Most teachers are amazing to begin with – they spend 8 hours a day (or sometimes more) with kids and are on the front lines when signs of trouble emerge.
These 20 teachers are really something special though.
From giving their time and energy to students (physical and emotional) to managing their health struggles, it’s safe to say they’ve gone above and beyond their job descriptions.
This is no school for witches and wizards, but Kyle Ely realized that Hogwarts would appeal to his students far more than Muggle school, so he turned his whole classroom into a Harry Potter-esque wonderland.
Now his students are excited to come to class every day.
You absolutely must check out his full set of photos here.
Teachers usually have no way of knowing what’s going on with their students outside of school, but it can certainly affect their behavior in the classroom as well as their grades.
Jessie Cayton found a brilliant way to check in with her students each day. They each write their names on the back of a post-it and put it in the zone describing their state of mind that day.
Not only can she privately check in with students who are struggling, but other students know when there’s someone around them having issues, hopefully triggering an empathetic response.
Without any evidence that homework helps kids learn and a whole lot of evidence pointing to self-care as a way to re-charge your brain, this teacher sent home a great set of pre-SAT instructions for students.
It’s all about resting their brains so they can be nice and fresh for the big test.
Cancer can take a lot away from a person, but this teacher refuses to let it take a young boy’s education.
He comes to the hospital every day to fill him in on what he missed when he can’t attend school.
Sharma had to drop out of college in his third year due to financial difficulties.
Not wanting other young people to miss out on an education due to money troubles, he started a school under a local bridge for kids who haven’t been prepared to attend government schools.
He takes time off from his job at the general store to hold class – and within the first year, around half of his students had the skills needed to start formal schooling.
It takes more than a pencil and paper to learn. Poverty can interfere with education and development in a number of ways.
This kindergarten teacher understands that and started a “comfort closet” at her school for kids to get hygiene supplies and clothes for free when they need them.
That way they can focus as much as possible on learning.
Teachers often have to make do with less-than-ideal classroom situations.
In this case, the classroom didn’t have a map, so this talented teacher took the time to draw one – and it’s great!
Teachers aren’t babysitters – except when they are.
This professor had a college student whose babysitter canceled at the last minute, so she had to bring her baby to class.
He happily held the tot while teaching so she could take notes.
Sometimes you have to show kids that different is good in a creative way so that the lesson sticks.
This teacher heard about a girl in her classroom getting teased about her hair, so the next day she walked into school wearing the same exact hairstyle in solidarity with the little girl.
Carl Schneider is one of five teachers at Whitney Achievement Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee who volunteers to walk children home each day.
About 200 students need a safe way home at the school and he’s doing his part to make sure it happens.
These two teachers started a “Gentleman’s Club” at their school for male students who don’t have strong father figures in their lives.
They teach them good manners and give them the advice and support they might not otherwise get.
Sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary to get kids’ attention.
This teacher donned an anatomical bodysuit to teach human anatomy and we’re betting that these students are remembering the difference between their stomach their spleen!
School can be a cruel place, but not in Chris Ulmer’s classroom.
Before he starts his special education class each day, he spends ten minutes giving each individual student a compliment.
He says this simple act has increased his students’ self-confidence tremendously.
This teacher in Ghana knew his students would need computer skills to excel. But without computer equipment in the classroom, he had to teach his students how to use Microsoft Office by drawing it on his blackboard.
When Microsoft found out about this, they donated Microsoft laptops for the students to use.
Sonya Romero is yet another teacher who understands that if a child’s basic needs are not met, they can’t learn effectively.
Every day she asks the kids in her class if they’ve eaten that morning or if they’ve brushed their hair or their teeth. Then she makes sure they have what they need so they can focus on learning while in school.
John Sigmon is a sixth-grade social studies teacher who has a student with epilepsy and needs a service dog.
To help raise funds, he’s enlisted the help of his students by agreeing to dye his hair whatever color they want if they’ve raised the most money that week.
This teacher knows how to start a kid’s day off right.
She offers up hugs or high-fives (student’s choice) to every kid walking into her classroom each day.
When Dr. Schneider’s student emailed him about a problem he was having understanding the material while studying, he didn’t just shoot him back a quick e-mail.
The professor showed up at the library to study with him.
Education is more than what’s in the textbook; school should teach you how to interact with the world around you.
This teacher gave a brilliant set of guidelines to her students on the topic of consent, including things to say when you need someone to back off.
As if it weren’t enough to purchase supplies and care for the education and emotional needs of children, this teacher went several steps further.
Phys ed teacher Jen Sculley gave up a semester of work AND a kidney to help a teen with kidney disease.
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Has a teacher ever gone above and beyond for you or your child?
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