"A Truly Great Teacher" or "Why I Learned"

I learned from Mr. Y* because he was a teacher that understood us. By us I mean that whole unruly, struggling for independance, trying to break free or keep in step breed: Teenagers.

he seemed to have this innate sense of how to relate to everyone, as a class and as individuals. we weren't numbers, or just children, we were people, and we were human. He thrived on challenging us, on demanding excellence. He was a strict teacher, but his punishments were only as bad as his rewards were good. He was fair, and caring.

He had this immense passion for history and politics which touched a nerve in me - both shape our current world, and he didn't let you forget it. It was graphic and harsh sometimes, but it was important that we knew there was a bigger, wider world out there than Cold Lake, Alberta, and that it affected us, and that one day, in the very near future, we'd be able to affect it too.

He made learning matter. He made it real - not just rote information from a badly written text book, and he'd do anything he could, even something completely unorthodox to make you learn it. He's the only teacher I know, who was able to use video games effectively in class.

He also went out of his way to show you he cared. To show you, you were important, to make you smile, or make you feel a little better if you were down. He went so far out of his way for us, it only seemed right to do the same for him.

"All this had always been and he had never seen it; he was never present.
Now he was present and belonged to it. Through his eyes he saw light and
shadows; through his mind he was aware of moon and stars"

~Siddartha on appreciating the beauty of the world: Siddartha by Herman Hesse