Hostile
The Duke
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Hey Tomson75 makes a great point about the other thread and the bad teachers. While we all may have had some, I hope it is true that we also had great teachers. Let's pay tribute to those teachers if you wish.
Mine will be Mr. Sauer. He was a tiny man. I doubt he was 5'6", and I know he didn't weigh 120 pounds soaking wet with rocks in his pants pockets. But my gosh was he a fantastic teacher.
In 9th grade I had him for Physical Science. In 10th grade for Chemistry. In 11th grade for Chemistry II which was only open to students who showed in the other chemistry class that they were truly interested. And my Senior year I had him for Physics. The only teacher I had a class from every single year of High School.
He was funny and just plain fun. He loved to tell silly little jokes. One of my favorites was a day he walked in and drew a line and wrote AM at the top of the line. Then another line and another and another all starting from the same basic point on the chalk board until he had several lines in all directions with AM at top of each line. He then took roll and left us all wondering. As he started his lecture he decided he needed to write something on the board so he walked over and grabbed the eraser to erase this drawing. Before he did he turned around and said to us, "This is an AM bush."
It was a stupid pun, but we loved it.
He would ask questions of the class, and if he wanted a no answer and no one said anything he would say, "Shake your head side to side." Naturally if he wanted a yes answer he would say, "Nod your head up and down."
In Chemistry II one day he had a stack of beakers and test tubes and stuff on a tray. He said he had asked the school for new glassware because these were all scaled and starting to affect outcomes. They turned him down because the glassware was all intact. So he picked up the tray and walked back to the storage room for all of the equipment. Just outside the door, he pretended to trip and then dumped the entire contents of the tray into the trash can where it broke.
Well, most of it did anyway. He stood there with his hand on his cheek and said, "Oh my, what a terrible accident." I walked back there and peered into the trash can. There was one unbroken Pyrex beaker. I picked it up out of the trash and said, "It's not a total loss Mr. Sauer, this one survived." I then threw it down into the trash can and broke it.
Mr. Sauer put his arm around my neck and squeezed it and said, "I like your style."
One of my favorite things about him was that you actually learned. He said of my Physics class that if we could pass his Physics class with a D we could make an A in college Physics. He wasn't kidding. I got a D one quarter because I was goofing off too much. I tutored my first college roommate in Physics and it seemed easy.
He had a great philosophy about learning. Before each school year he would tell us this about his tests, "In life there are calculators. In life there are textbooks. On my tests you can use your calculators. You can use your textbooks. I want you to learn how to use the resources available to you. Anything that you can carry into my classroom can be used on a test."
One day in Physics before a test I put my books down on my desk and went outside to the hall where he was standing. I picked him up and carried him into the classroom and said, "I carried you into class, I want to use you on the test."
He loved it. Of course I had to take the test without his help, but each time he walked by he would put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. The guy was just an outstanding human being and a fantastic teacher.
Tell us about yours.
Mine will be Mr. Sauer. He was a tiny man. I doubt he was 5'6", and I know he didn't weigh 120 pounds soaking wet with rocks in his pants pockets. But my gosh was he a fantastic teacher.
In 9th grade I had him for Physical Science. In 10th grade for Chemistry. In 11th grade for Chemistry II which was only open to students who showed in the other chemistry class that they were truly interested. And my Senior year I had him for Physics. The only teacher I had a class from every single year of High School.
He was funny and just plain fun. He loved to tell silly little jokes. One of my favorites was a day he walked in and drew a line and wrote AM at the top of the line. Then another line and another and another all starting from the same basic point on the chalk board until he had several lines in all directions with AM at top of each line. He then took roll and left us all wondering. As he started his lecture he decided he needed to write something on the board so he walked over and grabbed the eraser to erase this drawing. Before he did he turned around and said to us, "This is an AM bush."
It was a stupid pun, but we loved it.
He would ask questions of the class, and if he wanted a no answer and no one said anything he would say, "Shake your head side to side." Naturally if he wanted a yes answer he would say, "Nod your head up and down."
In Chemistry II one day he had a stack of beakers and test tubes and stuff on a tray. He said he had asked the school for new glassware because these were all scaled and starting to affect outcomes. They turned him down because the glassware was all intact. So he picked up the tray and walked back to the storage room for all of the equipment. Just outside the door, he pretended to trip and then dumped the entire contents of the tray into the trash can where it broke.
Well, most of it did anyway. He stood there with his hand on his cheek and said, "Oh my, what a terrible accident." I walked back there and peered into the trash can. There was one unbroken Pyrex beaker. I picked it up out of the trash and said, "It's not a total loss Mr. Sauer, this one survived." I then threw it down into the trash can and broke it.
Mr. Sauer put his arm around my neck and squeezed it and said, "I like your style."
One of my favorite things about him was that you actually learned. He said of my Physics class that if we could pass his Physics class with a D we could make an A in college Physics. He wasn't kidding. I got a D one quarter because I was goofing off too much. I tutored my first college roommate in Physics and it seemed easy.
He had a great philosophy about learning. Before each school year he would tell us this about his tests, "In life there are calculators. In life there are textbooks. On my tests you can use your calculators. You can use your textbooks. I want you to learn how to use the resources available to you. Anything that you can carry into my classroom can be used on a test."
One day in Physics before a test I put my books down on my desk and went outside to the hall where he was standing. I picked him up and carried him into the classroom and said, "I carried you into class, I want to use you on the test."
He loved it. Of course I had to take the test without his help, but each time he walked by he would put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. The guy was just an outstanding human being and a fantastic teacher.
Tell us about yours.
