My 10th grade English Teacher Mike....amazing man. I always loved to write, but I was so afraid of what everyone else would say because of the types of stories/poems I enjoyed writing. This guy was a total hippie you could say he had tons of Pink Floyd tattoos, long scraggly hair, rarely shaved his face, wore sandals all the time, he was fun and laid back.

In the high school I went to, the rules on what students wrote were very strict, as far as language and ideas needing to be appropriate....well he stood by that rule with every student, but me...he told me to write whatever I wanted, using whatever language, whatever scenarios, no limits. I broke out of my shell I wrote day after day after day, hour after hour.....And low and behold...everybody LOVED my writing...

He wouldn't let me read my stuff in class, because of the content, but one day a few of my classmates had read something I wrote while I was presenting something, and in the middle of my presentation a couple of them said "have her read this"...he said no...the whole class chimed in and I ended up reading a poem filled with darkness and profanity and everything that wasn't supposed to be said aloud in the school. He let me read anything I wrote from then on as long as the class kept quiet, and didn't tell anyone. No one did, it was a guilty pleasure for them even the super religious ones. I now have a book with my poems in the school library, a permission slip is required to check it out, but I felt so accomplished after his class, I felt on top of the world because I wasn't scared to be anymore, to express my thoughts and my feelings and I owe that all to him.

I actually have a rally to go to in a couple weeks because they are wanting to lay him off from work because he is the newest English teacher still, although it's been a few years....and I am the lead speaker for that rally and I'm really excited that I get to represent him and i am determined to make a point that he is needed in that school, he makes a difference in students lives and he is an amazing teacher!

Now that I am done rambling!!

I hope it answered your question!
@tealmyster

I don't know anyone nearly that influential or inspiring, but personally I think that my 9th grade English teacher, Mr. deHaas, was an amazing man. He was so nice, and even after we moved away from Ramstein, I would come back to visit my friends and visit Mr. deHaas. He knew so much about the English language and literature, and I think my love of etymology was really discovered in his class.

Thans Mr. deHaas, for teaching us about where the names of the months and days of the week came from! :)

My Fourth Grade teacher, Mrs Buscher, changed my life. She was the first teacher who realized I wasn't exactly like the other kids. I hated sports and never participated in them. I wasn't a shy kid but I definitely was insecure. Mrs. Buscher realized that I loved to read and she helped me in developing that love. She'd let me stay in at recess and read books. When I had read all the good books at my level at our small school she brought me ones from her personal collection. She fully supported me and never pressured me to be anyone but myself.

I went on to read high above my age level, be valedictorian of my High School class and am still today an avid reader. I will also appreciate what she did for me.