Growing up, I learned as much from the fictional teachers in novels as I did from my own teachers. When I was younger, I turned to Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus series or Miss Honey from Roald Dahl's Matilda for lessons. As I grew older, I turned to characters like Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series or Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings for and wisdom.
But, my education didn't end when I left the classroom or closed the covers of a novel. I learned from everything around me: songs, advertisements, friends, and, of course, movies and TV shows. I learned lessons about love, loss, bravery, selflessness, and more from classics like The Lion King and Boy Meets World. Even (comparatively) newer hits, like Mean Girls and Glee, gave us teachers who had valuable advice to share. I mean, who can forget Ms. Norbury's classic advice to Kady about prioritizing guys over your dreams? "I know having a boyfriend might seem like the only thing important to you right now," she sagely told Kady. "But you don't have to dumb yourself down in order for a guy to like you."
In an infographic created by Playground Equipment, 30 fictional teachers from books, television, and movies, are paired with their most inspirational piece of advice. Read them, share them, pin them to your wall. These are worth hearing and worth repeating.
Thank you again, Dumbledore, Gandalf, Mr. Feeney, Ms. Frizzle, and more, for teaching us everything we needed to know.
Images: PBS; Playground Equipment
