Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

I went to school in the 1950s and 60s. Teachers then did not inspire, and they were hardly influential. The only thing that they were good at and that brought them pleasure was corporal punishment. In that, they excelled.

So, no, none of my teachers at school were influential in making me the person I am today. Frog Davis, as he was known because he taught French, once wrote on my yearly report, “He will sweep roads all his life and aspire to be a dustman!” Hardly affirming for anyone and would not be allowed in today’s woke society.

Well the good news is, I never swept roads. I went to college and received an HNC in mechanical engineering and by the time I was 35, I was a director of an engineering company and looked after a team of thirty five sales engineers across the world.

Later in life I studied for a Bachelors in Christian Study, and also have a Diploma in Psychological Counselling (DiPC) and one on Modern Applied Psychology (DiMAP).

Which means, probably, that the most influential teacher in my life was probably me, as it wasn’t teachers in gowns and frowns that got me where I am today but self motivation and the desire to learn.

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© Richard J Kirk, writing as Joseph R Mason – 2025. If you want to know why, see:

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