings and then send them back to class crying. Some of her reasons included: Selling Girl Scout cookies in her class, ... writing notes in her class, ... digging in our purses, ... need I go on? She was always trying to intimidate or scare us in some form or fashion. She even went so far as to say, "I don't care about you telling your mother, because I'll beat her, too." We couldn't breathe in her class, and we lived in constant utter fear daily as we walked through the door of her room. She obviously enjoyed what she did, albeit too much. One morning she absolutely refused to teach the class until she could find who the culprit was who'd brought in a most foul and disgusting odor. Her words, "I will not teach this lesson until I find out who is stinking up my classroom." She stopped class, went by every single desk, sniffed every single student, and when she finally reached the perpetrator, kindly volunteered, "Come on, Emma, it's YOU!" and dragged the poor girl off to the restroom to be washed ... (not that I can actually blame her. ) It turns out, though, that this woman was actually one who really DID care about our grades in her class and that we did a good job. She'd even talk to us about our progress during class one by one if she had time. But I also discovered later that she had some mental imbalances that went ignored for years, and I don't think she's teaching anymore. I have not seen her since elementary school, but I happened to go to college with her daughter. Interesting, I guess.

[KAPital PHINUst]

In my almost 20 years of schooling (pre and post-secondary), it has become difficult to pin down one specific teacher as best and worst. There has been some that were notable though in their own right:

Kindergarten: Ms. A. Bennett - Known for paddling her students--in KINDERGARTEN (this was 1979, and paddling was allowed in schools). And evidently she was good at it because every time a student got paddled in the cloakroom, they could come out crying a river. This put the fear of God in me to stay on the straight and narrow--and I never got paddled by her, though I came close once. I think she belonged to a sorority--just by the notion that she appeared to be good at swinging the wood.

2nd grade: Ms. Eleanor Gaskill (which my older brother and I often nicknamed Ms. Gasbutt). An old white lady that I thought was dumb ( I said that 2+3+5=10 on a math test and she marked an answer wrong). I was placed in her classroom after being labled LBD and that class was slow paced than a mu'lova--hence I was bored, constantly disciplined and thought 2nd grade was pure HELL).

3rd grade: Ms. Mary Estepp - actually I had 2 teachers that year. Check it out. I was still in a LBD class with a teacher who I liked a lot better, (Ms. Marsha Williams - a black teacher) but I went to a "regular" classroom for reading and math lessons, the teacher there being Ms. Estepp - a white teacher. Ms. Estepp loved me to death. She knew I had no business being in LBD and I'm sure she campaigned to get me out of the LBD curriculum. I was a "part time" student in Estepp's classroom and spent the rest of the day in Williams' classroom. I credit Estepp for introducing me to Judy Blume books - she even let me borrow the book Superfudge that she was reading to the classroom during spring break. I read that book 1,000,001 times during the break. She made my 3rd grade year heaven after a school year of hell. I have been trying to get in contact with her for a number of years to thank her for all that she did for me, but no such luck. But I'll keep trying.

4th grade: Alberta Edwards--I'll just say that if anybody here pledged Delta at Benedict College, she is one of your chapter sisters and she crossed c. 1963.

8th grade algebra teacher: Daphne Harris. She was a dark skinned black woman with a short Jheri curl that was extremely ornery and would give you a detention AND call your parents if she heard you cussing anywhere around school. She would also give detentions for you not turning in your homework--and she wouldn't collect it half the time. One of my classmates got back at her on the last day of school but putting a potato in her car's tailpipe and messing up her car in the process: she drove a 1980-something Datsun 300-ZX. Between her and Ms. Gasbutt, they were tied for the two worst teachers I had.

High school: hands down my favorite (male) teachers were Major Kent Freshwater and Chief Master Sergeant Doyle Hamlett. I would often chat with them during lunch and in the ROTC room during their non-teaching class period. Heck, my senior year myself and a few other cadets would sit in the ROTC room in lieu of study hall and watch $100,000 Pyramid and they were perfectly cool with that.

My favorite female teacher was Ms. Sandra Denton who is an AKA that pledged at U. of MO - Rolla c. 1968. I had the biggest crush on her and saw her at the AKA founders day luncheon that the Alpha Sigma Omega chapter hosted and she was so happy to see me.

I'll post the college professors in a separate post--if I think of any.

[OneTimeSBX]

my absolute fave was Kindergarten, Miss Angel.

every time you had a birthday, she'd sit you on her lap, the class would sing, and she gave you a kiss for every year you were. That was after the chocolate cupcake she would bake for you with about an inch of icing on top...

she is also the teacher who took of her high heels, picked me up, and carried my unconscious behind to the clinic when i ran into a fence post (please do not ask...i still have the scar on my forehead!)

[Infamous12]

My favorite teacher of all time is Mrs. Barbara Stewart. She was my 8th grade English Honors teacher, 11th grade U.S. History/Government teacher as well as the teach I assisted my Senior year. (FYI Walnut Hills HS housed 7-12th grades) She made me fall in love with Shakespeare, inspired my interest in politics, and was just THE best. We went out for lunch recently, my treat, and she was 'tickled' at the fact that I'm such a 'young woman' now. I remember when my brother had her 2 years ago for first period, I walked him into the class that day and, in front of her, threatened to end his life if he made even a peep of disturbance in her class.


Worst teacher was my 1st grade French teacher, I don't remember her silly name. She made me stay after class and miss playtime because I didn't eat the blueberries, melon or kiwi from my 'petit dejeuner' (breakfast). I told her that I didn't like those fruits because they felt funny and made my tummy hurt, but that I ate everything else. She told me I was being a baby and made me miss recess. I didn't eat them and eventually she let me leave the class.

I STILL DO NOT EAT BLUEBERRIES OR KIWI. THEY STILL TASTE FUNNY, AND THE SMELL STILL MAKES MY TUMMY HURT.

Dumb wench, trying to 'get me cultured'...I was a 6 year old black girl speaking french...how much more cultured can you get????

ETA: My AFAM 663 professor, who will remain nameless as she's Greek and COULD be on this board. Was the WORST professor I'd ever had at O-State. She felt like she had something to prove and it was evident in every session. She said that we (the ENTIRE) class was slow. Once my best friend, Spec, and I all realized that EVERYONE was failing her course, we reported her. I learned NOTHING except for how to read a 500 page book in one week, and question everyone's true identity. Which brings me to... Do you know who you are? Are you who you are because society wants you to be? Are you black? Are you white? How do you know?

[Dionysus]

Originally Posted by Infamous12

Worst teacher was my 1st grade French teacher, I don't remember her silly name. She made me stay after class and miss playtime because I didn't eat the blueberries, melon or kiwi from my 'petit dejeuner' (breakfast). I told her that I didn't like those fruits because they felt funny and made my tummy hurt, but that I ate everything else. She told me I was being a baby and made me miss recess. I didn't eat them and eventually she let me leave the class.

I STILL DO NOT EAT BLUEBERRIES OR KIWI. THEY STILL TASTE FUNNY, AND THE SMELL STILL MAKES MY TUMMY HURT.

Dumb wench, trying to 'get me cultured'...I was a 6 year old black girl speaking french...how much more cultured can you get????

Hahahaha, you are nuts!

Speaking of teachers and snacks. Man, my kindergarten teacher was soooooo greedy. She ate up most of our snacks. One day my grandpa sent me a huge bag of chips to share with my class. Well, my teacher only allowed TWO potato chips per student. Then she ate the rest of the chips left over in the bag.

[Little32]

Least favorite: Sister Pat (is it bad to speak ill of nuns?), she was my seventh grade homeroom, reading, and science teacher. This is the woman that told me in seventh grade that I couldn't listen and take notes at the same time. To make sure that I fully understood her point, she took my notebook (that I was taking notes in) and threw it across the classroom. She is also the same woman that told me that I could not have possibly understood a story that I read during reading, because I had read it too fast. She asked me what the story was about; after I told her and was completely accurate, she made me memorize "The Road Not Taken" for being right. That was about the only good thing that she did; I love that poem to this day. Also, before I met Sister Pat, purple was my favorite color. But that woman wore purple every day, and basically ruined the color for me. It has only been the last three years or so that I have started wearing purple again.

Favorites: One of my favorite has to be my AP English teacher Mr. Gilbert. It was in his class that I decided to be an English major in college; and his methods of teaching influence the way that I teach today. Also, he was really nice to me outside of class too. I felt, in highschool, like something of an ugly duckling. One day, Mr. Gilbert told me a story about a student of his who was to use his words, "a late bloomer," not particularly popular or sought after in highschool. He told me that he had seen her when she was about 30 years old in a restaurant, and that she was easily the most stunning woman in the place. Though at the time I thought, "so it's true, I am ugly now," now I understand that there is something to be said for growing into your beauty--and I think that this is what Mr. Gilbert was trying to tell me.

Dr. Carmines, at Hampton University. She is another one that has influenced my love of literature and my style of teaching. She was tough and challenging, but in such a way that I always felt really good about what I accomplished in her class--even if it wasn't the A+ that I was used too. She was one of those teachers that really forces you to push your thinking about a topic or a text beyond your comfort zone to the next level. Also, to this day, she is a mentor to me professionally and apparently I for her. She has told me some of the ways that my own pursuits have influenced her ways of thinking, and a couple of years ago, she told me that she was going to use something that I had written for her senior seminar class (thesis). That was really flattering. I really love that we have this relationship that has evolved from professor/student to collegial.