Cool teachers

[baruch menachem]

My first grade teacher didn't do field trips like Susan Sto Height from Thief of Time, but she was a lot of fun. I would quite enjoy being in Susan's class.

I also read that Stephen King used to teach High School english for several years. (he did construction work for the school district during the summer becasue the pay was so lousy for the teachers. Re tiling the girls shower led to the inspiration for Carrie.)

Joanne Rowlilng used to teach ESL in Portugal.

Which writers do you think would make a fun teacher, which class would they teach, and which level do you think they would teach?


For example, George McDonald Frasier would be a great community college teacher of History and Politics. (I don't know what you call community colleges in Britan, but Tom Sharpe's Wilt taught at something similar.)

Of course, you can also share horror stories of folks who really didn't belong in the teaching profession. Or shock of those who spent a lot of time there. Like general Lee spent several years as Comendant of West Point and president of Washington college. (now Washington and Lee university) General Sherman was president of Luisiana State.

[Tonyblack]

Great idea for a thread, but I'll have to give it some more thought.

Off the top of my head I'd say Bernard Cornwell for hitory - not just because he writes historical novels, but because he's passionate about history and if you've ever seen him being interviewed, that becomes obvious.

I had an incredible geology teacher who was really inspiring. I found myself wanting to do well in the subject because I wanted to pay him back for his enthusiasm. Sharlene and I have a good friend here in Tucson who writes mystery novels about a female geologist. The writer's name is Susan Cummings Miller and she is a qualified geologist herself. She'd make a great teach because, just like my school geology teacher, she has a real passion for the subject that she passes on to others.

[chris.ph]

gordon ramsey for cookery
david gemmell for history
aldeus huxley for english lan
asimov for general science
arthur c clarke for chemistry
stephen hawkings for physics
shakespeare for english lit
bill gates for i t

[Who's Wee Dug]

Cool Teachers! what did you do, stick them in the fridge fridge.

[baruch menachem]

Well, there was one kid who thought Mary Kay Letournau was hot, but your milealge may vary....

[Dotsie]

I read recently that Johnny Marr (ex-Smiths) is now teaching music at Salford University. I would go there just for that

My old English teacher was brilliant & very inspiring. My science teachers not so much, but luckily Johnny Ball on kid's TV was a real help

[poohbcarrot]

Hey Baruch!

What's the quote that is 327 characters long? I'm intrigued.

[Tonyblack]

I read recently that Johnny Marr (ex-Smiths) is now teaching music at Salford University. I would go there just for that

My old English teacher was brilliant & very inspiring. My science teachers not so much, but luckily Johnny Ball on kid's TV was a real help

A friend of mine had Jazz singer, George Melly as a teacher in uni - she says he was an incredible guy.

[baruch menachem]

Hey Baruch!

What's the quote that is 327 characters long? I'm intrigued.

I lost the thing after trying to copy paste it here. So all I can give is the gist of it. It is appearently from an interview and he is responding to the reality that folks never quite understand how much better things are than they used to be.

my paraphrase is:

you realize that childbirth is not usually fatal to either the mother or the child, you don't have to have permission from the local noble to get married, go to the church of your choice, or not, you can travel further in an hour than you used to be able in a day and you can get healthy food year round, which not to long ago, not even the richest nobles in the land could do. The poorest in the country lives better than even kings did 200 years ago.

He ordered it differently, and the way he said it was funny.

[Jinx]

At my primary school we got a new headmaster who was a former football referee. Of course me and the other guys thought he was gonna be cool. He had no idea how treat people especially children. He very quickly lost the respect of the pupils, the teachers and all the other staff.

I used to volunteer to help the dinner ladies after lunch, sometimes. I was delighted to see what they done to the headmaster's lunch before he came for it. I always wished there was a way for me to spitefully let him know what he was eating without getting anyone else in trouble. The teachers refused to even feign respect in front of the pupils. Which was actually a good thing because the good teachers were sure to explain why they did it. It was because they didn't want us to be fooled into thinking his behaviour should be considered appropriate simply because he was in authority, without actively encouraging us to rebel authority (though I happened to have that rebellious streak in me anyway [I can still be zealous with my opinions and principles today]).

The man was a sleaze, a bully and an ignoramus.


It's probably largely down to this experience that I would imagine Philip K Dick as a really cool teacher. I feel that he acknowledged social inequalities but would treat everyone equally regardless. He would actively encourage you to view the world from different perspectives and help develop young minds to add up the fine details to make up the big picture. More importantly he wouldn't expect you to accept social structure at face value.
However, I could never imagine anyone letting Dick teach in primary school.