Nearly all of my English teachers were great (which is why I've become an English major - teachers influence your careers!). I would have to say my best English teacher was my AP Literature teacher I had as a senior in high school. He wasn't too nice nor was he mean. He used to be a professor, so he knew what he was doing (at least you would assume). He was the kind of teacher who was brutally honest - if you wrote a crap paper, he would tell you in somewhat the kindest way possible, but you know he was also being harsh at the same time for your own good. But I tell ya, if he wasn't harsh, my first essay in college would have been lower than a C.
The other reasons why I liked him was his teaching style. He worked you hard in the beginning of the year, but it wasn't for nothing. You were definitely prepared for the AP exam (and for life in general because he would preach about his experiences and give you life-lessons). Oh and those quizzes that we had were nothing like those multiple guess quizzes you get in most classes. You didn't just have to read the assigned reading, you had to go out and research anything you didn't understand - you had to think outside the box, create a curious mind if you didn't have one already, and look up things on the Internet to do well on his quizzes. But even if you did poorly on quizzes, you were saved by participation which was worth half the grade for good reason. When you get in college, the professors expect you to participate, so opening yourself up in my English teacher's class was a great experience. Everyone knew each other and we all became a big family.
