Today I am going to talk about something that is particularly important. I am talking about education, well sort of. I wanted to honor all of the teachers in my life. I have had several who have given there all for me, and I thought this could be a fun way to honor them. So, I am going to do the top five teachers from television. I always saw teachers on tv and asked why I do not have more teachers, or really any, like that. As a teacher you learn really quick that those tv teachers have the sweetest deal. Those television teachers have like 5 minutes of class, only interact with about 3 or 4 students, and the best stuff happens in the hallway. So not a realistic portrayal of teaching on television.

I need one minute here at the beginning to praise an educator from my past and quite possibly one of the main factors in my becoming a teacher. Mr. Lewis was my junior high school principal. This guy was great. He knew something about all of his students, I can barely learn 150 names. He knew something about you and would always engage you. So, one day I was being a typical 8^th grader with my friends. I see Mr. Lewis walking over smiling. We were loud, and I know he heard us talking about what ever it was we were talking about. He stood there, not wanting to interrupt. I am not really sure what I said or did, but this big smile slowly came over Mr. Lewis’s face and he said to me “Chuck, I hope I am your principal when you get a classroom full of you”. This made me chuckle. I was not the best student; I mean who was in 8^th grade right? Fast forward many years to where I think its time to get my life together. I heard the calling of education and thought I could do that. Every year at least one class is full of me. This is the Mr. Lewis curse; well, he would not see it like that. So, let’s not call it a curse let’s make it what Mr. Lewis would have undoubtedly called it, an opportunity to soar with the eagles.

This first one is almost universal. I am speaking of the teacher from Charlie Brown. That Wah Wah Wah. This faceless voice. And of course, so unintelligible but you knew what was being said by this unintelligible voice. Such a minor part to play with our peanuts gang but at some points very crucial to the story. I loved all the peanuts specials. It was what I lived for as a kid. As you know I grew in a pre-cable world, well right on the cusp of cable. It was around just not at my house. My father had extraordinarily strong opinions on paying for television. I loved the Christmas special; we have the Charlie brown tree as part of our decorations in the house now. I really like the great pumpkin. I used to be so like Linus in this aspect. I would have totally waited up in a pumpkin patch all night to see the great pumpkin. Why do we lose this belief in magic in the world was we age? I really want the magic back.

I used to sit and wait for these specials to pop around the various holidays. I have to say one thing I miss with streaming are the holiday episodes. I am not just talking about the Christmas episodes, usually a retelling of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, but the Halloween, thanksgiving, and occasional Valentine’s Day episodes. It was always fun, and usually had nothing to do with the rest of the show. I think, for me, it was er that started with the crazy Halloween episodes that were in fact part of the timeline. And of course, when my wife and I were dating we always had leave thanksgiving with the family to be home in time for thanksgiving with our F*R*I*E*N*D*S. I have told you more than once I am a television addict so this really should be no surprise.

Next up is a teacher, well a librarian, from a wonderful show in the nineties. I am talking about Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love this show. I have always loved a female led action-adventure story. I love powerful women. It is part of being raised by some very powerful women. But that is a list for another time.

For those who do not know Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a movie, which has its own charm to it, that was later turned into a show. As is always with show adaptations of movies there were a few changes. The basics are all still there though. First up we got Buffy, the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. She is the chosen one. In the first couple of seasons, we hear the intro of the show tell us that once in a generation there is a chosen one. This rule gets broken in the first season and we end up with two slayers for a time. They change this and we end up a with several slayers coming in and out from time to time. Buffy’s job is to patrol Sunnydale for evil, primarily vampires. Sunnydale is a town built on a hell mouth. An area with a connection to hell and therefore far more supernatural occurrences than say… Kenosha. It was either that or Wala Wala Washington. I always loved hearing Larry King call out that town on his show when he had a caller. So, Buffy patrols and typically the slayer works with a watcher and that was that.

In Sunnydale Buffy brings in her friends” the Scooby gang”, probably the first usage of this term outside of…well, scooby doo. Throughout the series the scooby gang grows. We start with Willow, young techno-witch played by Allyson Hannigan. She starts of as a tech person who does most of the research. It is so much fun to watch how tech progresses through out the show. Initially we get Willow hacking for building plans and such; by the end of the show, they switch her to being more of a witch, you know because everything is online at that time. Willow has a wonderful arc with her magic usage as a metaphor for drug addiction. Xander is really the scooby/ shaggy character, played by Nicholas Brendon. He is afraid of everything but still manages the courage to go on with the mission. Lastly, we have Cordelia, who really grows into a wonderful character over her time on the show. Charisma Carpenter plays this character perfectly. She is the quintessential prom queen; however, she does grow to be an integral part of the team and does well with the entire group

Rupert Giles is Buffy’s watcher, played by Anthony Stuart Head. He works in the library of the school. Perfect when you consider how few students actually want to spend any time in the library. He has a collection of old books; I mean ancient at times. Great line where he tells Xander not to speak Latin in front of the books. Giles, as with most teachers, plays many roles with this group of kids. First of all, he is the watcher. The watcher, well watches. Okay it is a bit more than that. He is the one who does the high-end research and has the knowledge base to bring the insight needed. He knows where we are going to start. He helps with Buffy’s, and really everybody’s, training. This will include weapons and tactics as well as usage of spells, incantations, and other worldly magics. Of course, this is his assigned work. Giles also is there as counselor for the group, while much of his help and guidance appears to be filling in for the missing dad in Buffy’s life, he is there for the others. He is the one that is really pointing them in the right direction. This is a little odd, but he is probably one of the best depictions of what teachers do. we start the students on their journey, and we are nearby for guidance as needed. I feel like I still get emails from former students who need advice and guidance. It really is a lifelong job. You have these students for a year or so and then they go off into the world, but, and I hope they know this, we are always there to answer any questions or concerns they may encounter moving forward. Giles is always available for his students. He even has them to his house; this is something I would not do. there is a line and I need to maintain that line. I had a former student over once. It was odd, and not just because he kept calling me Mr. and sir while I was home. It just felt odd. Buffy the vampire slayer can be found on amazon or Hulu with a subscription. If you took a pass because you did not like the movie you need to watch this. The effects are about at the end of their life, if they have not completely passed yet, but this is far more serious than the movie. The movie is a fun campy adventure the show is nice and dark; really deals with issues of the modern era. Worth a watch if you have not seen it. if you have seen it then it’s time for a re-watch, I mean that is how this works right? You hear it then you have to watch it.

Now our next teacher has influenced me. He always told personal stories about his relatives to either add comedy to the situation or teach a lesson, not just in class but in life also, and usually it was both. I am talking about Gabe Kotter of Welcome back Kotter. I saw a thing years ago when someone had put together a list of all his relatives from the stories he tells in class. He has something like forty or fifty aunts and uncles. These were all jokes that sometimes even linked to the lesson he was teaching the students. This was a great show and as a kid loved it. Usually in that pre-primetime slot. It is your standard workplace sitcom. You got Principal Woodman, John Sylvester White, who was at the school when Gabe Kotter was a student. He was in a lot of stuff on tv. Most of it is an episode of one thing or another. He did a Kojak; he also was on Beretta. But you mostly know him form this show.

The class is comprised of those troubled students. The Sweat Hogs, as they are known, are made up of Vinny Barbarino the classic Cool kid, played by John Travolta. Not too bright but good looking. The show always has him saying some of the dumbest things, but no one really calls him out as he is the alpha of the group. Ron Palillo plays Horshack. Again, this is the show you know him from. He did Friday the 13^th part six Jason Lives, as well as episodes of Cagney and Lacey and Trapper John MD. And really, he has done a lot of one shot as well. He even did some voice work on Saturday morning cartoons if I am remembering that correctly. Horshack is the classic over achiever however he just lacks the depth of knowledge to actually be the over achiever. Always has his hand up first with that loud OOOH OOOH OOH. Next up we get Freddy “Boom Boom” Washington. He is our cool cat, played by Lawrence Hilton Jacobs. Always keeping it calm as all the madness erupts around him. You may also know him from A House Divided, as well as an episode of Chuck, he was also on Gilmore Girls as Principal Merton. And the last of our sweat hogs is Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein, Robert Hegyes. He was our schemer with a heart of gold. It was always interesting to me to see these guys who were the bad kids at school. They were the bullies we all had to deal with, but these guys all seemed like decent human beings. The issues they had were never anything major; nothing more than normal school aged hijinks.

Wrangler of this bunch was Mr. Kotter himself. The Unflappable Mr. Kotter, played by Gabe Kaplan. This is one I try to channel on a regular basis. No matter the issue he supported his students at every turn. That does not mean he let them get away with it, there was always a price. I remember one episode where Freddy makes the basketball team and then assumes he does not have to do any work in class. Athletes pass, right? This was a thing, and in some places still is. Mr. Kotter would not give him the passing grade. They do decide to play a game of one on one to decide. If Mr. Kotter wins Freddy has to re-take the test, the Christmas treed and if Freddy wins Mr. Kotter has to let him pass. Of course, Mr. Kotter is almost forty in the episode, so Fredy cleans the court with him. We only see the aftermath; a broken and beaten Mr. Kotter. This does a wonderful thing. By going through with the game, he earns the respect of Freddy, and of course Freddy does the right thing and retakes the test. I know this is a lot for what is a half hour comedy, but I swear that is how I remember it. Yes, most of the episodes are very funny but they would occasionally jump into darker heavier topics. Definitely a good image of a teacher on television. This show is excellent. If you want to see this one you are going to have to buy it on iTunes amazon or google play. You will be buying the entire series. It is impressive and I am going to be buying this one for the collection.

I do need to tell another personal story here. I had this wonderful teacher in high school who has since retired. This man was as close to Mr. Kotter as close as you could get in the eighties. Mr. Weddle was my mass media teacher in high school, and really, he was more than that. His class was always fun, we mostly were working on personal projects. With his guidance I was able to, with my friends Steve and Camila, put together the first annual amnesty international concert back in the fall of 1989. We had local bands and raised a bunch of money. He also helped a group of us put together a music video for Florida orange juice. He was also the one who helped me the most musically. A lot of my teachers had bands and to their credit they all allowed me to play with them when I would see them out. Mr. Weddle was the one who was most influential in getting me to make the transition from the garage to the bar scene. His was impressive and without his guidance I would never have done as much musically in the local scene in the nineties as I did. He also is another one I try to emulate in class every day, some days are harder than others, but his is a voice I hear from time to time.

I came to this one a little late. I did not really see this until I did a re-watch with my daughters recently. I am talking about George Feeny from Boy Meets World. This man has influenced an entire generation as to what a teacher should be. I was in junior high school about ten years before this show was on the air, maybe a little less. Mr. Feeny was absolutely a very relatable character for me. He was what my teachers were like, well sort of. Boy Meets World was a sitcom that aired on ABC from the early nineties until the early two thousand. This show focused on the Mathews Family. The primary here was Corey Mathews, played by Ben Savage. This was our main character. This was the boy meeting the world. We start with him in late elementary, and we go all the way through college. Eric is Corey’s older brother, played by Will Friedle, and he is excellent. In the early episodes he definitely nails the older brother, but as this show progressed into the college years, Eric Mathews gets a little odder. He is used primarily for laughs. Let me tell you when ever Will Friedle is on screen he is fearless. He seems to commit to whatever craziness they have for him. He is a real draw. Corey’s Best friend Shawn, played by Rider Strong who you may remember also from Cabin Fever and voice work on Kim Possible as Brick Flagg. This relationship always makes me think of my best friend from Junior High school, Stuart. We went through it all together on our own little adventure. We reconnected a few years ago and it was like we never stopped hanging out. Finally, Corey’s eventual love interest Topanga, played by Danielle Fischel. These two are at odds with each other early on but we do get to see this relationship blossom over time, and it is so extremely sweet to see.

The one I really want to talk about is Mr. Feeny. He lived next door to the Mathews, what a nightmare your teacher next door, and is always available for advice to all who will listen, even if he is reluctant to give it. This is the best example of how to interact with students you will ever see on tv. Yes, he is their teacher and maintains that line between teacher and student as well as anyone can. However, living next door to Corey, and as such his friends, he does get a little unique perspective which then seems to funnel into the classroom. He also is the go-to for advice. This is not limited to the children. We have scenes with mom, played by Betsy Randal, the dad played by William Russ, who you may know from The Right Stuff, Wise Guy and one of my favorites Tour of Duty. You can see Feeny really does care about these students and their lives. even the secondary students who seem to come and go as needed get the exact same treatment as our main cast, just not as often. Feeny is the most Humanistic teacher on this list. Like I said he is remarkably similar to the teachers I had growing up. As we all know depending on the class it really would determine the relationship between students and teachers. The show even nails this. The two subjects of teachers who have a relationship with widest cross section of students are English teachers, because you have to have that relationship to discuss some of the intricacies of emotions in the writing, especially in middle school, as well as social studies. Now I know I am partial here being a social studies teacher, but you need to have that same level of trust and confidence in social studies to talk about the issue that are discussed there. Now that is not to say the other teachers do not have these relationships; any good teacher is cultivating relationships with students. Of course, Feeny is a social studies teacher, and this is excellent for the show. As inevitably the topic we discuss in class is somehow relating to the outside world as well. This one is available on Disney plus. If you have not seen it give it a watch. Yes, it is a little cheesy and cliched, but it is executed so wonderfully. Wait did I say cliched? Sorry Ms. Owens I meant hackneyed; I swear I did. I studied for this one.

I wonder who my number one television teacher could be? All right that is not fair you do not actually know me. I am going to talk to you about Charlie Moore from Head of the Class. I loved this show. This one we all talked about after watching. That first season was on during my 9^th grade year, I hesitate to call it freshman year because I was at a Junior High school, so this was my last year before moving to the senior high school. We would come in the next day and ask all the questions we had about the show to our history teacher, Mr. Busbee. I know he probably was annoyed with it, since it was always off topic from what we were discussing, but he did usually answer our questions. I can relate this I really can.

Head of the class was about the IHP, independent honors program, at Filmore high school. This was a group of students who competed in academic games, and they were given this sort of more intense track as they were all so much smarter than any other student, and most of the teachers. We have quite the cat of characters here. Arvid Ingid, played by Dan Frischman, is your standard nerd character, and the rest of the class ribs him for it. Glasses, pocket protector, and far more math and physics knowledge than any high school student should really have. His best friend Dennis, played by Dan Schneider, sort of the classic overweight class clown. With a deep knowledge of Computer science, such as it was in the 80’s, and of course always borrowing money from everyone. Robin Givens plays Darlene. This is the focused-on top of all of it student. You know the type, student council yearbook and in charge of any room she walks into. She acts as though she is better, think wealthier, than the others but deep down she really does care. Her counter part Alan, played by Tony Odell, this is the character every 80’s show or movie needed. He was the staunch conservative of the group and a perfect foil for the others. Simone, played by Khrystyne Haje, she is their expert on Poetry and literature. I think about every guy in that class had a crush on her at one point or another. She did end up with Eric, played by Brian Robbins. He was the outsider. His mom made him be in the class. Again, another classic eighties character. He was never really all in, except when he was. He was just as smart as the rest of these kids but did his best to hide it from the world. Hmmm wonder why I always identified with Eric more than the other students. Guess that will just be a mystery.

This was the gang, a few characters were added and changed over the years, but this was the gang that Charlie Moore had to keep in line. First of all, they only learned about the sixties in this entire run. Every topic ended up going back to the sixties. But the life lessons were there as well. It always related to the topic they were discussing, it had importance to our specific situation, but it did reach out a little farther into real life. Howard Hesseman played Charlie Moore, and of course as a kid my first thought was “dr. Johnny fever is a teacher?” I used to create my own shared universe with actors, it always amused me. Mr. Moore was this wiseman character. The students always seemed to come to him for advice. Did I mention he was only their substitute teacher? They did not really get a full-time teacher until the last season. I mention all of this because Mr. Moore starts as a substitute to pay the bills until his theater career takes off. He pushes these students to learn. Not just the history but about themselves. There is an episode where he encourages them to play a volleyball game against jocks. Seems most seasons they would put on a musical, and of course they were shows that no high school could get the rights to. Not to mention that this group who had focused solely on academics and academic achievements were miraculously great singers, dancers, and well… actors too. Charlie Moore is the teacher I aspire to be in my classroom. Now I do not make everything relate back to the sixties. Maybe Star Wars and usually using movie and show references in an attempt to draw them in. One thing I try to do, that Mr. Moore always seemed to do, is to be there. Be present. You are there for their education. Most of the times it is academic. Once in a while you get to have a wonderful discussion where the room is brightened but the students not only understanding the concept but how it is applied to their lives, and their lives in the future. This is when the light bulbs begin to shine brightly over their heads. The reason we all teach.

Now I am trying not to make this too long, but I can not do a list of fictional teachers without thanking some of my actual teachers. Please understand I am not going to thank them all, although they all deserve it. Mr. Haines was 8^th grade science, and he was AWESOME. He was one that predicted early that I would be a teacher. I had given a silly, yet very wrong but very funny, explanation to another student. When he heard me do this, he immediately scolded me. Well, spoke in stern voice telling me “Don’t do that! You will understand why when you have your own class”. I mean really, what a mean thing to say to me in the eighth grade, thank you for that Mr. Haines. Dr. Salus I met when I returned to school at almost thirty years old. I discovered I wanted to be a teacher. Dr. Salus guided me on this journey and encouraged me to be the teacher I am today. She helped me to develop the skills I would need to survive this job. Ms. Didominic was my theater teacher, and that is not accurate. She was so much more to all of us who had her class. She was always there for us if we needed anything. She taught me to commit to any role I was playing and then showed me how to balance kindness with rules and boundaries. It is a skill, and it is one I work on every day. I only hope that my students feel about me half as much as we cared for Mrs. D, and that would be more than I would think I would deserve. She was fantastic.

So that is my list of some of my favorite fictional teachers, as well as some stories about just a few of the wonderful teachers who have helped me on this journey. If you would please take a moment and at the very least remember that one teacher who was there for you. Maybe they were the teacher that did not let you get away with anything, helping to try and keep you focused. Perhaps it was the teacher who believed in you and your dreams. or even that teacher that would let you eat lunch in their room with them. think of them and remember them. Better yet, track them down via social media and tell them what they meant to you. They do not hear that enough.

please take some time and check out the podcast, That and a Dollar, where ever you listen to podcasts. You can also follow me on social media. That and a Dollar podcast page on face book. @thatandadollar on twitter, or A_Guy_Named_Chuck on Instagram.