A good teacher leaves an impression on their students, helps them develop and inspires them to do their very best. The most inspirational examples of this come from our favourite works of fiction, literature, and media. Everyone at one point has seen a character in something I’ve read or watched and said, “I wish I had them as a teacher.” Let’s take a look at the greatest and most iconic teachers in fiction and the wisdom they imparted to us all.
Yoda (Star
Wars)
Yoda is as
likeable as they come. He’s memorable, he’s wise and he is beloved by everyone
who knows about him. While he may not be the best at grammar, he is still able
to deliver a valuable lesson to Luke Skywalker with his famous quote “Do, or do
not. There is no try.”
The meaning behind
these words is not that you shouldn’t try. It’s what trying implies. Trying
implies that we put an effort into getting something done and give up when we
reach a certain point. Doing implies that not only did you put in the effort,
but you see it through to the end no matter what, whether you fail or succeed.
That is the true message behind Yoda’s iconic quote.
Albus
Dumbledore (Harry Potter)
Dumbledore is
undoubtably an inspirational teacher. Everyone he talks to respects him greatly
and he gives the audience reason to as well. He taught his best lesson to Harry
and the audience when he said: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we
truly are, far more than our abilities”.
This quote teaches
us a rather profound lesson. What we choose to do is more important that what
we are capable of. It is your choices and the way you live your life that
define you and not what you know or what you can do.
Minerva
McGonagall (Harry Potter)
In a series of books and movies about a magical school there’s no doubt
that we have more than one quote on this list. Professor McGonagall is a
beloved character, but not many people know her for this motivational quote.
“Nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence”.
She delivers this quote to her students during a stressful exam period.
Noting the stress and lack of self-belief among her students she shares this
nugget of wisdom to tell them that hard work is only one part of success. You
also need to believe in yourself and your abilities to get the most out of
yourself.
Miss Honey (Matilda)
Miss Honey from Matilda might be the most inspirational teacher on this
list for her dedication to her students alone. Miss Honey is the very pinnacle
of what a teacher should embody and her touching quote to Matilda shows us why.
When Matilda asks, “Why don’t you run away?” Miss Honey says “I've often
thought about it, but I can't abandon my children. And if I couldn't teach, I'd
have nothing at all.”
Miss Honey’s passion for her students and her work as a teacher is
brough to the forefront with this powerful quote. Miss Honey reminds us how
rewarding teaching can be. Her role in the story also shows us how important a supportive
teacher can be to their students.
Ms. Norbury (Mean Girls)
Ms. Norbury is everything you want out of a teacher, she’s smart, she’s
nice and she teaches her students a very important lesson about self-worth. “I
know having a boyfriend might seem like the only thing important to you right
now, but you don’t have to dumb yourself down in order for a guy to like you.”
This may be said to a group of teenage girls, but this quote is
meaningful to everyone. It’s important to respect who you are and not to
undermine who you are for others. When you are true to yourself you find people
who like you for you, who like who you really are and those are the
relationships that matter.
Charles Xavier (X-Men)
The last teacher we will look at it for now is Charles Xavier and he has
two meaningful quotes to unpack. The first one is “Just because someone
stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever”. Charles
Xavier lives to fight prejudice and always sees the best in everyone. This
quote is so encouraging because it reminds us that it doesn’t matter how many
mistakes we make, it’s how you move on and what you learn from those mistakes that
matters.
The second quote is something to remember when times are tough. When you
need to take a break from something to clear your mind remember these words;
“You know I believe true balance lies somewhere between rage and serenity”. The
right perspective is the key to finding hidden truths. If you can look at
something from more than one perspective, not just rage and not just serenity,
you will often see something new, something of value.
It's amazing how much of an impact a teacher can leave on someone. These
famous fictional teachers are memorable characters who taught us important
lessons. You can always find inspiration by getting lost in a fantastic story.
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