18 TV And Movie Teachers We Love And Need In Our Classrooms

As the saying goes: “A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart.” If you reminisce about your good ol’ schooling years, teachers definitely made up a memorable part of those years (whether good or bad). But in case you forgot how crucial teachers are in molding children’s lives, all you have to do is hunker down with a good movie or TV show.

The following teachers from movies and television have eloquently portrayed the important role of teachers in the world. So grab a snack and get comfortable. Here is a list of the best TV and movie teachers we love.

1. Elizabeth Halsey in Bad Teacher

When your seventh grade teacher looks so good, it might be okay to overlook her poor teaching skills, but is that really possible with as bad a teacher as Elizabeth Halsey who smokes weed and drinks all day? At least she knows what a great teacher really is by showing her students Stand and Deliver, Dangerous Minds, and Scream all day…okay maybe not the last movie.

This bad ass teacher turns out to be a gold-digger who doesn’t take her role seriously and will even steal the state test to get a bonus. It seems like John Adams Middle School might be a bit boring without Halsey’s crazy antics, but lo and behold, she actually makes a change for the better and cares about the students when she becomes the new guidance counselor, but that’s only after she commits some pretty nasty deeds. Who knew Cameron Diaz could be so bad?

2. Miss Honey in Matilda

It’s no wonder that the sweet, beautiful, and kind-hearted teacher from Roald Dahl’s Matilda goes by the name Miss Jennifer Honey. Embeth Davidtz does a stellar job at portraying her soft and compassionate demeanor, and Matilda can confirm that because she gets double as lucky to call Miss Honey her teacher and adopted mother. She is simply any grade school kid’s dream teacher.

Miss Honey is so relatable to the kids because of her unfortunate past as an orphaned child, who had to run away from her cruel and abusive aunt Agatha Trunchbull, principal of Crunchem Hall. She emphasizes with Matilda, another child whose family doesn’t appreciate her and abuses her, and decides to take her under her wing after she discovers Matilda’s unbelievable mind and skills. Read on to reminisce over other TV and movie teachers that are as sweet as honey.

3. John Keating in Dead Poets Society

When your teacher tells you to tear pages out of books and stand up on your desks chanting “Oh captain, my captain,” you listen! The best kind of English teacher will let you live and breathe the poetry, reciting it on the top of your lungs.

Any role Robbin Williams played was extraordinary, but he truly did change the lives of his students as John Keating and teaches them to “Make [their] lives extraordinary.” He even inspires one of his students to chase his dream of becoming an actor even though his father wants him to go to Harvard to become a doctor. His loyalty creates an unbreakable bond with his students. Some other teachers might not stand on their desk and passionately chant poetry, but read on to see the other memorable things these wonderful teachers will do.

4. LouAnne Johnson in Dangerous Minds

When a teacher wants her students to excel no matter what, she hands out candy and organizes field trip to theme parks. What’s more, she enjoys communicating with her students through the poetry of Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas. That’s right, there you have it: LouAnne Johnson – the best teacher in Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Not only does Michelle Pfeiffer portray a one-of-a-kind teacher who cares like a mother for her students, Miss Johnson can also kick butt in karate; after all, she was a U.S. marine before she took up teaching. So when she says – “You asked me once how I was gonna save your life. This is it. This moment” – then you better believe it!

5. Veronica Vaughn in Billy Madison

Stripping might not be a good incentive to get your students to work, but Veronica Vaughn uses interesting techniques. With a teacher as pretty as Veronica, you would think her students would do exactly what she instructs at the click of a finger.

Miss Vaughn, portrayed by Bridgette Wilson, is any young boy’s dream teacher, but things can get a bit out of hand when students go around saying they’ve hooked up with the teacher or that “Veronica Vaughn is one piece of ace.” It’s scenarios like these that create famous sayings like “Veronica Vaughnin,” which means telling a BS story. Which other teachers would students wish to look at every day?

6. Miss Canfield in Leave it to Beaver

It’s not easy for a teacher to remain composed when children start acting out, but the attractive Miss Canfield remains calm and collected, even when Theodore Cleaver, otherwise called the Beaver, places a spring snake in her desk to prove to the other kids that he doesn’t have a crush on her.

Miss Canfield made an excellent second grade teacher with a warm and patient nature, but unfortunately left the series after only four episodes. Perhaps it was the salary, or that Beaver’s antics finally drove her insane. All that matters is that she was great, and Diane Brewster played her well! Read on to discover if Miss Canfield’s replacement was just as sweet.

7. Miss Alice Landers in Leave it to Beaver

Lucky for Theodore Cleaver, the benevolent Miss Alice Landers replaced Miss Canfield, and lucky for him because she remained on the show for the rest of its screening. Sue Randall plays the wonderful 20-year-old educator who personifies every young boy’s dream teacher.

It’s no surprise that Beaver developed a crush on Miss Landers as well; must be her motherly and compassionate nature. Despite her appearance in 28 episodes, the audience doesn’t learn too much about her personal life. What really matters is that she put up with Beaver’s and Larry Mondello’s nonsense, right?

8. Miss Bliss in Good Morning, Miss Bliss

With that charming English accent and sweet, sensible nature, it’s a pity Miss Carrie Bliss’s eighth grade class didn’t get to enjoy her and her talents for a fair amount of time. In only 13 episodes of the Disney show Good Morning, Miss Bliss, she is the kind of teacher who also guides her students like a mother would, trudging them through moral dilemmas and life issues.

Hayley Mills really does pull off the whole teacher look really well, and it’s no wonder that her talents at handling her misguided students became a legacy in TV teacher history. The kids at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, Indiana are truly blessed. The show later transformed into Saved by the Bell, but Miss Bliss’s character was dropped because the students move to Los Angeles and reunite at Bayside High School.

9. Miss Crabtree in Little Rascals

It’s normal for kids to worry about who their replacement teacher will be. Such was the case when the lovely Miss McGillicuddy got married. Even just that name sounds cuddly. Anyhow, they are pleasantly surprised when the beautiful Miss June Crabtree walks into the classroom. And no, she’s not crabby.

Miss Crabtree’s patience and kindness even subdue all the rascals in the classroom. Only a teacher like her wouldn’t blink an eye at her student’s swapping their history books for comic books. She did, however, send her students out to the hall for misbehaving. June Marlowe definitely pulled off the presence of a teacher very well – and the hairstyle too.

Continue on for the final 9 teachers from tv and movies that stuck with us…