Your Favorite Teacher

The first full week in May was National Teacher Appreciation Week.

Who was one of the best teachers you had in elementary, high school, college, or graduate school?

Why were they one of the best teachers you had?

I had many, many wonderful teachers throughout my years of formal education. But one who always comes to mind first is Brother James Daniel, a Christian Brother who taught me English Literature in my sophomore year in high school.

The first image I have in my mind when I think about him, is him walking into the classroom carrying a novel in his hand. He would then sit down at his desk and open the book at a page in the middle of the book and then read three or four pages. He was an excellent dramatic reader, so he held our attention completely. Me and the entire class just sat spellbound as he read the several pages of the book. When he got to a part of the story that left us all wondering what was next, he closed the book. He said “The name of the book is Moby Dick. If you want to know what happens, the book is in the library.” Most of us could hardly wait to get to a library to borrow the book.

He was a wonderful teacher. He loved the subject he was teaching, English Literature. Because he loved it so much, we always wanted to hear and learn more about what he loved and enjoyed. And we learned to love literature. He was also very attentive to what we as students were saying and thinking. I could go on and on but will stop here.

Thank you, Brother James Daniel, and all of the many other wonderful teachers I have had over the years.

Please share your answer below!