Stories

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? Youtube 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. Classic Film and TV Cafe 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 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. Movie Forums 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! Starstills.com 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? Purple Clover / Movie Teachers 6. Miss Canfield in Leave it to Beaver Buzznet 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? IndieWire 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. DVDizzy.com 9. Miss Crabtree in Little Rascals TV BANTER 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... 10. Mr. Duvall in Mean Girls Picture this scene: hitting a fire alarm with baseball bat while shouting “Hell, no. I did not leave the South Side for this!” Yep, that’s Mr. Duvall, and you can’t blame the poor dude for his methods in dealing with raucous teenagers at North Shore High. But under all that rage is a sweet and caring mentor and principal who seeks to provide the best education for his students. How do we know that? Because he hires the brilliant Ms. Norbury and has great taste (he has a crush on her). Anyone who can handle the Plastics as elegantly as he can deserves a Teacher of the Year Award. Pinterest 11. Mr. Feeny in Boy Meets World When your teacher follows you from middle school to high school, and then to college, and … is also your neighbor, the relationship becomes more than just teacher-student; you becomes friends! Such is the case with Mr. Feeny and Corey Matthews. It takes a while for Mr. Feeny to break through his hard and sarcastic disciplinarian shell, but when he does, he becomes a mentor and friend to his students. He even soften ups to Corey and his best friend Shawn Hunter who get up to no good most of the time. This teacher is here to stay! Read on to discover which other teachers are so legendary that you never want them to go away. ShareTV 12. Walter White in Breaking Bad “I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger!” Oh yes, you better believe it. When a Nobel prize-winning chemistry teacher turns bad then you better watch out. It’s only natural that a teacher as cool as Walter White could manufacture the best crystal meth on the market called blue sky. Come on, his original motives behind creating methamphetamine were actually very admirable. Bryan Cranston portrays the ambitious and super crafty White who devises a plan to overcome his stage 3A lung cancer. He needs to pay for treatment seeing that the cancer is inoperable, or in the event that he dies, he wants to ensure his family is well looked after. What better way than to use his knowledge to develop an alternative chemical process to create meth? Told you it was admirable … However, the crimes he commits aren’t too admirable. Read on to see if any other teachers are as resourceful as Walter. HobbyLark 13. Lydia Grant in Fame If you’re planning to “live forever” then New York City High School for the Performing Arts is the way to go, and make sure its under the tutelage of Lydia Grant. Her tough teaching techniques and encouragement is exactly what students in the world of dance require – a world of brutal competition. Famous for her line: “You’ve got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying … in sweat.” Miss Grant, portrayed by Debbie Allen, really has got the moves to get her students drenched in sweat … and fame. On and off the screen, Allen choreographed and taught the numbers for the TV adaptation of Fame and came away with an Emmy for her fantastic moves. Business Insider UK / Movie Teachers 14. Mark Thackeray in To Sir, With Love When an aspiring unemployed engineer has to take up a tough teaching position at North Quay Secondary School in the East End of London, and totally rocks it, then you know he’s born for it. Staff members even warn Mark Thackeray, played by Sidney Poitier, that he’s in for quite a ride because the students at the school are pretty much unwanted at other schools. When Mr. Thackeray braves his first class he quickly understands why the last teacher resigned; the students certainly get up to no good. After some ups and downs, he wins over the heart of each of his students with his adult approach, which places emphasis on personal choices and responsibility in life. Turns out teenagers appreciate being treated like adults and return the respect— so much so that Thackeray doesn’t accept his dream job offer because he loves teaching so much. Which other teachers changed the lives of their students? News.com.au / Movie Teachers 15. Gabe Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter MovieWeb It definitely takes a former member of a “gang” to be able to understand a group of “unteachable” Sweathogs. Indeed, as one of the founding members of this remedial student group, Mr. Gabe Kotter tolerates all his students’ shenanigans in and out of room 111. The actor Gabe Kaplan plays the quintessential Mr. Kotter who makes wisecracks like “up your nose with a rubber hose” and gets through to his rowdy students with his funny antics. After all, seeing that he works at his alma mater in Brooklyn, he already knows all the tricks the students have up their sleeves at James Buchanan High School. 16. Dumbledore in Harry Potter Not only a professor and headmaster, this larger-than-life wizard is any kid’s dream mentor. By the time we actually become acquainted with Albus Dumbledore, he’s already the headmaster, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t the best adviser and support system to generations of wizards and witches. Hogwarts isn’t the same without him (Dolores Umbridge made that quite clear), and what makes Dumbledore even more admirable is that he was in Gryffindor House during his time as a student. If you can tell the difference between the actors Richard Harris and Michael Gambon then you’re really a Harry Potter movie pro. Which other Hogwart’s teachers are worth a mention? CelebrateKnoxville.com / Movie Teachers 17. Anne Sullivan in The Miracle Worker When you’re in need of some inspiration, look no further than Anne Sullivan. The best part is that this teacher really existed. Blinded herself at just the age of five, Sullivan is hired to take care of and teach the blind and deaf Hellen Keller. With will and resolve, she is not only a teacher, but also a lifelong companion of Keller’s. After 49 years, a bond like theirs is unbreakable. Sullivan is the epitome of what a teacher should be, adapting teaching techniques suited to her student. Anne Bancroft won an Oscar for playing this challenging and moving role. Continue reading to see how these teachers went beyond teaching to inspire their students. Bio.com / Movie Teachers 18. Alice Johnson in Room 222 Alice Johnson is an idealistic teacher who breaks the mold by teaching in Walt Whitman High School, a multi-racial LA school in the ’70s. Her hard work and care for the students make her a stellar teacher; not to mention she’s really nice to look at too. Karen Valentine, who portrays Alice Johnson, certainly gives off that air of a young teacher who wants to make a difference in the lives of her students in her American History class. She’s such a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher that she gets a full-time slot on the faculty team. Purple Clover / Movie Teachers Credits RELATED: Henry Winkler Opens Up About His 30-Year Absence From TV