Comment long-lasting effects of a bad teacher (Score 1) 1322
In high school (mid 1980's) I had a Grade 10 Math teacher who sat at the back of the class and played 60's music on a tape deck.
His teaching involved telling us to do the work on certain pages, as we tried to concentrate while listening to 20 year old music we all hated. Of course being teenagers none of us asked questions or didn't really think to ask and as a result not one person in the class had a final mark above 40%, we all failed - the entire class.
So for the next two years I was behind one year in Math, all my other classes were fine, and for some reason I was put in a Grade 10 home-room even though I only had one subject that wasn't in my grade level. This also was the situation when I was in Grade 12, stuck in a Grade 11 home-room while my friends were one grade up, all because of one damn subject I failed.
The part that hurt me the most but I didn't know about until years later was all the Grade 12 students went to the local University to as part of an orientation field trip, they were showed how to fill out applications, given information about and how to apply for bursaries etc.
I finished Math thanks to a very good Math teacher who "picked volunteers" (we didn't get the joke at the time) four at once to go up front and complete Math problems he wrote on the blackboard. I had two classes with him, Grade 11 and Grade 12 Math, when finished my marks were in the high 80's to low 90's for Grade 11 and 12, coming from a mark of less than 40% I'd say he was the best teacher in existence. He even held classes after school and during the Summer. Earl Foster you're the best!
btw I went to University briefly many years later and by then I felt very out of place. Maybe someday I'll go back.