To celebrate national teachers’ day, we asked a selection of people for their favourite memories of a teacher who went that extra mile.
Teachers and tutors are the bedrock of any civilisation. At Kaplan, they are the foundation of our business. Every day our tutors strive to put their students first, which is an admirable trait deserving of our gratitude.
Knowledge, integrity, and support are some of our key values, and our tutors embody these Kaplan values
everyday.
Below are a selection of our top eight anecdotes, and they remind us of the sacrifices teachers make. Not only at Kaplan, but across the world - in all professions.
8. Liz, 33
“On my 18th birthday my History teacher said to the class ‘I couldn’t be bothered marking your essays last night because I wanted to do something nice for two of our hard working students. I made a cake!’
“Both of us went up to the front and everyone sang ‘happy birthday’. The cake was coffee and walnut - it was amazing! I still have a picture of it.”
“I had a maths teacher who kindly gave up his lunch time to give me extra tuition, so I could pass my maths o level (GCSE). We were very poor and couldn’t afford private tuition; I was very grateful.”
6. Finlay, 14
“I get into trouble a lot at school, and many teachers don’t like me. But my maths teacher is really nice. She always gives me a chance. If I’ve had a bad lesson, and I don’t behave well, she always gives me another chance to be
better in the next lesson. Maths is my favourite.”
5. Crystal, 42
“My English teacher gave me a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson when she found out I’d read Lord Of The Rings three times. She told me I should be as grown up outside the classroom as I was inside, because I was very immature. I felt very
sophisticated the moment I opened the first page.
“It was a book to read in my own time, and it gave me the kick I needed.”
I cannot begin to think how much she was indulging our raw creativity.
4. Jessica, 25
“I was in secondary school, year 9/10 and was having drama with some horrible girls. I had the same form tutor for three years running and we had a good relationship.
“I confided in her about the problem, and for two weeks she let my two best friends and I 'chill' during break time with her in her music suite (she was a music teacher). It meant we didn't have to deal with the aggro.”
3. Lewis, 33
“When I was 7 a group of us kids asked if we could put on a performance of Aladdin. Not only did our teacher allow this, but she arranged for it to be performed in front of the entire school (in place of the assembly).
“The show lasted about an hour, and we improvised most of it. I cannot begin to think how much she was indulging our raw creativity.”
2. Rosie, 26
“When I was on my hen do my friends made a surprise video with my favourite teacher. She recorded a congratulations speech and it was really lovely. I had no idea they were going to do that, and I hadn’t seen her for about ten years.”
1. Richard, 36
“I was in bottom set for English. My English teacher wrote to the curriculum board asking if I could do my coursework on Sylvia Plath - rather than An Inspector Calls, arguing that it would improve my chances of getting a pass.
“I ended up getting an A, doing English at college, then at Uni. I’m now a novelist.”
Be that through classroom teaching, distance learning, Live Online, live chat, or OnDemand study methods, our tutors go above and beyond for their students.
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