Favorite Teachers

singh

Today I was thinking about an 8th grade teacher I once had.
He was a science teacher, and the class was an applied science class,we did cool stuff like build a cage out of popcicles put an egg inside and stack weights on top of our cages until breaking point.The student whose cage withstood the most weight got an A+. We did other cool engineering things also like build model houses and bridges.
good class and great teacher.
I did well in that class and eventually went to a vocational high school to learn about aircraft mechanics.
Even though I did not go on to college and became a plumber instead, I feel that my enthusiasm for learning about the "real" world was supported by such classes,and I continue to have the desire to know as much as I can about almost anything that interests me today.
Today I think the system hampers such creative learning and the emphasis is directed towards standardized test and college admission.

Any way , THANK YOU ! Mr. Wahl of P.S 202 Queens , NY.
And to the few teachers that guided me to a great career and life.

Dale

Good thoughts

If you think there will be a shortage of plumbers in 10 years or so and there will, there will also be a great teacher shortage, sadly it's hard to get the best and brightest into teaching. My favorite teacher was a navy welder at pearl harbor in 1941, his belief in quality inspired me, thanks Mac McGuniess.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Teacher Friend in Texas (elementary science)

Where "No child left behind" has it's roots, says he's literally spending 40% of his time "teaching for the test". Not by choice--by administrative requirement.

Dallas suburb with the "good" students.

J.C.A._3

Buzzy Parisi.

When High School held little challenge I went looking for something more. The book smart people were boring and the people that knew it all were even more so.

I decided that a "hands on" field was the way to go. Buzzy was a first year teacher and connected with us students on a different level. He taught us more than mechanics and numbers.( BTW, this was a diesel engine shop in a vocational High School) He instilled in us a new "way to learn".

I quote...."Don't try to remember numbers and formulas, learn where to look them up". If you know why, you'll know where. He also taught us to read manuals. Like most of the people here, he always said that they were something to learn from as opposed to something to keep your knees clean.

I recently ran into him on a ride home from a job. I pulled up in the plumbing van and he was upset that I went into a different field. (how do you explain that the theory and fuel are the same, but I now work in houses rather than boats, truck stops and godforsaken fields on heavy equipment?) He was proud of the fact that I'm proud of what I do. He also admitted that I really found something I love to do as opposed to something I HAD to do. I think he was envious for a moment there. Now that's a great teacher! Chris