Bad teachers have made me the teacher I am today. They've also made my job easier.

I've had tons of bad teachers. Teachers who couldn't control a classroom. Teachers who couldn't create a relationship with students. Teachers with crazy grading schemes. Teachers who always escalated conflicts with students. Teachers who played favorites. Teachers who were just checked out. Teachers who were subject-matter incompetent.

I've worked with all of these teachers as well.

I could give you examples galore. My 11th grade English teacher did nothing all year but tie fly lures at his desk. My 6th grade teacher would do everything in his power to make me as unpopular as possible and had me (again, I was in 6th grade) suspended several times. I was a very respectful kid. I had to be; there was a belt waiting at home. The first time I ever asked my 9th grade History teacher a question, she shrieked at me that I wasn't her friend and that she didn't understand why students kept talking to her. My Band teacher was an inveterate racist. My Algebra teacher spent his whole day planning stuff for water polo. My 10th grade teacher History was a football coach. Guess what he spent most of his time doing?

I did have a few good teachers, but they were the exception.

My seniors write something called the UC Personal Statement every year. It's part of a project in which students talk about what they plan to do with their lives and what made them want to do that. As a sample, I write a response explaining that my teachers inspired me to want to become a teacher. They inspired me by being so terrible, that I figured, "I can do way better than that."

Every time a student gets on my nerves, I think back to 6th grade. I take the student outside and we have a talk about his or behavior, what it does to the class, why it isn't a good fit, motivations, etc.

Every time a student wants to ask me a question, I think back to 9th grade history and actually try to listen. I don't want my students to fear talking to me. I'm here for them. About three years ago, I had the most awkward kid walk up to me and ask me some question. I said, "You know what... that's why I like you. You ask the best questions." He looked at me and said, "You really like me?" I'm pretty sure I was the first person to ever tell him that.

When I consider phoning it in and taking the easy way out, I think back to 11th grade English or 10th grade History. I can't stand days when I'm not lecturing, possibly because of my concern that a student will think I'd rather be tying lures. I won't show films because I don't want it to look like I'd rather be planning plays for varsity.

I don't know what my life would be like if I'd had better teachers. I might not be where I am now. Maybe I'd be an engineer. I might have joined the military. I'm pretty happy, though. Frighteningly enough, I owe it all to people who really shouldn't have been teachers.