Inspirational Teachers
With school being back in session for students of all ages, we can more easily recall a time when we looked up to a favorite teacher who made a difference in our lives. Here is a list of some amazing and inspirational teachers.
Sarah Brown Wessling – President Barack Obama recently presented the 2010 Teacher of the Year award to Sarah Brown Wessling, a high school English teacher from Iowa. Wessling challenges her students to be creative and committed, and she does so with flair and respect for her students and educators everywhere. She incorporates everything from singing to Facebook in her lesson plans.
Jill Biden – The Second Lady is not one to just remain idle by her husband, Vice President Joe Biden’s side. Instead, the former community college teacher – who has been an educator for 28 years – spends her time and uses her status to bring attention to the needs of schools everywhere. Her concentration lately has been on the importance of 2-year colleges.
Michelle Rhee – Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools system, Rhee was the founder of The New Teacher Project, recruiting 10,000 teachers in 20 states. Michelle has been a long time advocate of reform in public schools, and is known for being tough but effective.
Edward Burger – Williams College math professor Edward B. Burger has managed to do something many teachers can’t: he’s made math fun. He’s a pioneer in multimedia Internet lectures, and has developed ways to form an electronic textbook from his methods. He believes that there is plenty of room for creativity in mathematics. Burger said, “Mathematicians are both artists and explorers: artists, because they use original thinking and creativity to make new discoveries; explorers, because, unlike artists, what we create is either true or false given the axioms mathematics has as its pillars.”
Dave Eggers – Though Eggers isn’t a teacher, per se, he has managed to help students everywhere through programs like 826 Valencia —a tutoring center disguised as a pirate store. He encourages people to make a difference in their communities through collaboration and creativity. Check out Once Upon a School to find some creative ways to support your local public schools and make a difference in your own community.
Have you had a teacher who made a difference in your life or community?
-Lisa
Do you have a comment? We'd love to hear what you think!
Do you have a question that we haven’t answered yet in About SAM-e? If so, please Ask Us a Question.
Comment Policy
We value your comment. Please see our comment policy for more details on our guidelines for commenting.