My Favorite Teacher

I have a favorite teacher from high school because his class was the most memorable. He was an seventy-something year old AP US Government teacher who signed his name differently on each magazine and newspaper he subscribed to so he could track who sold his information to the companies that sent him junk mail. We rarely did anything productive in class and we spent our hour and a half of class just talking about whatever he wanted to talk about from the news, but hardly anyone paid attention. And he knew it.

He had told us in the beginning of the year that would never give us homework and we would only have six tests for the whole semester. He also did grades on a grading curve. He would take the person who scored the highest (regardless of how low the score actually was) and give them and everyone else 10 points within their score an 'A' grade. Everyone 10 points below that got a 'B' grade, and the rest of the class was given 'C' grades. No one failed. Ever. He refused to give anyone a grade lower than a 'C' because he said there was no point. We were "spoiled little brats whose mommies and daddies would be down in the Principal's office complaining about it" until he changed the grade.

He also had a theory that allowed him to accurately predict which student would set the grading scale by receiving the highest grade. He said: "Every year I can pick out who are the smart kids and who are the idiots who take this class because it looks good on a college application and it's want their Mommy and Daddy want them to do. Because the smart kids are the ones who sit up front and talk. All you other little brats keep your heads down and your mouths shut because you have nothing worth saying and probably can't wrap your narrow little minds around anything that is being discussed." Great Man. Really is.

But because of that fact he never failed anyone, he also didn't believe in privacy when distributing test results and often gave them aloud for the entire class to hear. Well, if you can't make lower than a 'C', what's the big deal? But like I said, he was my favorite teacher. However, he probably doesn't even remember my name because the majority or our conversations went something like this in tone:

Teacher: John?
John: Yes?
Teacher: You got a B. Mary?
Mary: Yes?
Teacher: You got a C. Brandi?
Me: Yes?
Teacher: I don't like you.
Me: (the entire class turns around in their seats to look at me in the back row, just as confused as I was) ... I'm... sorry... for that.
Teacher: Do you know why I don't like you, besides you're a smart ass?
Me: ...no, Sir.
Teacher: You're too damn quiet. You never pay attention to what's going on. And you never say a goddamn word in response to anything these dumb asses think is important... You're also smart as hell. You got a A. Now get the hell out of my class. You're pissing me off.

God I loved that man. He was also the only teacher I ever had that flipped me off as well...

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I'm still on vacation but I felt the urge to share this story. I had a very interesting high school experience that most people I've shared it with have found very entertaining, so I thought I might share a few stories about my most memorable experiences. I have a lot I have to shift through.

But anyway. If things go according to plan, I hope to have a special update to post on here later tonight (not about school). It's very personal to me but I think it needs to be posted. Hopefully it all works out and I can.