Tell Me About Your Favorite Teacher

[Darrell McPhaul]

For a lot of us there is that special teacher in our lives that helped us be the person we are.

Share with us your story about that special teacher.

 

[Tony3487]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Lafave

By far my fav!

Seriously though, I have to go back to seventh grade science, Mr. Pettit. He didn't put up with my shit. I learned a lot and ended up inviting him the my wedding. He's still a close friend.

 

[Brasky]

I had several. I believe that my 4th grade teacher at Ed White Elementary school, Mrs. Hill, was a huge part of shaping who I am. She reinforced my good behaviors and taught me about how special certain virtues are. At Clear Lake HS I had a phenomenal teacher named Mrs. Cole for English. She cared about education and about her students. Coach Bill Krueger was a positive influence in my life as well. He was very difficult to play for and he would tear you a new one like nobody's business but I learned so much about life from my experience playing for him.

 

[armadillo slim]

that's a hard task.

i've had so many great teachers in my life. if i had to choose just one, it would be Professor Harold Bold, UT-Department of Botany. He was just a wonderful man and one of the world's pre-eminent botanists when I was in school back in the 70's--one of the main reasons the Botany Department was ranked number one in the world for a very long time.

I had a couple of courses from him and then was one his TA's in grad school. He's deceased now, but boy did I love and respect that man.

There are many, many others though.

 

[Brasky]

I regret that I didn't form personal relationships with any professors at UT. Well, I take that back. I was pretty close with my Spanish teacher, Sonia Sitja. She was awesome. I loved Bruce Hunt's history of science classes.

 

[JimR]

Anthony Macaluso at Austin High. great guy.

 

[Hornlaw]

Forgie at UT. Sokolow in LS.

 

[JimR]

Forgie at UT. Sokolow in LS.

David and I clerked for the same judge.

 

[JimsTexas]

For a lot of us there is that special teacher in our lives that helped us be the person we are.
Share with us your story about that special teacher.

Mr Br. Black my Texas History teacher. While studing Texas History the battle of the Alamo he made you feel like you was in the Alamo and in the middle of the fighting. We elected our own Texas government and passed laws. I think that is what drives my love for anything that is Texas History. By the way damn if I don't think we were better legislators than what we are stuck with in Austin. My friends y'all have a great week.

 

[Hiwood]

Anthony Macaluso at Austin High. great guy.

there was a Mr Macaluso who was my brother's teacher at Austin HS back in the mid 60's and he had a son named Mickey who was an all district RB for AHS, if I remember correctly he was even recruited by a couple of SWC schools....so could he be a son/grandson...not exactly a common last name

 

[JimR]

there was a Mr Macaluso who was my brother's teacher at Austin HS back in the mid 60's and he had a son named Mickey who was an all district RB for AHS, if I remember correctly he was even recruited by a couple of SWC schools....so could he be a son/grandson...not exactly a common last name

That is him. I think I remember that he was an athlete at Rice. Who is your brother, and when did he graduate? I graduated in 1963.

Mickey signed with UT. I think he got hurt and did not play much if at all.

 

[Hiwood]

That is him. I think I remember that he was an athlete at Rice. Who is your brother, and when did he graduate? I graduated in 1963.
Mickey signed with UT. I think he got hurt and did not play much if at all.

two of my brothers graduated from Austin HS, Will and Clint....the reason I know about Mickey Macaluso is one afternoon when I was a kid I( was reading an issue of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and they mentioned him as a potential all stater,and my brother saw the article and said "I know that kid,he used to come to the school to see his dad"

I looked in my brother Will's high school annual at AHS and one of his classmates was Price Daniel Jr, and a couple of other Texas bluebloods

 

[JimR]

two of my brothers graduated from Austin HS, Will and Clint....the reason I know about Mickey Macaluso is one afternoon when I was a kid I( was reading an issue of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and they mentioned him as a potential all stater,and my brother saw the article and said "I know that kid,he used to come to the school to see his dad"
I looked in my brother Will's high school annual at AHS and one of his classmates was Price Daniel Jr, and a couple of other Texas bluebloods

do your brothers have a last name? mine is Raup. I went to AHS with Houston Daniel.

what a small world! Hiwood's family and mine lived in the same neighborhood.

 

[Embrey]

Ben Cason - junior year in high school. On maybe the third day I was cutting up and he stopped vocabulary development (Latin) class. He pulled me out in the hall and explained to me that athletes that were enrolled in his class were expected to set the standard. He told me that was my one and only warning and I would either excel and get an A or, if I didn't live up to the standard he set, I would flunk. I applied myself, gave him the respect he demanded and mastered the class. I still find the etymology of words most interesting and hold Mr. Cason in high esteem. I can't remember the majority of my teachers' and professors' names. Zero tolerance for bullshit. High standards and accountability. Sounds a bit like Coach Strong.

 

[Etex Horn]

Favorite UT Professors:

Dr. L. Tuffly Ellis teaching "Texas History" (the course was circa 1976-1977)

Dr. Stanley Arbingast teaching "Texas Resources" (the course was circa 1978)

Both men managed to make what could have been really boring material into "terribly interesting" material.

 

[Etex Horn]

My best "teacher" was my high school football coach, Mr. Joe Crousen. Joe Crousen played for the Breckinridge Buckaroos and helped them win a State Championship in 1959, coached by Emory Bellard. Bellard later got the HC position at A&M and asked Crousen to come aboard as an assistant, but Crousen refused, saying "not until I coach a state champion". Unfortunately, Crousen never did, but I digress. As my coach, Crousen used to have grueling workouts, then call "everybody up!". He would read the riot act to us about whether we had a good or bad workout and preach words of wisdom. But I remember him saying "Men, whatever you do in life, beyond football, give it an 'A effort', do your best". Well, I wasn't a good football player for Coach Joe...in fact I was lousy...but I have always remembered him saying "Give an A's effort to everything you do in life". Haven't forgotten it, that speech was 40 years ago. I have tried to apply that message to everything I do since my high school days. I think it was a message he intended to give us all, not just the better football players. Whatever, it inspired me and that's what counts. And it was beyond just playing football.

Coach Joe Crousen coached later for Bellard at Mississippi State in early 1980s, then Ranger Junior College, then HC at McMurry in Abilene. Passed at age 72 last year. A tougher man I've never known, never. But a good teacher? Yes.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

My second grade teacher, Mrs Henderson. She was a year or two away from retirement when I landed in her class.

We learned how to write cursive in the second grade and she taught me that it was ok for a boy to have "pretty" handwriting. To this day I get compliments on my handwriting, largely because she taught me it was something to take great pride in.

 

[dcbc]

Michael Adams. English Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Taught my Modern Short Story Class. Later wrote me the nicest rec. in the world for law school. Saw him again speaking at a CLE for the Civil Appellate seminar. Absolutely excellent mentor for a young (didn't know he was going to be) legal writer.

 

[Lord Vader]

My girlfriend. Currently teaches 4th grade. Met her almost two years ago. The lessons she taught me have been about life. Some of the best lessons I've ever gotten. Probably not the point of the thread but you asked.