There's a reason "What's the name of your favorite teacher?" is asked as a security question. Those who educated us made a huge impact on our lives, and they're simply impossible to forget. We all smile when we think of our favorite teacher, but why? Here's three of the best reasons that made our teachers so memorable.
1. They put up with us.
Let's be honest. When we were with our classmates, whether it was elementary, middle or high school, we were kind of the worst. We talked when they talked. We gabbed on and on about irrelevant things when we were supposed to be doing group work and then got offended when we got a bad grade on the assignment. We begged for quizzes to be postponed because we failed to study like we should have. We honestly didn't care if our teachers were having a good day or a bad day, the world revolved around us. Even if they yelled at us (when it was totally warranted), they put up with us. They learned how to get through to us.
2. They related to us.
Or they at least tried to... It's the effort that counts. I'm sure all of y'all have seen that video of the teacher singing her class rules to the song "Work from Home." While most of us cringe while watching it, we have to give her some credit. She was trying to get her students attention with something they loved. I know my teachers in high school did stuff like that. It was fantastic. I'm fully convinced that when saying "swagger" was a thing, everyone had a teacher who used it WAY too much. They watched the news and read up on pop culture so that they could pipe in when we were talking about the latest celebrity break-up before class started. While we rolled our eyes at the time, we have to admit that we low-key loved it.
3. We learned way more from them than the subject they taught.
Our elementary school teachers were our second moms or dads. Our middle school teachers (God bless them) experienced so much awkwardness that it pains me, but they loved us through it. Our high school teachers had to be cool, or they wouldn't have even lasted a semester. Teachers obviously know how to teach the subject that they're assigned to teach at school, but if we're being real, they taught us way more than that. Teachers taught us essential things all the way from how to color inside the lines to how to apply to the university we had always dreamed of attending. They taught us to be confident in who we were. Whether we liked drama, wanted to be valedictorian, or were determined to play sports in college or even if we wanted to do it all, they were there pushing us to be the best we could be.
If you're reading this and you're a teacher, THANK YOU. These are only three of the billions of reasons you are such an outstanding human being. I know you probably think you're underpaid, under-appreciated and overworked, but let me be the first to tell you that you are doing such an awesome thing being a teacher. You have made a difference in SO MANY PEOPLES LIVES. We, as students - no, scratch that. We, as people, wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for you. You are incredible, and we are so appreciative of you. We just suck at expressing our gratitude.
