Do you dislike any of your teachers?

Hi, Pat T...

Not dislike...although I had some who were less than shining lights...

Actually just last night I was thinking of a 1969 college class on the poetry of Milton that I loved, and I Googled that instructor from so long ago, Dr. Garland O. Ethel.

What I did not know until now, is that he was forced to testify at McCarthy hearings in the 1950's, as part of a Communist purge of the University of Washington in Seattle. And although he admitted to having been a member of the Communist Party, he courageously refused to name other professors.

With 30 years tenure, he himself apparently could not be dislodged from his professorship. But the U of W, I learned, did toss several of its professors to the wolves...and they never worked again at anything other than a menial job.

I did a small business course in 1993 and one of our teachers was a crusty old guy with a very dry sense of humour. One day I came back early from lunch and heard some of the younger members of the course backbiting about him. He was this, he was that, he was everything else bad that they could put together. So I interjected with, "Well I like the old bastard." And a voice from behind the white board where he had been quietly setting up the next lesson said, "That's very kind of you, Didge." There were some awfully red faces.

All of them. The worse was my 10th grade maths teacher. Honestly, I wasn't very good at math at the time. Had too much stress and had absolutely no idea what I was doing with my life. My grades were dropping like a rock. Sometimes I cheated in tests. My teacher hated me specifically. I stood out since I was one of the tallest kids in class. She was a midget compared to me. Whenever someone was talking in class, it must've been me. I don't fail a test, I must've been cheating so I fail. I accidentally drop a pen, I get smacked on the face. I don't walk fast because my leg's broken. Oh, it's my fault. I had and have long hair, so I must be doing drugs. I make friends with a girl, the teacher constantly keeps saying that we should kiss and we'd look cute as a couple, creeping me out. The other kids in my class were treated fairly. I have no idea what she had against me. Even though I had a broken leg for a month, she wouldn't care and wouldn't help me in anything the slightest. A student throws things at me in class and bullies me around. Oh yeah, it's my fault. That woman was crazy.

Yes I did not like my Spanish class teacher and he did not like me. He was the only class I ever failed my whole life. I even had students ask me "YIN! Why does Mr. Blah blah blah hate you so much?" so it wasn't just me who saw it. 🙃 All well. It's all in my past. I still graduated because of drivers ed! ! Lol!

When I was coming up through the school system, it was legal to beat children. So it's those teachers that I hate with a passion.

I had this math teacher for four years during high school. He was lunatic and crazy. He is the reason why I am so bad at math. He is the reason I hate math so much. He is the only person I can say I hate. I don't even hate Ahmadinejhad as much as I hate this guy. By the way, I am happy I told him every session how much I hated him:)) I saw him a couple of years ago and he was so warm and friendly and again I told him I hate him:-D He laughed but I said I am not kidding, I really hate you:-D

But one thing is if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be the person I am today and I am happy about that

My 7th grade Biology teacher called me a liar, even when I three people corroborate what I said. He also gave me a D, when I know I was doing the same or better than someone who was making a B. We did our homework together every night, and I did as well or better than her on the tests.

9th grade English teacher told me I was not smart enough.

College calculus, ugh. This one taught me not to take a class from someone who has the same last name that is on a campus building. They are not the one the building was named for but they are employed because of the legacy. She was so unclear and so rude she should have never been of any mind never a class with that level of complexity. She spent over 30 minutes of a 50 minute class lecturing the entire class that half of us should of dropped the class because even if they got straight "A"s the rest of the class it would be enough to pull them out of the failing grade they had so far, She gave this lecture the first class after the last cut off date for dropping a class. The good thing about college classes, is you get to evaluate your instructors. I don't know anyone who gave her a good evaluation. - FYI, I was not one of the failing students I got a C. I have never struggled so hard for a C in my life. I had always been an A student in math, and never struggled for it.

My Advanced Biology teacher in high school.  The real, qualifiwed, instructor retired at the end of the school year.  When we biology students returned the next year to take the Advanced Biology we discovered that to cover the vacancy they had assigned the duties to an Ag Teacher.  He was TERRIBLE.  Loud, crude, and totally unprepared to teach biology.  He did not improve for the entire course, and if we learned anything it was from reading the textbook.  To be fair, it was an excellent textbook.   

My Chemistry teacher for the first three quarters of this year was horrible.  He basically came out of being a chemical engineer and lecturing at university to being a high school chemistry teacher.  No one understood what he was saying, and he realised after a little while that teaching's not for him.  Anyway, he let this get in the way with his job.  He played favourites, and his favourite student got straight A's when the rest of the class got C's, and got top of the subject... Wonder why....  We got a new chemistry teacher, and the whole class's grades went up so high, and my original Chemistry teacher's favourite student's marks went down, the test was cross-marked by another Chemistry teacher at our school, and she couldn't believe why she got a C instead of the A's she was used to.  It was very funny watching her outrage at the fairness of our new teacher's marking.

I never had one that occasioned hate, but there were certainly some that I though should find work in some field for which they were qualified.

Now that was of course high school and college.

And now that I am a mellow, easy going, older person, I reflect back on that time in my life and marvel at how accurately I could assess my environment and those in it even that long ago.