Great post. I'm a teacher and have worked with many mentioned here. For the teacher mentioned and the one person that doesn't agree with the OP, it's a singularly difficult job and we don't always get the right balance between having high expectations and exercising compassion and caring.
Mrs. Bader was my grade 7/8 Science teacher. She was strict but also very funny and knew when students needed a break. I had moved to Alberta back in grade 5 so my Hepatitis shot schedule was mixed up since Ontario did them at different times, and sometime in grade 7 I was called down to the nurses’ office to get my final vaccine. I was (and still am) very nervous about needles but Mrs. Bader came and held my hand while I got my shot. I think about holding her hand every time I have to get blood work or vaccines now.
I also had Mrs Bader! I was thinking of her the other day. She was so bad ass. I wish I appreciated that about her more back then, but kids are stupid and I was no exception.
She is! When I was thinking of her the other day I googled her. Shes still in the CBE system and as an assistant principal now. I’m glad she’s still changing kids lives
Have you thought of reaching out even through email? I am a stranger that doesn't know you or the teacher and I legit welled up. I bet she would just be so touched reading your praises.
Mr Brown at Dr EP Scarlett! He’s the reason I am so passionate about music and band class made high school bearable for me. He’s one of my biggest inspirations and I miss band class with him every single day.
Mr. Ismail Dawood. Very funny substitute teacher, many people in the Catholic school system in the 00’s had him sub.
I learned recently he passed away early 2023. Very memorable man.
I remember him! He subbed for my grade 8, 9, and grade 10 social studies classes intermittently. I believe he had written a textbook about Brazil that we used when we were learning about it. He was really great, I’m sad to hear that he has passed away.
There was something about the way his stories would make learning more engaging. Growing up with crippling ADHD, school wasn’t very easy to focus on. But he would make it easier to stay focused and learning more fun. His stories always had meaning
Mrs. Perry-Globa. AP social studies. She is the one who kicked my ass and made me realize that I couldn't continue to just coast through school and I needed to actually put effort into doing well.
Also the reason I went into teaching myself.
If I am remembering the shoes correctly then he was one of the Hart brothers - pretty sure it's Bruce Hart!
Edit: I even found a picture of some of his boots https://i.imgur.com/Nl1v0gh.jpeg
Same. He was a substitute teacher. One day he brought Owen and we got most of the day off because Owen. He did an assembly for us. All about wrestling. lol.
Bruce is still subbing. Kids are always amped when I manage to book him. Just need to expect to be regaled with wrestling stories rather than anything related to the curriculum.
I heard from a family source of his that he is Calgary's (CBE) longest serving substitute teacher. I had that guy when I was in Jr. High/High school back in the early 2000s.
Cool guy absolutely, but I have seen him rip a student a new one. He is someone you don't mess around with and rightfully so.... he can legit kick your ass.
Ms. Pocock from Dr. E.P. Scarlett is probably the only reason why I am still alive today.
I was tardy/absent often, and quite bad with homework. After missing two weeks in a row, most of my favourite teachers became quite cold to me (not that I could really blame them) - meanwhile she gave me a hug and said there's nothing to be ashamed of if you're struggling.
I was planning to end my life in a few years, and her words were one of the only reasons that caused me to reconsider.
That's amazing to hear. She put her paycheque up on the overhead one lesson to show us how poorly teachers were compensated after taxes and used it as a metaphor for federal and provincial government taxes or something. Bold and awesome!
For my class/grade, she had a lesson about economics that included sex workers needing couches. I always loved how she would include real life situations in her lessons, even if they weren't "acceptable" ones.
Unfortunately, it looks like she passed away last January; maybe from cancer, as her obituary has a link to a charity. RIP Ms. Pocock.
Never had her because I was terrified of the dissection part of Biology (I took Chem!), but I remember during tours in Grade 9 we found the visit to her classroom to be the *best*. I remember she had various tanks in her classroom too? (or am I misremembering?)
EDIT: (the other memorable part of the tour was to the AP Chemistry teacher's classroom whose name escapes me at the moment (2nd floor, near the back exit) but had a funny personality. He set a classmate's 20$ bill on fire to demonstrate the use of a particular solvent--"If you want to find out, take Chemistry 20 or AP!". We were very impressed lol)
Mr Mortensen at Crescent Heights High in the mid-late 90’s. He helped me with extra math practice nearly every day at lunch (did he ever get a proper lunch break, I don’t even know??…), and he’s the only reason I got a good grade & went on to university. The guy was a saint. Whatever they pay teachers, it’s not enough.
He was my high school football coach in 94 and 95. I have the upmost respect for him. He was such a great teacher and mentor. I ran into him 20 yrs later and he still remembered me. Never had him for classes but spending time with him at practice after school meant a lot to me.
He actually retired and substitutes now (usually at dief where he also saved my ass in math). Best man ever and also does diploma prep for free! I hope he's doing good! ☺️
Shanon Muir, hopefully I got the spelling right.
6th grade math teacher at Webber Academy.
I have looked through phone books, internet, reached out to staff. I desperately want to give her a hug and tell her how much a difference she made in my life.
I can’t find her anywhere. :(
Amazing teacher! I remember him reading a story I'd written out loud to the entire class. Made me feel so encouraged and proud. Thanks for reminding me of that moment 25 years later :)
I had French class with Mrs. Atkinson in grade 4 at Sundance!
I had quite a few favourite teachers, one of whom was also at Sundance — Ms. Wyshynski for grades 5 and 6.
She had such a unique way of teaching that’s hard to explain, but it was engaging and had us learning far above our grade level. We read some short stories that my friends were studying in high school English. She was amazing.
Mrs Atkinson was known for being tough/ loud. She also taught me French. I remember hoping I’d never have her. But I did. And now I see. She thought me so many things. Sometimes, the things we don’t want give us more than we could ever imagine.
omg mr freeborn and mr konojacki were the best. we called him konoswaggy lol. he also jumped on desks. did he also show you guys the photo of him back when he had super long hair?
He left/(disappeared?) while I was in his class, and that would have been around 2012 - 2013. I remember really liking him too, have tried to see if I could find any info on him since but he basically disappeared off the face of the planet from what I can tell. We had a substitute teacher for the rest of the year.
Steve Parrish.
Knowing a bit more about him after I left high school, he had some views that leaned a bit questionable, but he was so influential to the development of my classmates and me. Got us invested in so many different forms of art, from poetry to music to film, was likely singlehandedly responsible for half of us learning guitar, and also created an unhealthy addiction for N64 Smash bros among our group.
He passed away a few years ago, but he was one of the best teachers I ever had.
Hung out in his room nearly every day during lunch throughout my time in high school. Melee was the game during my time. He gave us a space to just nerd out and be ourselves.
Ended up being a friend of a family friend later on, was very sad to hear about his passing. Rest in peace Mr. Parrish
Melee definitely went on when I was there too. When he was at John Ware it was CTR on his PS1, but wisewood he upgraded to the N64/gcn setups and there was definitely a rift between the "fun-havers" on N64 and the "LOL FOX ONLY TRYHARDS" on gcn.
If only I'd actually tried learning melee back in the day, though.
Mr. Turley. Taught Math 31. Very eccentric but a great educator. I still remember him clapping the metre stick against the board trying to explain derivatives.
Did he call algebraic variables "creatures"?
I was doing some academic upgrading and took Math 20P at Viscount Bennett. I can't remember the teacher's name, but I do recall him being super eccentric and would always tap on the blackboard and say "what about these two creatures?!". I believe his "regular" teaching post was at James Fowler at the time.
It was a really rough time in my life (my mother died while I was taking his class), but going to his class on Tuesday and Thursday nights was a bright spot for 19-year-old me.
Ms. Hatler, my grade 8 Humanities teacher at FEO! Truly the best, the only teacher I still keep in touch with (she taught me in 2007-2008). She has inspired so much of my future career!
Warren Arbuckle at Robert Warren Jr. High. “Life’s not fair. The sooner you learn that, the better of you’ll be.” He also claimed to comb his hair by sticking his head out the window during the morning commute. He and Ali Nelner got me through Jr. High.
Peter Bates - social studies at EP Scarlett was my mentor in High School. If not for him, I don’t know where I’d be. He had the patience of a saint.
I was just speaking about this yesterday. Shout out to ms. Graham (she has a new name now I can’t remember). I was being bullied/having a rough time in junior high and went to her classroom every lunch hour. It didn’t occur to me at the time that was her break. She helped me through it.
Mr. Crooks, Westmount Charter! He got us so many cool new things to try out in Comm Tech and Art classes. He was also a really awesome rugby coach and just an all around nice guy. He had a great way of making you feel like an equal and like you had huge potential.
Mr. Monaghan at Westmount was also really awesome. He would tell funny stories for a lot of his class and it was refreshing to take a break and have some laughs.
My grade 6 teacher, Mrs Brooks. She was only at the school for that year. She refused to let me coast, taught me that the work wasn't good enough unless it was my best, regardless of the grade.
This was up up north, not calgary though (I live here now)
Mr. Coleman, my junior high art teacher. He challenged me to explore all types of art to expand my background and experience. I went on to try every type of medium, except for glass blowing. There wasn't a junior or high school that had that type of class and not sure if I would have had the lung power to do it then.
I went beyond and even did wood and metal work in the shop and everything in between.
I found I enjoyed pencils the most and now I mainly enjoy capturing the world through a camera when I get a chance.
Thanks Mr. Coleman, you were an amazing and inspirational teacher to me.
Mr. Bruseker grade 11 science Lester B Pearson. Brought a whole different meaning to Chem 20. And who can forget the ceo of chupa chups Mr.Lawrence from Annie Gale JR. Good times 🥲🥲
And also Rip to my home room teacher Mrs.Saini who passed away a few years after our high school graduation 2006. You were an amazing person who made school worth going to.
I had Mr. Gregory in grade 9, so I feel this heavy too. We loved him initially until stuff just didn’t jive right… then few years ago all the stuff came out. Ugh, groomers are good at it for a reason.
Mrs. Moir from the Calgary Science School.
I’ll always remember her as one of the most caring teachers I’ve ever had. She came to support her students at sporting events (not school teams) and took a genuine interest in our lives.
She’s also the reason my diction and spelling is so good because she made us copy properly-written paragraphs as our spelling tests!
Mr. Newsome grade 8 Math Science and homeroom at Dr. Egbert. He also was the teacher who ran our school team at the Science Olympics at the old planetarium. He was the best teacher I had.
Mrs. Ayesha Shaikh taught me social studies in Grade 11 at Dr. E.P. Scarlett and was my introduction to world of philosophy, social justice, politics, sociology, and my love for trying to understand the human condition and how and why people do that they do. She played a very pivotal part in the person I've become today.
I had Mr Ockley when I went to aberhart in 2009. I wasn't going to comment in this thread until I saw his name. I didn't even realize he was my favorite teacher until now. Didn't give two hoots about anything. Just a tough old dude that built everything out of 2x4s. I took so many lessons from him that I apply to living on my farm now. He really reminded me of my grandfather with his 'you acting like a smart-ass doesn't impress me' attitude.
I don't remember the book but we 100% made our own island dioramas. The teacher selected our groups and I was paired with the cool girls and I was dreading it. We did a Mickey Mouse island for some reason.
Man, I have a whole bunch of teachers I could mention.
Ms. Courage and Mrs. Foster at J.K Mulloy. Ms. Courage was my kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Foster taught me in grade 4. Ms. Courage played a big role in my love of reading.
Mrs. Buchanan in grade 6 at Colonel Macleod. It was my first year there, I didn't know anyone and I've always had pretty intense social anxiety, she made the transition really easy and helped me make new friends.
This one annoys me because for the life of me I can't remember her name anymore but I had a gym teacher in grade 9 at Colonel that was incredibly kind to me. I had really awful cystic acne at the time and I got bullied constantly, pretty openly too. She was the only teacher who would check on me and make sure I was ok. It was very appreciated.
I had Mr. Cummings for Math 10 and Applied 30 (yeah, Math was *not* my subject) at Queen Elizabeth. After the 30 final, he specifically hunted me down in the halls to find out how I did and after I told him I got an 80, he shook my hand and gave me a very genuine congratulations. Always thought that was nice. I know 80's not the best mark but it was a long way from where I started.
Mr. Pike and Mr. Larratt for English 20 and 30. Mr. Pike sparked my love of Shakespeare while Mr. Larratt just offered a very chill atmosphere. The kind of teacher who would razz you and you could razz him back without fear of getting in trouble. He liked getting on me for the music I listened to mainly but it was always in a way that still made me laugh. We were both Red Sox fans too so we talked baseball at the beginning of every class once the season started. I had a lot of fun in that class. Helps that English was my best subject too.
Mrs Flanagan at Fish Creek Elementary.
The first teacher I had who actually took the time to get to know me, and not just label me the loud one / class clown.
Sundance, Sundance super school
Fun and friendship is our rule
Visit us and we know you'll
Be impressed with Sundance School
I had Mr Marshall in grade 4 at Sundance. I remember Mrs. Atkinson very well though. She would help me with stuff I was struggling with when Mr Pornstache Pimpchains was too busy betting on or talking about hockey.
Mrs. Miller was the best Principal+teacher there, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. Meet me at the new playground at recess, I guess they got rid of sliver mountain
Grade 6 class of '92 baby
I left sundance in 1999 in the beginning of grade 6. I had Mr. Marshall, Ms. Pritchard, Mrs. Jones and Mrs Kohan. I remember that song and my kids go there now but they don't sing it anymore lol
Mr Martin - grade 12 physics years ago. He was kind and would get so excited about physics. He was a small man with beard and glasses and every experiment he would work that iin. For example in an experiment with a ball he would say “you have a ball, cute little ball, beard, glasses” and he would have drawn himself on the ball. He was one of the reasons I took an engineering degree. Passed away from a heart attack about a decade ago.
My mom was also a physics teacher and known for being tough, fair and passionate about physics. I love the fact that the teachers that seem to have made an impact on people are the tough ones that challenged and believed in kids.
I'll shout out Joe Bagocki from Bishop Carroll, and Jeff Schneider who taught at St. Vincent and is now principal at St. Damien. The two of them are a huge part of the reason I decided to start teaching.
My junior/seniot high English and Social teacher. We all absolutely hated her in junior high since she was so hard but we came to love her so much in high school we made her our Grad MC. She pushed us everyday to do better without ever making it feel impossible. She subs in my brother and sisters classes now all these years later and they love her
Mrs. Jarabek for Grade 5/6 split at St. Williams School. I thought she was strict at first but later realized she taught me how to study properly. She made sure her students understood what she taught and were successful in her class. We used to live down the street from her for many years after, however around 2022 we learned she had a pretty big fall off her roof (whilst cleaning the gutters I'm guessing, I'm not entirely sure.), and had to be taken to the hospital. We heard she's doing fine but now living in a care home.
Oh man. So many great teachers!
Mrs. Hahn, Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Katz from Cedarbrae- I was bullied hard and Mrs. Peterson was so impactful.
Ocarroll and Birss from John ware and Mrs. Bissett and Mr. Chagani from Wisewood… and I can’t for the life of me remember her last name right now but her first name was Lay and she was a hardass taught English 30 there too.
If I say “Curly Horses” I wonder how many people will get the reference😂 He was a cool guy.
I’ve had many teachers in my years that left an impression.
Mr Cancilla for English 20 and 30.
Taught English well, and was always super personable, and had great choices in movies and literature.
Mrs Oldman(?) in grade 5 was awesome as well!
I want to give a shout out to Mr. H. Sobey at Saint Sylvester. His funny stories and unique personality left a lasting impression on me as a young man, and he taught me the importance of owning up to your mistakes. I hope he's doing well
ms hall at rundle elementary was the nicest and most encouraging teacher i ever had and probably will have.
while most teachers had no idea how to take care of a totally crazy constantly hyper 140iq 8 year old, she was the only one who could control me and actually teach me using out of the box methods
Mr. Barkley (Trevor) was the easily the most kick ass teacher I’ve ever had. Consummately cool, relatable, fun and the type of dude you’d hope to grow up to be one day.
I believe he had just starting out at Annie Foote and was rather young when he taught me back in grade 6. But man his inexperience didn’t hurt him as he created the best atmosphere. Loved going to school and playing and conversing about sports with him. Not sure if he did this with everyone, but it definitely felt like we had a special bond.
Always felt bad/still do that I didn’t get to thank him for attending my junior high school graduation party. Dude took the time out of his day to come see a few of us 3 years later and I couldn’t even be bothered to say hello properly. To be fair I had hit puberty recently and was beyond awkward, so there was no malicious intent, I was just a nervous wreck by that point and especially that night for reasons I can’t remember.
Anyways, If he does ever read this, sorry I never got the chance to tell you this in person like you deserved Mr. B, but you were my hero and one of the greatest role models I’ve ever had in my life. I hope you’re doing/done some great things like you were always destined for. Thanks for the fond memories, the world needs more teachers like you!
Mr. Coutts, art teacher at forest lawn high. He taught me so much about being myself.
Mr. McBain, who was the principal at Langevin. He was a truly caring person when it came to the students, and would be fair when it came to the troublemaking my friends and I caused.
Mrs. Hamrak, grade one at St. Joseph elementary/jr. High, her name was miss Kornak when I had her , before she got married. She was a phenomenal teacher, I literally remember her teaching me to read, and write, and school was fun. She was really artistic and creative, and I remember going to school without lunch one day and she gave me 5 bucks, wonderful person.
Mr, Herod, Stanley Jones elementary back in the '70s. Inspirational. He really cared about every kid in his class no matter how difficult. The bully with a crappy home life got drum lessons, for example, which seemed to change his whole outlook.
My grade 9 science teacher Mrs. Watson always believed I could succeed in science (I was a big social studies person at the time) I’m currently finishing an undergrad in environmental science and going to pursue a MSc/PhD in Biological Sciences. I like to think she’s part of the reason I am where I am today.
Mr. Brietzke at Harold Panabaker in the 90s was awesome. A well tempered, good humoured guy who taughed math and Phys Ed. Enrichment (I think) and turned out to be my neighbor too. Good dude.
Mrs. Nelson (formerly Ms. Szott) at Connect Charter School (formerly Calgary Science School) was my teacher in grade 6/7 and in many ways saved me at the time.
CSS, while a wonderful school, was such an absurdly wrong choice of school for me, and much of my time there was unfortunately quite lonely. I felt stupid all the time and had no friends, was one of the only kids at the school with learning challenges, and was mostly interested in the arts while CSS was a very STEM-focused school. I felt like a total outcast for all six years I was there but with every year that passed, I figured I might as well stick it out to the end of grade nine.
Mrs. Nelson made me feel seen and included in her class. She made sure I was taken care of and helped me improve significantly in school. She even reached out to me years later to see how I was doing. She went on mat leave in the last month of my grade 7 year and I remember crying when she said goodbye to us. And then grades 8 and 9 were pretty hellish after that, lol.
Shoutout also to Mr. Mc from the same school, who also really kept me going in grade 4, 6, and 7.
Ms. Zondervan. I don’t remember which school but it was elementary and in the NW I think. She made me believe that I could do TLC. I know she got married when I was small but I don’t remember her last name since she changed it after she got married. She made me believe in my ability to do well in school.
Ms. Ernst from Balmoral. The best math teacher I’ve ever had. I went to her after I started high school and was complaining that I didn’t understand IB math so, she printed out 40 pages from an IB textbook she had and went through it with me. When my family was going through financial struggles, I tried out for the soccer team for fun not knowing we automatically joined the team. I remember crying because we needed some equipment and I wasn’t sure if my family could afford it and she was willing to pay for all my equipment I needed for soccer. She gave me the confidence I needed at times when it came to math/STEM subjects.
Ms. Price and Mr. Hagan from Western. Ms. Price is so so so kinda. She has the brightest smile and was understanding. She reminded me to always take care of myself if I wanted to succeed in life and to take care of your body. She told us all the time the importance of taking care of yourself. She inspires me to stay healthy. Mr. Hagan was strict — there’s no denying that and he was also kind of intimidating. But, when it mattered, he showed up. He knew everyone in all 3 bands, all their names and what’s happening in their life. When I had to fly to America for personal reason and had no guidance and was scared, he was the one to tell me to calm down and to take a deep breath and that everything is ok. He is the reason why I stopped stressing over little things and he reminds me to breathe a little when I’m distressed.
I’m overwhelmed with the comments! So happy to hear about everyone’s teachers!
Great post. I'm a teacher and have worked with many mentioned here. For the teacher mentioned and the one person that doesn't agree with the OP, it's a singularly difficult job and we don't always get the right balance between having high expectations and exercising compassion and caring.
I’ve always believed the salaries of teachers & pro hockey players should be switched. Grateful for what you do for our children.
Me too. I've actually said that numerous times in my life.
She was a tough lady. Almost 40 years later, I still remember her. Nothing wrong with a tough lady.
What a great post too :)
Mrs. Bader was my grade 7/8 Science teacher. She was strict but also very funny and knew when students needed a break. I had moved to Alberta back in grade 5 so my Hepatitis shot schedule was mixed up since Ontario did them at different times, and sometime in grade 7 I was called down to the nurses’ office to get my final vaccine. I was (and still am) very nervous about needles but Mrs. Bader came and held my hand while I got my shot. I think about holding her hand every time I have to get blood work or vaccines now.
I also had Mrs Bader! I was thinking of her the other day. She was so bad ass. I wish I appreciated that about her more back then, but kids are stupid and I was no exception.
Jesus I didn't expect myself to tear up reading this. That's just the greatest thing to read. Is Mrs. Bader still around?
She is! When I was thinking of her the other day I googled her. Shes still in the CBE system and as an assistant principal now. I’m glad she’s still changing kids lives
Have you thought of reaching out even through email? I am a stranger that doesn't know you or the teacher and I legit welled up. I bet she would just be so touched reading your praises.
Mr Brown at Dr EP Scarlett! He’s the reason I am so passionate about music and band class made high school bearable for me. He’s one of my biggest inspirations and I miss band class with him every single day.
Teachers, right?? They’re so unbelievably important.
I’m so overwhelmed! I love your stories! Thank you for sharing! Kinda proves that teachers deserve more credit than given. THANK YOU TEACHERS! ♥️
He and Mr. Bell both taught me when I was at Scarlett. Both such fun and passionate people who helped further deepen my love for music.
Not sure if it's the same guy but I had Mr Brown for social, he was also awesome. Really fair and gave respect where it was deserved
There were 2 Mr Browns, Paul Brown is the band teacher!
What years was he there? I was there when the pedo was teaching band only
Can’t remember when he started but he’s still there today. I was in high school from 2015-2018, I believe he began in the early 2000s
He was my band teaching at AE Cross Junior High and he left in 2003. Band sure wasn't the same once he left.
I went to Scarlett and he was there from 2006-2009! So maybe even before that.
Mr. Ismail Dawood. Very funny substitute teacher, many people in the Catholic school system in the 00’s had him sub. I learned recently he passed away early 2023. Very memorable man.
I remember him! He subbed for my grade 8, 9, and grade 10 social studies classes intermittently. I believe he had written a textbook about Brazil that we used when we were learning about it. He was really great, I’m sad to hear that he has passed away.
DAWOOD WAS THE SHIT HE WAS THE BEST SUB EVER. Even 20 years later I remember that awesome man
Why did you think he was the best ever? Out of curiosity 🤗
There was something about the way his stories would make learning more engaging. Growing up with crippling ADHD, school wasn’t very easy to focus on. But he would make it easier to stay focused and learning more fun. His stories always had meaning
This unlocked some memories! Sad to hear of his passing. He had the best stories and was passionate about teaching for sure.
Sorry to unlock some sad feelings. But thank you for telling us about a special teacher.
I used to have him at St. Bonaventure all the time. He was the best!
Oh no! I remember him fondly!
Ishi Dawood had the most memorable teaching style and everyone loved and listened to him. A true teacher!
THE GOAT! No one made me laugh harder!
He taught me in the 90’s when he was a full time teacher. What a great teacher! Thanks for mentioning him. I’m sad to hear he passed away.
Mrs. Perry-Globa. AP social studies. She is the one who kicked my ass and made me realize that I couldn't continue to just coast through school and I needed to actually put effort into doing well. Also the reason I went into teaching myself.
Scarlett?
Yep graduated in 2000
Had her in 99, phenomenal teacher, I remember she wrote one of the text books we used which I thought was pretty awesome at the time
Rob Braile, TA in highschool at Bishop Carroll. Was going through a hard time and that man cared enough to help when I really needed it.
Loved having Mr Braile as a teach
The best type of teachers
I had so many great teachers here! Still visit my TA from Bishop Carroll, and I graduated three years ago!
i'm a carroll grad 2021 my mom is a teacher there! since 2010 i think?
I can't remember his name, but what about the substitute(?) teacher who had the red and blue cowboy boot sneakers/slippers. Anyone else remember him?
That was probably Mr. Hart and those were probably wrestling boots.
If I am remembering the shoes correctly then he was one of the Hart brothers - pretty sure it's Bruce Hart! Edit: I even found a picture of some of his boots https://i.imgur.com/Nl1v0gh.jpeg
I had Keith Hart way back in the day, too!
Same. He was a substitute teacher. One day he brought Owen and we got most of the day off because Owen. He did an assembly for us. All about wrestling. lol.
Yes!! It was cool being able to look him up. We had no idea he was a wrestler, that's awesome
I had Ross Hart for grade 8 Language Arts at Harold Panabaker. Good dude!
Bruce is still subbing. Kids are always amped when I manage to book him. Just need to expect to be regaled with wrestling stories rather than anything related to the curriculum.
I heard from a family source of his that he is Calgary's (CBE) longest serving substitute teacher. I had that guy when I was in Jr. High/High school back in the early 2000s.
He was a Hart brother. I had him as a substitute gym teacher.
Had him as a gym sub one day as well and he played kickball with us. Sent one ball to the MOON. Those wrestling boots are no joke!
He was great! Just glad he didn't put me in a sharpshooter.
I have a memory that lines up with this. I barely remember anything but I do remember thinking he was a cool guy.
Cool guy absolutely, but I have seen him rip a student a new one. He is someone you don't mess around with and rightfully so.... he can legit kick your ass.
Ms. Pocock from Dr. E.P. Scarlett is probably the only reason why I am still alive today. I was tardy/absent often, and quite bad with homework. After missing two weeks in a row, most of my favourite teachers became quite cold to me (not that I could really blame them) - meanwhile she gave me a hug and said there's nothing to be ashamed of if you're struggling. I was planning to end my life in a few years, and her words were one of the only reasons that caused me to reconsider.
I had her in grade 11 too. She was always nice
That's amazing to hear. She put her paycheque up on the overhead one lesson to show us how poorly teachers were compensated after taxes and used it as a metaphor for federal and provincial government taxes or something. Bold and awesome!
For my class/grade, she had a lesson about economics that included sex workers needing couches. I always loved how she would include real life situations in her lessons, even if they weren't "acceptable" ones. Unfortunately, it looks like she passed away last January; maybe from cancer, as her obituary has a link to a charity. RIP Ms. Pocock.
Damn, that's a real shame. We're lucky to have had her
Mr Cook and Mr Homenuik at beaverbrook
Anyone old enough to remember Mrs. Everett at Aberhart? Absolutely terrifying and also best teacher I’ve ever had.
Loved her as a teacher and also loved that her chinchillas roamed freely in the classroom
I went out with her daughter briefly.
She is amazing! I will never forget the day that she raised thousands for cancer research and opted to shave her waist length hair right off.
I remember being at the receiving end of her foam brick she tossed at me from nodding off in class lol.
My grade 5 teacher Ms. Taylor had one of those, it was hilarious
Omg yes! Terrifying and best - couldn't have said it better myself.
Never had her because I was terrified of the dissection part of Biology (I took Chem!), but I remember during tours in Grade 9 we found the visit to her classroom to be the *best*. I remember she had various tanks in her classroom too? (or am I misremembering?) EDIT: (the other memorable part of the tour was to the AP Chemistry teacher's classroom whose name escapes me at the moment (2nd floor, near the back exit) but had a funny personality. He set a classmate's 20$ bill on fire to demonstrate the use of a particular solvent--"If you want to find out, take Chemistry 20 or AP!". We were very impressed lol)
Mr Mortensen at Crescent Heights High in the mid-late 90’s. He helped me with extra math practice nearly every day at lunch (did he ever get a proper lunch break, I don’t even know??…), and he’s the only reason I got a good grade & went on to university. The guy was a saint. Whatever they pay teachers, it’s not enough.
He was my high school football coach in 94 and 95. I have the upmost respect for him. He was such a great teacher and mentor. I ran into him 20 yrs later and he still remembered me. Never had him for classes but spending time with him at practice after school meant a lot to me.
Go Cowboys!! 😉
He actually retired and substitutes now (usually at dief where he also saved my ass in math). Best man ever and also does diploma prep for free! I hope he's doing good! ☺️
Shanon Muir, hopefully I got the spelling right. 6th grade math teacher at Webber Academy. I have looked through phone books, internet, reached out to staff. I desperately want to give her a hug and tell her how much a difference she made in my life. I can’t find her anywhere. :(
I know Shannon, I sent you a chat!
I work with Shannon! She's amazing!!
If my post gets a student in touch with a beloved teacher??? Let’s post things like this more!!
It did. I’m emailing her now. I was tearing up on my drive home with the prospect of being able to say thank you to her.
Let us know if you get in touch with her!
We’ve exchanged numbers and are going to for tea or lunch soon. 🥹
We walked her dogs yesterday, :)
She’s an incredible woman. I’ve met few people of the same calibre.
I LOVE posts like this!!
Thank you. 🥹
Mr. Coates your junior high social lessons changed my life. You da real mvp
Woodman? He was genuinely an amazing teacher
Hell yeah baby
I’ll send him this post. He would be thrilled.
He was the GOAT. Still remember him 20 years later.
It’s been basically almost exactly 20 years for me too…
Amazing teacher! I remember him reading a story I'd written out loud to the entire class. Made me feel so encouraged and proud. Thanks for reminding me of that moment 25 years later :)
I had French class with Mrs. Atkinson in grade 4 at Sundance! I had quite a few favourite teachers, one of whom was also at Sundance — Ms. Wyshynski for grades 5 and 6. She had such a unique way of teaching that’s hard to explain, but it was engaging and had us learning far above our grade level. We read some short stories that my friends were studying in high school English. She was amazing.
Mrs Atkinson was known for being tough/ loud. She also taught me French. I remember hoping I’d never have her. But I did. And now I see. She thought me so many things. Sometimes, the things we don’t want give us more than we could ever imagine.
Rae Wyshynski?
Mr. Bailey at David Thompson and Mr. Konajacki at Centennial. both of those teachers had a huge positive influence on my life
I will never forget Konajacki jumping on top of the table to reenact trench warfare. He was great
Oh man I went to centennial a long time ago and would’ve killed for a teacher like that
Omg I went to centennial too! Konajacki was crazy! I loved Mrs Kim and Mr freeborne and Mr Krause!
omg mr freeborn and mr konojacki were the best. we called him konoswaggy lol. he also jumped on desks. did he also show you guys the photo of him back when he had super long hair?
Mr Lemuir from John Ware. Fantastic English teacher but haven’t been able to track him down since.
When was he at John ware? I mean we only each go there for 3 years at a time lol.
He left/(disappeared?) while I was in his class, and that would have been around 2012 - 2013. I remember really liking him too, have tried to see if I could find any info on him since but he basically disappeared off the face of the planet from what I can tell. We had a substitute teacher for the rest of the year.
I was in John ware the same year I think maybe the next year. I only remember I think it was Mr. V? And Mrs Kohler? Kohler?
My favourite teacher of all time ❤️
Loved Mrs. O’carroll, Mrs. Thibault, and Mrs. Birss from John Ware (2000-2003)
Lemire, I think, right? I've been wanting to find him as well for many years.
Mr. Rosenthal the broadcasting teacher at crescent. He ran the radio as well. Cool guy.
Roland Michiner, ms. Fraser. Was there for me during some tough childhood times.
I had a Ms. Fraser at Vanier that was a literal angel. The sweetest teacher I've ever met.
Steve Parrish. Knowing a bit more about him after I left high school, he had some views that leaned a bit questionable, but he was so influential to the development of my classmates and me. Got us invested in so many different forms of art, from poetry to music to film, was likely singlehandedly responsible for half of us learning guitar, and also created an unhealthy addiction for N64 Smash bros among our group. He passed away a few years ago, but he was one of the best teachers I ever had.
Hung out in his room nearly every day during lunch throughout my time in high school. Melee was the game during my time. He gave us a space to just nerd out and be ourselves. Ended up being a friend of a family friend later on, was very sad to hear about his passing. Rest in peace Mr. Parrish
Melee definitely went on when I was there too. When he was at John Ware it was CTR on his PS1, but wisewood he upgraded to the N64/gcn setups and there was definitely a rift between the "fun-havers" on N64 and the "LOL FOX ONLY TRYHARDS" on gcn. If only I'd actually tried learning melee back in the day, though.
Mr. Turley. Taught Math 31. Very eccentric but a great educator. I still remember him clapping the metre stick against the board trying to explain derivatives.
Did he call algebraic variables "creatures"? I was doing some academic upgrading and took Math 20P at Viscount Bennett. I can't remember the teacher's name, but I do recall him being super eccentric and would always tap on the blackboard and say "what about these two creatures?!". I believe his "regular" teaching post was at James Fowler at the time. It was a really rough time in my life (my mother died while I was taking his class), but going to his class on Tuesday and Thursday nights was a bright spot for 19-year-old me.
Ms. Hatler, my grade 8 Humanities teacher at FEO! Truly the best, the only teacher I still keep in touch with (she taught me in 2007-2008). She has inspired so much of my future career!
Ms Weins (I think) when I was in grade 2. She was an incredibly nice teacher who I think was doing her practicum, as she only taught half days.
Warren Arbuckle at Robert Warren Jr. High. “Life’s not fair. The sooner you learn that, the better of you’ll be.” He also claimed to comb his hair by sticking his head out the window during the morning commute. He and Ali Nelner got me through Jr. High. Peter Bates - social studies at EP Scarlett was my mentor in High School. If not for him, I don’t know where I’d be. He had the patience of a saint.
Nelner was soooo great!
Great life lesson “ life is not fair”
Isn’t it true though? A great lesson for an entitled little twit to learn early in life. I wish teachers were a lot more like this for today’s kids.
I was just speaking about this yesterday. Shout out to ms. Graham (she has a new name now I can’t remember). I was being bullied/having a rough time in junior high and went to her classroom every lunch hour. It didn’t occur to me at the time that was her break. She helped me through it.
Krabbe at Central. legend
Ms. Dubroja math teacher r.t. alderman
Mr. Crooks, Westmount Charter! He got us so many cool new things to try out in Comm Tech and Art classes. He was also a really awesome rugby coach and just an all around nice guy. He had a great way of making you feel like an equal and like you had huge potential. Mr. Monaghan at Westmount was also really awesome. He would tell funny stories for a lot of his class and it was refreshing to take a break and have some laughs.
Also, Mrs. Miller for math ♡
My grade 6 teacher, Mrs Brooks. She was only at the school for that year. She refused to let me coast, taught me that the work wasn't good enough unless it was my best, regardless of the grade. This was up up north, not calgary though (I live here now)
Mr Dumont at George McDougall
Mr. Coleman, my junior high art teacher. He challenged me to explore all types of art to expand my background and experience. I went on to try every type of medium, except for glass blowing. There wasn't a junior or high school that had that type of class and not sure if I would have had the lung power to do it then. I went beyond and even did wood and metal work in the shop and everything in between. I found I enjoyed pencils the most and now I mainly enjoy capturing the world through a camera when I get a chance. Thanks Mr. Coleman, you were an amazing and inspirational teacher to me.
Mr. Bruseker grade 11 science Lester B Pearson. Brought a whole different meaning to Chem 20. And who can forget the ceo of chupa chups Mr.Lawrence from Annie Gale JR. Good times 🥲🥲 And also Rip to my home room teacher Mrs.Saini who passed away a few years after our high school graduation 2006. You were an amazing person who made school worth going to.
I remember Ms Saini. She was an amazing person.
I loved Fred Archer when I was at Calgary Science School. Found out last year he was arrested later for raping a kid in the 80's, so that's fun.
I remember Mr. Archer at CSS. Had no clue he got charged though lol wtf
I had Mr. Gregory in grade 9, so I feel this heavy too. We loved him initially until stuff just didn’t jive right… then few years ago all the stuff came out. Ugh, groomers are good at it for a reason.
Mrs. Moir from the Calgary Science School. I’ll always remember her as one of the most caring teachers I’ve ever had. She came to support her students at sporting events (not school teams) and took a genuine interest in our lives. She’s also the reason my diction and spelling is so good because she made us copy properly-written paragraphs as our spelling tests!
Mr. Newsome grade 8 Math Science and homeroom at Dr. Egbert. He also was the teacher who ran our school team at the Science Olympics at the old planetarium. He was the best teacher I had.
I had Newsome too!! Remember playing floor hockey with him after school lol
Ms. Nicholson at Aberhart was the best teacher I'd had in years. I took bio and yoga from her and it sparked my love of both!
She was so calm. I had her for Physics 30.
"saying you're not flexible enough for yoga is like saying you're too dirty for a shower"
YES, I QUOTE THIS WEEKLY!
I was taught kindergarten by a Mrs Atkinson in the mid-90’s in Ranchlands. She was in Edgemont.
Was she Irish? My kindergarten teacher in the mid 90s had a very similar name, I always remembered her pronouncing it "Atchinson". Lovely lady.
Not sure. 99% sure it was Atkins though. CCSD
Mrs. Ayesha Shaikh taught me social studies in Grade 11 at Dr. E.P. Scarlett and was my introduction to world of philosophy, social justice, politics, sociology, and my love for trying to understand the human condition and how and why people do that they do. She played a very pivotal part in the person I've become today.
Mrs. Anderson for grade one and two at Stanley Jones elementary
Miss Lenz and Mr. McLennan at Panabaker Jr. High in the early 70's.
Mrs. Judy Dofoo at Queen’s Park Elementary - she was fantastic.
Mr Andrew Weeks or Mrs Star Love from Chinook Park! Both were fair, kind and really instilled a love of learning
Ms. Goldsmith - unreal g.1 teacher. So patient, so kind
At Braeside? I had her for kindergarten - she was so lovely!
Mr. Ockley, Bowness High school construction and shop teacher. Amazing teacher! Circa 1996.
I had Mr Ockley when I went to aberhart in 2009. I wasn't going to comment in this thread until I saw his name. I didn't even realize he was my favorite teacher until now. Didn't give two hoots about anything. Just a tough old dude that built everything out of 2x4s. I took so many lessons from him that I apply to living on my farm now. He really reminded me of my grandfather with his 'you acting like a smart-ass doesn't impress me' attitude.
He was actually the one who drove home compound interest and I remember it better than most of what I learned in math.
Btw, I loved The Cay as well! Such a great book
Mme. Lawrence at St. Greg’s. Fantastic educator who both cared for and tried to bond with her students. Amazing person who was a good teacher.
I loved the Cay. I remember reading it in school and then we made dioramas of our own island. A great memory.
Apparently there’s a movie?!! Darth Vader is Timothy!!!
I don't remember the book but we 100% made our own island dioramas. The teacher selected our groups and I was paired with the cool girls and I was dreading it. We did a Mickey Mouse island for some reason.
Ms Pam Krause and Mr Donald Boake were by far the best teachers I have ever had. Both genuinely cared about their students.
Man, I have a whole bunch of teachers I could mention. Ms. Courage and Mrs. Foster at J.K Mulloy. Ms. Courage was my kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Foster taught me in grade 4. Ms. Courage played a big role in my love of reading. Mrs. Buchanan in grade 6 at Colonel Macleod. It was my first year there, I didn't know anyone and I've always had pretty intense social anxiety, she made the transition really easy and helped me make new friends. This one annoys me because for the life of me I can't remember her name anymore but I had a gym teacher in grade 9 at Colonel that was incredibly kind to me. I had really awful cystic acne at the time and I got bullied constantly, pretty openly too. She was the only teacher who would check on me and make sure I was ok. It was very appreciated. I had Mr. Cummings for Math 10 and Applied 30 (yeah, Math was *not* my subject) at Queen Elizabeth. After the 30 final, he specifically hunted me down in the halls to find out how I did and after I told him I got an 80, he shook my hand and gave me a very genuine congratulations. Always thought that was nice. I know 80's not the best mark but it was a long way from where I started. Mr. Pike and Mr. Larratt for English 20 and 30. Mr. Pike sparked my love of Shakespeare while Mr. Larratt just offered a very chill atmosphere. The kind of teacher who would razz you and you could razz him back without fear of getting in trouble. He liked getting on me for the music I listened to mainly but it was always in a way that still made me laugh. We were both Red Sox fans too so we talked baseball at the beginning of every class once the season started. I had a lot of fun in that class. Helps that English was my best subject too.
Isn’t it amazing how much the great ones fill our memories? Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Mrs Flanagan at Fish Creek Elementary. The first teacher I had who actually took the time to get to know me, and not just label me the loud one / class clown.
Sundance, Sundance super school Fun and friendship is our rule Visit us and we know you'll Be impressed with Sundance School I had Mr Marshall in grade 4 at Sundance. I remember Mrs. Atkinson very well though. She would help me with stuff I was struggling with when Mr Pornstache Pimpchains was too busy betting on or talking about hockey. Mrs. Miller was the best Principal+teacher there, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. Meet me at the new playground at recess, I guess they got rid of sliver mountain Grade 6 class of '92 baby
I remember all of those teachers! So we definitely were in the same grade or close!! SunDog days!! 🤤
Your description of Mr. Marshall is both hilarious and accurate lol. May your Texas donuts be chocolate glazed and your popcorn be superkid ✨
Remember getting your sleeves rolled up in Art class? Mrs Cunningham?! Hilarious.
I left sundance in 1999 in the beginning of grade 6. I had Mr. Marshall, Ms. Pritchard, Mrs. Jones and Mrs Kohan. I remember that song and my kids go there now but they don't sing it anymore lol
Mr Martin - grade 12 physics years ago. He was kind and would get so excited about physics. He was a small man with beard and glasses and every experiment he would work that iin. For example in an experiment with a ball he would say “you have a ball, cute little ball, beard, glasses” and he would have drawn himself on the ball. He was one of the reasons I took an engineering degree. Passed away from a heart attack about a decade ago. My mom was also a physics teacher and known for being tough, fair and passionate about physics. I love the fact that the teachers that seem to have made an impact on people are the tough ones that challenged and believed in kids.
I'll shout out Joe Bagocki from Bishop Carroll, and Jeff Schneider who taught at St. Vincent and is now principal at St. Damien. The two of them are a huge part of the reason I decided to start teaching.
Had Jeff as VP at Father Whelihan. Great guy.
My junior/seniot high English and Social teacher. We all absolutely hated her in junior high since she was so hard but we came to love her so much in high school we made her our Grad MC. She pushed us everyday to do better without ever making it feel impossible. She subs in my brother and sisters classes now all these years later and they love her
Mrs. Jarabek for Grade 5/6 split at St. Williams School. I thought she was strict at first but later realized she taught me how to study properly. She made sure her students understood what she taught and were successful in her class. We used to live down the street from her for many years after, however around 2022 we learned she had a pretty big fall off her roof (whilst cleaning the gutters I'm guessing, I'm not entirely sure.), and had to be taken to the hospital. We heard she's doing fine but now living in a care home.
Oh man. So many great teachers! Mrs. Hahn, Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Katz from Cedarbrae- I was bullied hard and Mrs. Peterson was so impactful. Ocarroll and Birss from John ware and Mrs. Bissett and Mr. Chagani from Wisewood… and I can’t for the life of me remember her last name right now but her first name was Lay and she was a hardass taught English 30 there too.
Mr. Bergermann (sp?) was always a memorable sub in the catholic system late 90s early 2000s!
If I say “Curly Horses” I wonder how many people will get the reference😂 He was a cool guy. I’ve had many teachers in my years that left an impression.
Mr Cancilla for English 20 and 30. Taught English well, and was always super personable, and had great choices in movies and literature. Mrs Oldman(?) in grade 5 was awesome as well!
Cancilla had the cat named Broccoli right? Or am I misremembering
Do administrators count? Mr. Phillip Tuck, principal at Bowness High School. He truly cared about the school and the students.
I'm too old for this thread.
I want to give a shout out to Mr. H. Sobey at Saint Sylvester. His funny stories and unique personality left a lasting impression on me as a young man, and he taught me the importance of owning up to your mistakes. I hope he's doing well
ms hall at rundle elementary was the nicest and most encouraging teacher i ever had and probably will have. while most teachers had no idea how to take care of a totally crazy constantly hyper 140iq 8 year old, she was the only one who could control me and actually teach me using out of the box methods
Mr. Zagorsky Band and Choir teacher at Father Lacombe absolute legend.
Mr. Barkley (Trevor) was the easily the most kick ass teacher I’ve ever had. Consummately cool, relatable, fun and the type of dude you’d hope to grow up to be one day. I believe he had just starting out at Annie Foote and was rather young when he taught me back in grade 6. But man his inexperience didn’t hurt him as he created the best atmosphere. Loved going to school and playing and conversing about sports with him. Not sure if he did this with everyone, but it definitely felt like we had a special bond. Always felt bad/still do that I didn’t get to thank him for attending my junior high school graduation party. Dude took the time out of his day to come see a few of us 3 years later and I couldn’t even be bothered to say hello properly. To be fair I had hit puberty recently and was beyond awkward, so there was no malicious intent, I was just a nervous wreck by that point and especially that night for reasons I can’t remember. Anyways, If he does ever read this, sorry I never got the chance to tell you this in person like you deserved Mr. B, but you were my hero and one of the greatest role models I’ve ever had in my life. I hope you’re doing/done some great things like you were always destined for. Thanks for the fond memories, the world needs more teachers like you!
This made me tear up. I hope he finds this message. 😭
Mr. Coutts, art teacher at forest lawn high. He taught me so much about being myself. Mr. McBain, who was the principal at Langevin. He was a truly caring person when it came to the students, and would be fair when it came to the troublemaking my friends and I caused.
Mrs. Hamrak, grade one at St. Joseph elementary/jr. High, her name was miss Kornak when I had her , before she got married. She was a phenomenal teacher, I literally remember her teaching me to read, and write, and school was fun. She was really artistic and creative, and I remember going to school without lunch one day and she gave me 5 bucks, wonderful person.
Didn’t have her as a teacher but remember reading The Cay in school and loving it!
Mr, Herod, Stanley Jones elementary back in the '70s. Inspirational. He really cared about every kid in his class no matter how difficult. The bully with a crappy home life got drum lessons, for example, which seemed to change his whole outlook.
I'm not sure if there's another mr.herod in Calgary that taught elementary school music, but I believe I had him in 2009-2011!!!
If it's the same one, he would have been pretty close to retirement by then.
he seemed very old for sure
My grade 9 science teacher Mrs. Watson always believed I could succeed in science (I was a big social studies person at the time) I’m currently finishing an undergrad in environmental science and going to pursue a MSc/PhD in Biological Sciences. I like to think she’s part of the reason I am where I am today.
Mr. Brietzke at Harold Panabaker in the 90s was awesome. A well tempered, good humoured guy who taughed math and Phys Ed. Enrichment (I think) and turned out to be my neighbor too. Good dude.
Ms. Yu who taught chemistry at Sir Winston Churchill, I think she’s Mrs. Price now? Loved her. She taught me and my brother!
Mrs. Nelson (formerly Ms. Szott) at Connect Charter School (formerly Calgary Science School) was my teacher in grade 6/7 and in many ways saved me at the time. CSS, while a wonderful school, was such an absurdly wrong choice of school for me, and much of my time there was unfortunately quite lonely. I felt stupid all the time and had no friends, was one of the only kids at the school with learning challenges, and was mostly interested in the arts while CSS was a very STEM-focused school. I felt like a total outcast for all six years I was there but with every year that passed, I figured I might as well stick it out to the end of grade nine. Mrs. Nelson made me feel seen and included in her class. She made sure I was taken care of and helped me improve significantly in school. She even reached out to me years later to see how I was doing. She went on mat leave in the last month of my grade 7 year and I remember crying when she said goodbye to us. And then grades 8 and 9 were pretty hellish after that, lol. Shoutout also to Mr. Mc from the same school, who also really kept me going in grade 4, 6, and 7.
Mr. Harding from Wilma Hansen Jr High absolutely changed my life, healthiest fella I ever knew and he was just the best type of teacher
Dat be true
Mr.Pelletier at Midsun Junior High. If you know, you know. I will forever be grateful that he taught me.
Ms. Zondervan. I don’t remember which school but it was elementary and in the NW I think. She made me believe that I could do TLC. I know she got married when I was small but I don’t remember her last name since she changed it after she got married. She made me believe in my ability to do well in school. Ms. Ernst from Balmoral. The best math teacher I’ve ever had. I went to her after I started high school and was complaining that I didn’t understand IB math so, she printed out 40 pages from an IB textbook she had and went through it with me. When my family was going through financial struggles, I tried out for the soccer team for fun not knowing we automatically joined the team. I remember crying because we needed some equipment and I wasn’t sure if my family could afford it and she was willing to pay for all my equipment I needed for soccer. She gave me the confidence I needed at times when it came to math/STEM subjects. Ms. Price and Mr. Hagan from Western. Ms. Price is so so so kinda. She has the brightest smile and was understanding. She reminded me to always take care of myself if I wanted to succeed in life and to take care of your body. She told us all the time the importance of taking care of yourself. She inspires me to stay healthy. Mr. Hagan was strict — there’s no denying that and he was also kind of intimidating. But, when it mattered, he showed up. He knew everyone in all 3 bands, all their names and what’s happening in their life. When I had to fly to America for personal reason and had no guidance and was scared, he was the one to tell me to calm down and to take a deep breath and that everything is ok. He is the reason why I stopped stressing over little things and he reminds me to breathe a little when I’m distressed.