Life
Your teacher had the power to make or break your years in school; and a lot of them kind of stunk. But you'll never forget some of the things your favorite teacher did in the '90s to make class a little less of a buzzkill. Sure, the work sucked. Homework was annoying. Dress codes were (and still are) the pits and cafeteria food was pretty bad (understatement of the century). But your favorite teacher had ways of making things a little less unbearable, and even — dare I say it? — fun.
Teachers are special people, and they have more of an impact on our lives than we might realize. Think back to your memories of elementary and middle school. What sticks out to you, besides that time you got your period in the middle of gym and had to go home early? (For the record, this didn't happen to me. It happened to a friend.)
(Fine. It happened to me.)
The people, right? You remember the people. Sure, you've probably forgotten a lot of their names by now; but the ones who made a positive difference... I bet you remember them. I remember mine. In fact, we're Facebook friends and we text every Christmas.
What did these people do to steal a little spot in our hearts? They were kind. They were encouraging. And they probably did at least one of these 10 things.
1
Surprise Pizza Parties
Close your eyes and remember. Remember what it was like sitting in class and being hit with the smell of pepperoni and pizza grease. Nothing beat your favorite teacher surprising the class with several boxes of gooey, cheesy pizza, and knowing that you wouldn't even have to look at that boring PB&J sandwich your mom packed you.
2
They Didn't Care If You Wrote In Milky Pen
No. 2 pencils were just OK, but your teacher knew you liked to write with flair. Besides, you couldn't let that impressive collection of milky pens and Gelly Rolls just sit in your pencil box, now, could you? (No.)
3
Plenty Of Movie Time
A hush would fall across the room as your teacher wheeled out the TV stand and dimmed the lights. Would it be Bill Nye? A documentary about the Civil War? Flubber? All that mattered was that you were getting extra TV time; and if the teacher was in a really good mood, they wouldn't even make you take notes. SCORE.
4
They Let You Keep Your Tamagotchis Out
You never understood why some teachers believed algebra was so important but couldn't understand the value of caring for a digital pet. Like, what's going to matter more as an adult? Helloooooo. But not your favorite teacher — they understood that keeping a watchful eye on your Tamagotchi was a life-or-death matter.
5
Not Assigning Homework
This rarely happened during the week; but your #1 teacher knew they could win even more cool points by not assigning any homework before the dismissal bell rang on Friday afternoon. That meant two blissful days of uninterrupted cartoons and playing your favorite Nintendo games.
6
Spaghetti Straps And Platform Shoes Were Fair Game
Dress code? Bah! Your favorite teacher laughed in the face of it. They were fashion-savvy and understood it was a form of self-expression; and if anybody had a problem with your attire, it was indeed their problem.
7
Letting Class Out Early
Cruel teachers made you wait until the bell. Cool teachers let you run out early, especially on Fridays. Principal What's-His-Name always hated that, which made it even better.
8
Letting You Sit Next To Your Friends
Sometimes, you had assigned seating, where your teacher alphabetized it or purposely put you on the opposite side of the room from the people you liked the most. But your favorite teacher in the '90s knew that BFFs r 4 life, so she let you sit wherever the heck you wanted.
9
Five Extra Minutes Of Recess
Playtime makes for happier students, so your favorite teacher always allowed for one more round of freeze tag or another few minutes on the monkey bars.
10
Weird Bathroom Passes
Boring, predictable teachers had laminated passes that you'd had to carry with you. The coolest teachers in my school, however, had construction cones and industrial size cans of nacho cheese as bathroom passes. No. Joke.
