Passion

One of my favorite teachers was my dad, in fourth grade.  Although this was in the point during my life that I still loved every subject in school, my dad was definitely a teacher who had a great amount of passion in his teaching.  He was always very laid back and had a great sense of humor.  However, the fact that he was my dad affected how he graded me.  He always expected more of me because he knew "I wasn't working to my full potential".  Obviously I was frustrated by the fact that I got lower grades that year, but I still loved fourth grade regardless.  My dad would always tell funny little anecdotes about his life during class time, such as his time living on a farm and all the funny adventures he and his brothers had, or when he was older and working at a meat packing plant (the gross nature of these stories both disgusting and entertaining to fourth graders, of course.)  He also chose new books to read every few weeks, not read for assignment purposes but just as entertainment and for the enjoyment of reading.  Some of my favorite childhood books (There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, Walk Two Moons, and Maniac Magee to name a few) were ones read to me by "Mr. Spindler".  He further encouraged my love of reading, as well as bolstering my interest in history/geography, a class which normally bores me.