It’s teacher appreciation week here in the United States. What better way to celebrate than to write briefly about 24 teachers who have inspired me and taught me different lessons throughout the course of my entire life?!
1. Mr. Brown was my Kindergarden teacher. And he was able to put up with my bullshit as a child (mostly when I was crying, messing around with other students, and didn’t know how to properly behave in a classroom). Without you, I’d probably be living on the streets.
2. Mr. Craycraft was my 7th grade science teacher, and I truly remembered how he infused humor into the classroom when teaching us marvelous scientific concepts. That sense of humor makes him unforgettable, and inspires me to infuse humor into my teaching. Even though I’m just an aide this year.
3. One of my 4th grade “after-school program leaders” made an unforgettable impact on my life when she recognized me as an individual, got to know me, and often referred to me as one of her “favorites” in the Anaheim Achieves after school program. Though her name no longer sticks with me, the wonderful memories do inspire me – most notably when I ran into her car with a bike and she never sued, knowing my family lived in extreme poverty.
4. Mr. Murray replaced Ms. Daniels halfway through my freshman year of high school, and he brought with him a calmness and kindness I had not seen in teachers in quite a while. I truly appreciated him in many ways, especially the way he welcomed us into his classroom early every morning.
5. But it was of course Mrs. Schirmer who instilled in me a continued love of history through her wonderful lectures in AP European history. She made history what it is – a story. A story I looked forward to hearing every single day. And because of her I continue to strive to make history enjoyable…. if only I were still teaching the subject today.
6. Of course I hated math and felt like a bad Asian most of high school for not being very good at it. Still, Mr. Conlay made pre-calculus not only easy to comprehend, but he continued to infuse humor into everyday lessons and making everything “high-energy”. Props to that.
7. Helping to transform me into who I am today (partially) was Mrs. Shannan Lee, who infused in me the need to build structure into my classroom. Serving as my master teacher at Santiago High School, she guided me firsthand and tried her best to steer me away from the pitfalls of student teaching. Though I wasn’t that good, I learned a little bit in her direction.
8. In my first year of teaching, Mr. Hoffman kept it real and told me straight to my face how to keep the students in line. And of course, inspired me to go traveling with him and some others to Europe. I’ll always remember my only year teaching in Vegas because of him, and his candidness. He told me to get out ASAP, which I refused to do so.
9. Though we didn’t work together too long, another teacher who left a tremendous imprint on my life was Mr. Hanna, who taught me that family is more important than work. And taught me sometimes the best way to serve others is to serve yourself and quit toxic work environments like Bright Star Schools. I wouldn’t quit a school a few months in until a few years later, at the worst charter in Los Angeles – Equitas Academy.
10. But because I chose to stay, Mrs. Synder (my mentor teacher) was able to not only inspire me, but teach me directly ways to become a better teacher [management-wise.] At some point towards the end of my 2nd year of teaching, she was rather blunt with me, telling me my management was not working. That direct approach motivated me and inspired me to do much better, so by the time my 3rd year came, I was much more confident and much stronger as an educator.
11. Ryan Ritchie taught me that the humanity and fun in teaching often comes with exploring his inner youth and being not afraid to show his wild side to his students. Will always miss going to conerts with this guy. Never forget Ke$ha!
12. Mr. Winnyfred was not a teacher for very long, but he did inspire me in many ways. Most notably by yelling at students, yelling at principals, and of course scaring them. The scaring approach where you can’t smile ever at students is something I continue to hold dear to my every presence. Don’t smile till May, that’s for sure. He also gave me much needed advice on love and relationships.
13. Mr. Choi will always be one of the most inspiring teachers I’ve met in my lifetime. Not only do I try to emulate him in calmness and kindness, I try to recognize the value of stoicism in the classroom. His heart and care for all individuals in life is something I hold as a sacred value (though it’s not something I’d ever express openly to children).
14. Mr. Yamashita teaches me that despite age, you can always find a way to relate to the students. As the gap between him, me, and of course the students continue to get bigger, he still is able to relate to students in an easy and important human ways. That connection building makes him truly a force to be reckoned with.
15. Ms. Smith puts her heart into everything she does. Her love language is essentially the gift of time and hard work, staying in late hours to make sure her lessons are up to par for her students. Not only is she a fantastic and inspiring teacher, I am proud to call her a friend.
16. That brings us to the chupacabra Ms. Fernandez, who openly wears her heart on her sleeves and is invested in the emotional growth of her students. If all schools had more caring teachers like herself, perhaps more children would want to go to school. Sadly they’re forced to endure mean and sarcastic individuals like myself instead.
17. Combining wit, humor, and of course highly relevant pedogogy in the form of memes and cultural references, Eugene Hahn is truly an inspirational teacher. And though he often finds ways to stress himself over the world of education, it’s because he truly cares about all his students. Love his politically incorrect jokes as well, despite it causing concern among various unnamed entities.
18. Mr. Cosinas taught me that Filipinos and Vietnamese people can get along, most notably over the fact that they were both colonized (but probably not both being Asian). Getting along with virtually everybody, Enrico taught me in our 6 months of working together the value of building good relationships and maintaining positive rapport with not only students but co-workers.
19. A friend from fairmont summer programs, Mrs. Herrera taught me the importance of paying attention to ensure summer campers are not drowning the pool. In addition, her friendship has taught me the value of going to free movie screenings.
20/21. Number 20 and 21 are two other Fairmont camp counselors who just happen to have transformed into two of the most amazing teachers on the planet. Their positive energy, fun, candor, and ability to make every children feel special makes them truly a force to be reckoned with forever.
22. Mr. Gaudette was not only instrumental hiring me at my current school (Dale Junior High), but he has taught me so much about ways to reinvent the wheel when it comes to teaching. Whereas most teachers are perfectly fine with doing the same thing over and over again, Mr. Gaudette continues to inspire me by always continuously trying new things for the betterment of all his students. I won’t ever forget his awesome acting in the video below, in a video that took place roughly a year ago.
23. Since meeting her, Ms. Esquivel inspires me through her combined stern-ness yet adequately important relationship-building skills with her students, from Puente to now her ELD Kids. She is able to build all programs from the ground up, proving her resiliency and adaptability. Her adaptability gives her the fantastic potential to accomplish anything, including being a double-department chair and simultaneously tackling a million tasks at once.
24. Ms. Franke plays an instrumental role in building up the vocabulary acquisition skills of her students through an immersive Spanish teaching experience. Whereas plenty of teachers would just simply hand out worksheets to teach Spanish, she has them practice it everyday through verbal and explicit practice. Truly an inspiration to us all.
Honorable mentions of course include Ms. Hernandez whose motherly presence warms the heart of all, Mr. Saldivar, whose patient nature makes him an enduring survivalist in the face of annoying middle schoolers, and Ms. Chavez – the most calming roommate a teacher could ask for with plenty of answers to all special education related questions.
I’m forever thankful for all the wonderful teachers I’ve met over the years, and wish them a happy teacher appreciation week for their remaining days and years in education. Enjoy your pensions in retirements, poor souls.
