My Crazy English Teacher

Throughout our lives we have different types of educators and teachers that impact us in different ways.  Some we are not fond of, others shape our passions and future field of interest, and then there is that one exceptional teacher.  Mrs. McCrady, my junior year English teacher made class exciting and a pleasure to attend. 

Mrs. McCrady was the type of teacher who could get her students truly engaged in what we were learning about.  When sitting through a seven hour day of classes you can only remember so much, but because of the way she taught we were able to retain the information.  We weren't just reading the book we were acting it out with styrofoam swords.  When it came time for a test the information was still fresh in our heads because of this creative way of getting us to process the sequence of events in the story.

Now you're probably wondering why I'm sitting in my teacher's car in the above photo.  This was a behind the scenes shot from a video we were in for my television class.  A good teacher is not only one that teaches well but someone who you can talk to on a personal level.  Mrs. McCrady is an English teacher, but she also supports her student's passions.  As a film and television student I would be in class editing and she would sit and talk with me while I was working on one of my videos.  The best teachers guide you and cheer you on in your other interests.

The reason this teacher could be considered crazy is as follows.  Mrs. McCrady would come up behind me and scare me randomly in the middle of class or hallway and threw hole puncher dots all over my hair.  She also played music before the beginning of class, would throw candy at us and we have an inside joke where we call each other best friend.  The class was a blast.  She even chaperoned at prom and took a photo with my friends and I in the photo booth.

I have had many teachers and now professors in my life, but this one stands out from the rest.  I actually am still in touch with Mrs. McCrady and we even play animal crossing on the Nintendo switch.  She also sent me microwaveable mac and cheese up to Montclair through the mail.  When I look back at high school I can reflect and appreciate the incredible time I had.  Teachers like Mrs. McCrady are one piece to the puzzle on why I had such a great high school experience.