What do you remember most about your teachers?

Mons Romulo, a writer of the national daily, Philippine Star, asks in her column today, "What do you remember most about your teachers?". 

My answer: I remember my Kindergarten Reading teacher (no, not my mother) who was so kind and gentle. She was a good story-teller, too. My childhood favorite book characters like Ted and Sally, Tuffy & Boots, and Big Red will always be a part of me because of her. 

I remember my Music teacher who taught me how to read music, sing with a choir (yes, there is a right way to sing with others ) and was the only one who could get me to school even though I was sick . I hated to miss Tue mornings because that was Music day, my favorite school day. 

I remember my elementary Bible teachers who taught me Bible songs, Bible stories, and who read to us books about missionaries. The life and testimony of the missionary, Richard Wurmbrand, is a big part of my elementary school memories. 

I remember my 6th grade Social Studies teacher who taught us not only geography and cultures of other lands but also inspired me to travel and see the world (yes, as a diplomat's daughter she had many travel stories to tell). 

I remember my high school Geometry teacher who made me realize there is something in the world of numbers and figures that is interesting to me, after all.

I remember my high school Spanish Language teacher who made us memorize Rizal's poem, My Last Farewell (Mi Ultimo Adios), in Spanish and recite it in class. No matter what they say about our national hero, that started my dislike for Rizal, to this day. 

I remember my high school English Grammar & Speech teacher who was so good. She had an American accent that if you close your eyes during her class, you'd forget you were in the Philippines. 

I remember my English Speech 101 teacher in university who was a well-known lady anchor in a local radio station . The class started at 7 a.m. because that was the only available time she had for us. Since I'm never a morning person, I'd go to her class still feeling like a zombie. I'd plop myself in one of the booths at the back, put my headset on, and doze off. I'd wake up only when I hear her voice on my headset instructing me which speech exercise to do for that day. Bless her for giving me a 1.1 (1.0 being the highest at that school) for that semester. And that was the only time EVER I had such a high grade in university. I like to believe that the .1 less was for my sleeping in class. Haha! 

Yes, believe it or not, college/university life for me was more lakwatsa and fun than study. Cruising through, they'd say. Good grades for courses I like, average grades for the subjects/courses I find okay and interesting, and more than once dropped out of class in mid-semester because I found the teacher/class boring. 

I remember my favorite English professor in college who inspired me to write - journals, poems, scripts, essays,etc. Her class was always a happy favorite of mine and almost never missed a session- -well, except when it rains. Rainy school days for me in college were my "salty" days - thus called, because one rainy school day this favorite professor of mine told my classmates in jest, "Si Meriam kung ting-ulan, morag asin, mahilis...di makit-an sa klase " smile emoticon smile emoticon 

Best of all, I remember my 5th grade English teacher and homeroom adviser who was a newbie then and who by mistake wrote a 75 grade on my report card for English instead of a 95, for that grading period. It drove my father crazy. He threatened not to sign my report card for that grading period (the only time he ever complained, because he said 75 was my likely grade for Math, and he could not believe I got that grade for English Language & Reading, one of my favorite subjects at that !) He didn't stop yakking at home so Mother had to tell the principal, who in turn checked with my English teacher/adviser. It was an honest mistake and so, to make amends, I got a huge siopao for recess time and a very big, warm hug from my English teacher that day. 

Naa pa diay usa...I remember my high school Junior Year adviser who reluctantly had to give me an "F" (in red ink , that means FAILURE) for my conduct grade in one grading period. Why? I had more than 15 tardies for that particular grading block. Classes started at 7:30, but the lazy me could not get myself out of bed early enough. I usually got to school around 7:45 - and to think, our rented home was only ONE BLOCK from the school. My parents' reaction to that?? Mama (when called to the principal's office before the report cards release ) to my adviser: "Ma'am. kung naa pay low pa sa F, palihug ko ug hatag kay gikapoy nako ug yaw2 kada buntag!" Papa (to me): "Sige ka, padayon gyud ana hangtud mag Senior ka, kay aron colorful kaau nang imong card nga i-submit sa college during enrolment. Maghuna-huna jud dayon na ang admitting dean kung unsa ka kabadlongon". Dah...nabuotan lagi ko kadali after ato. smile emoticon

So...what do you remember most about your teachers???