As it’s World Teachers’ Day, we took some time out in the office to talk about teachers who’d inspired us during our time in education and what we’d learned from them.

Here are a few excerpts from the conversation.

Majid Hussain, Head of Support and Delivery Teacher: Mr Andrew Hartley Oakbank School

My most inspiring teacher was Mr Hartley. He taught Design Technology and loved the subject. He was always full of enthusiasm and encouraged me and my fellow students to go the extra mile when producing course work. His teaching style was not only fun but also very effective and he always made himself available when I needed help/advice.

Connor Young, Support and Delivery Technician Teacher: Mrs Hudson Saltaire Primary School

Mrs Hudson was an incredibly nice and encouraging teacher that always went out of her way for kids in her class. I remember when I was once in the hospital for a week and she came and visited me. She helped me discover my skill for problem-solving and maths and helped improve them massively. Due to her help, I jumped to top set maths and stayed there all the way to the end of my schooling. I now work on software development which involves a lot of problem-solving, and I believe she helped nurture this passion.

Luke Tillotson, Head of Sales Teacher: Max Simpson University of Lincoln

During the second year of my Management degree at The University of Lincoln, we spent significant time studying social constructivism, which included researching philosophers such as Foucault. As a 20 year old from Bradford, interested in football and drink and not much else, it’s safe to say I was considerably out of my depth! The patience and attention Max showed me during this period, despite his obvious frustrations, is something I’m eternally grateful for, I’ll never forget and I make sure I take the time to remind myself of that regularly.

Seb Francis, Co-founder and director Teacher: Mr Ambrose Guiseley School

I had a pretty good time at school, both through Primary and Secondary, and I was fortunate to do well in an academic sense, however, I always liked having a bit of fun with it, and that’s exactly what Mr Ambrose added. So this example is less about an ‘academic education’, and more about a ‘life education’. What did he teach me that was so vital, that would help me so much in later life, and ensure I could connect well with others? Answer: how to brew my own beer of course. Legend.

P.s He was also pretty good at English Lit 😉

Callum Barrett, Marketing and Communications Teacher: Mr Smithson Corpus Christi Catholic College

Mr Smithson could best be described (in the most endearing way) as a ‘Mad Scientist’. I opted into doing triple science at GCSE, meaning I would have double the number of lessons for a subject I wasn’t very good in. I remember nervously standing outside the classroom on my first day dreading the call to come in, thinking we would dive straight into complex equations or formulae. Instead of that, he led us down to the school playground with a potato, tube, and a number of chemicals in hand. He managed to construct a potato rocket, and every lesson that followed had a similar wacky theme. Mr Smithson taught me that in even the most difficult of situations, always approach things with a smile.

Edd Clementson: Implementation Consultant Teacher: Mr Kendall Aspin Park Primary School

As a child I really enjoyed primary school. From the “green flag” days (meaning we could charge onto the fields at break time) to Sports days or “Social days” I enjoyed it all! I was lucky to have a selection of great teachers who really cared about their teaching, which consequently lead to the great work their students created.

Our Headteacher Mr Kendall, aside from telling us great stories during assemblies, also took an interest in as many students as he could. For me at that age, I discovered I was a great runner. Mr Kendall also was aware of this so allowed me to train on school premises out of school hours! This allowed me to train on a multitude of terrains which definitely helped in all the races I took part in! I continued running and training out of school hours far past primary school, competing at a county level. If I hadn’t done this at primary school it’s unlikely I’d ever have continued, thanks to Mr Kendall’s generosity and interest he took!