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Biff Bam Pop’s Favourite TV Teachers
Do you remember your favourite teacher? Mine was my Grade 12 drama teacher. He would let us break into song and dance in the middle of a lesson plan. One person would start singing Bohemian Rhapsody, someone else would join in and then by the end he was right there with us singing the last note. Sometimes someone would start tapping their pen on a desk and it would turn into our own version of Stomp.
With the kids back to school again, I hope they get a teacher they can learn from, have fun with, and be inspired by. In keeping with this month’s Back To School theme, the Biff Bam Pop team has compiled a list of our favourite TV teachers.
Mr. Collins (The Wonder Years)
By: Perry Schwartz
I can’t believe Mr. Collins, Kevin Arnold’s cantankerous math teacher, only appeared in three original ‘The Wonder Years’ episodes (plus one montage episode). In those three episodes during season three of one of my all-time favourite shows, Mr. Collins, portrayed brilliantly by the late Steven Gilborn, taught Kevin so much about life, hard work and perseverance. At the moment when Kevin is most disillusioned with school, Mr. Collins shows him the way. His influence takes full effect in his final episode, The Goodbye. In this episode, Kevin realizes what his father had been preaching for years…that hard work pays off in life and that Mr. Collins was hard on him because he knew Kevin could do better. Kevin rewards him with an A+ on his mid-term, unfortunately, Mr. Collins passes away prior to Kevin taking the test.
Cue Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Goodbye My Friend’ and this epilogue from the adult Kevin Arnold (also cue the tears): Teachers never die. They live in your memory forever. They were there when you arrived, they were there when you left. Like fixtures. Once in a while they taught you something. But not that often. And, you never really knew them, any more than they knew you. Still, for awhile, you believed in them. And, if you were lucky, maybe there was one who believed in you.
See more of BBP’s favourite teachers after the jump!
