All of us were positively impacted by a teacher in one way or another.
Even those of us who hated school still have one teacher who continues to influence our life decades after graduation.
In some cases, this influence is a very personal one, as this particular teacher may have given us some extra attention, and went to great lengths to make sure we were reaching our full potential.
Then there are the teachers whose name brings a smile to the face of all who ever knew them.
The sort of teacher who made people excited to get to class, and who so seamlessly gained the respect of their students, that they wanted them not just to be their teacher, but to be their friend.
Not by doing anything remarkable, but simply by being themselves.
Redditor ApacheAirCover was curious to hear stories of teachers who instantly gained the respect of their students, leading them to ask:
"What did a teacher do that made you automatically gain respect for them?"
Words Of Affirmation
"I went to a small charter school for middle school."
"Our English/literature teacher was brand new to teaching."
"If I remember correctly she was only 22 which seemed old at the time."
"She always did her best to be so cheerful and make learning fun."
"But the thing that truly solidified her spot as my favorite teacher was that for every student’s birthday she would give you a personalized mini notebook."
"It was just a simple small composition notebook but she had filled the first couple pages telling me how much she loved having me as a student, how far she knew I would go, and other affirmations."
"It seems small but as a 13 year old who had a crappy home life it made all the difference in how I acted the rest of the year."- Voiceisaweapon
Studying University Of Colorado GIF by CU OnlineGiphyTeaching Is A Calling
"I had a teacher in elementary school who was prone to outbursts."
"He had a short fuse, at least compared to every other adult I knew at the time."
"For instance, when several of us in class weren't listening he'd throw a piece of chalk against the wall to get our attention."
"Honestly, we just thought he was crazy."
"A year or maybe two years later, the school had a talent show."
"Like a big one, in the gym, in front of everyone."
"One my classmates was really into music and wanted to play a drum solo."
"Our teacher had mentioned off-hand that he used to be in a band and played drums, so my classmate asked him, sort of dared, like kids often do with adults, to play a solo in front of the school."
"And he did."
"He f*cking rocked it."
"But that's not what made me respect him."
"Turns out the band he played for was a very successful, and at the time quite popular rock band."
"He left just before they became popular, because he wanted to be a teacher."
"He chose teaching kids over the chance at fame and fortune, and didn't regret it."
"Decided to look him up and he's still a teacher, and doing very well."
"Made me smile."- dasoberirishman
Drumming Music Video GIF by Simple PlanGiphyA Little Compassion Goes A Long Way
"When I was in the 1st grade my mother gave me one of MANY really awful haircuts."
"The first day back at school afterward the kids picked on me horribly."
"So much that I ran out and hid."
"The principal found me and we went back to the classroom and he asked me to wait outside for a minute while he talked to the class."
"He then walked me to his office and bought me a Coke."
"The next day, first thing in the morning, we had an assembly with the entire school and he walked up on stage with his head shaved completely bald and talked about bullying and the like."
"Some twenty years down the road he had retired and I ran into him at the local college."
"Shook his hand and said, 'you probably don't remember me, but-'"
"'Yes I do', he interrupted and said my name and the event."
"The man was and is a hero in my eyes."- hopgeek
Their Door Is Always Open
"I want to shout out this teacher of mine."
"She was our AP English Language teacher for our senior year of high school."
"On one of the first days in her class, she explained how she went from being a kindergarten teacher to a high school senior teacher."
"She always saw off her cute and happy kindergarten kids, but as they grew up and they came back to visit her, a lot of them came to her troubled and dissatisfied with their lives."
"It made her real emotional about how people had treated these kids she loved so much, how she couldn't afford to see kids so disconnected with life, and how she didn't want them to suffer as they headed out towards college and their adult lives."
"So she changed curriculums and started teaching seniors."
"If I remember right, it always came down to sending her kids off with a smile, prepping them for the real world."
"I respect the hell out of her and she'll always be one of my favorites."
"Truly like a mother to all her students."- NuluProton
Teachers Day Hug GIF by Teach StemGiphyHelping Their Students In Each And Every Way
"My 4th grade teacher would have a 'classroom yard sale' every year after she did her annual Spring cleaning."
"Her daughter was about 13, so the things she'd recently outgrown would be age-appropriate for us."
"I'm aware this wouldn't work out every year, and I'm not sure how long she taught at our school but she told us it was a regular thing."
"We didn't have to pay for them."
"If we needed or wanted something, we could have it."
"There was some sort of lesson incorporated into the yard sale."
"How to trade or value money or something like that, so we didn't feel embarrassed if we needed a few more things than the other kids did."
"I wish I could remember exactly how it worked, but this happened in 1994."
"She was an all-around great teacher."
"Thanks, Miss Ferrell, whose name I've probably misspelled."
"Your class was fun."- NeedsMoreTuba
A truly great teacher doesn't just teach you facts from a textbook.
A truly great teacher is one who likes to listen more than they like to talk.
By doing so, they learn more about their students.
As they continue to learn, their strengths as a teacher grow even stronger, and they, in turn, help students learn more about themselves.
Who was a teacher who impacted your life? Let us know in the comments.
