Well, this is a weird question for me because I only went to elementary school for one year: kindergarten.
After that, I was homeschooled until college.
So, I had an official kindergarten teacher, and then following kindergarten, my only “school teacher” was my mom.
I know homeschool moms do teach, but it’s hard to think of them like you would a more official school teacher.
One reason for this is that most homeschooled kids do a lot of independent learning.
At least, I did. And my own kids do.
In such cases, the homeschool mom feels more like a facilitator than a teacher, per se, and the kid ends up teaching themselves a lot of the time.
(Read the book, do the work, go see Mom if you have a problem or question!)
Honestly, I think that’s my favorite way to learn, even to this day. I like reading a book or reading instructions, practicing on my own, and going at my own pace.
I do love learning, but I do not love being in a classroom environment.
So, maybe my favorite teacher is myself.
Or maybe it’s just that I like being in a class made up of one person. Ha.
These are great prompts! I struggled to remember the names of all mine and none was really a favorite. In fact, for all the talk about inspiring teachers and such, none of mine really ever made an impression on me.
However, third grade me would’ve said, Mrs. South, but that was before I realized how badly she betrayed me. That was the year my parents divorced and my mom and I moved to an apartment in town which meant a new school. Mrs. South gave me lots of attention and even ate lunch with me everyday. I thought she was wonderful until I realized her only interest in me was pumping an eight year old out of family secrets. My mom was pretty upset when she found out I was telling my teacher all her personal business. And sadly, all I learned was not to trust adults.
I remember ALL of mine! It was such a huge part of my young life. Several I really didn’t like or was scared of, or they fell off of the pedestal I had put them on. Several were wonderful, or maybe it was just that our “chemistry” was good. I really didn’t like school, but know I wouldn’t have been able to succeed at homeschooling (which wasn’t even done back then.) I would have been a lazy self-teacher and a procrastinating student of myself! The weird details and things I remember my teachers doing and saying are pretty funny! They were all middle-aged women, about half were single. My perspective now is that back in the 1960s there weren’t that many career options for women and some became teachers who might not have been really suited for it or happy with that responsibility. But they made a huge impression, so teachers, including home school parents, remember how much you are influencing those young lives and those future adults every day.
What an interesting answer given your educational history. As a teacher, I often wonder if what I am doing is memorable or will stand out, especially with the littles. I appreciate that the way you “learned to learn” growing up is still a skill you use to this day. That is what I strive to teacher my First Graders–skills they will use outside of the classroom.