23 educators from pop culture that made school seem worthwhile

There has yet to be an educator as dedicated to hands-on adventure as Mr. Frizzle. The colorful teacher was always willing to go the extra mile to ensure her students knew everything from bats to the immune system, even if that meant shrinking down and going inside the body of one of their classmates who was out sick.

One look at John Kimble and many would assume (and be right) that he was in law enforcement. However, that larger-than-life frame proved that looks can be deceiving because once he got over the chaos that can be a kindergarten class, he was quite good at teaching and handling the tiniest kids on the block.

Walter White taught audiences how to pivot when life deals the harshest of hands.

Professor McGonagall encompasses everything one wants and needs in a teacher: Strength, wisdom, and a little bit of magic.

Who’s that girl? Who’s that girl? It’s Jess, aka a teacher that would go to the ends of the earth to make her students feel welcome in her classroom.

Teaching the run-of-the-mill way doesn’t always translate, and that is what separates a good teacher from a great one. LouAnne Johnson realized her students were not responding to the norm and found a way to make learning interesting and work on their level.

Mark Cooper wanted nothing more than to reclaim his time in the NBA but found himself teaching at a local high school in California’s Bay Area. Despite it not being the original path he wanted to travel, he found his footing and was able to impact the lives of future ball players as a PE teacher and, eventually, a coach.

Often, kids don’t see their potential, and that’s why teachers like Ms. Norbury are so incredibly important. They push students to do and be their best because they're pushers, Cady. They’re pushers.

Cameron Tucker represented that teacher every student dreams of having: A caring, hilarious, and all-around good person.

There are always going to be kids that don’t fit in, and teachers like Professor X are great because they show their students that what makes them different ultimately makes them a superhero despite what the world may say or think.

In a dream world, everyone’s favorite teacher would follow them from middle school through college, always ready and willing to dish out some sage advice.

Having a Vegas headliner as a teacher wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, and Sister Mary Clarence proved just that by taking a ragtag group of kids and turning them into an award-winning choir.

After not becoming a musician in Los Angeles, Lainey Lewis heads back to her hometown and finds herself working as a music teacher, where she was once a student. While it took her a minute to overcome her ego, she was just the rebellious representation her students needed.

Not every student gets the same level of support once class is over and they head home. Miss Honey was a prime example of what happens when teachers are invested in their students long after the bell has rung.

Never Have I Ever’s Devi is almost always self-sabotaging, which many teens can relate to because, at that age, who hasn't? That's why Mr. Kulkarni was a great teacher to have. Yeah, he may have only had her back to get with her older cousin, but he never left her out to dry.

VH1 was very persistent about the importance of music programs in school in the ‘90s, and Jack Black continued pushing that sentiment with 2003’s School of Rock. He didn’t teach the curriculum per se, but he gave those students important lessons in music and self-confidence.

Teachers are only human and have their faults, but they show up to work and manage to get the lesson plan in, and that’s precisely what Annalise Keating did. Well, that and some other wild things are neither here nor there.

Mr. Bruner did what all teachers should, and that was merely listening when a student needed someone to talk to.

If there were an award for most dramatic high school, Degrassi High would win. Hands. Down. It went there more than once as students faced everything, from school violence to teen pregnancies. And while the students came and went over the years, Mr. Simpson was very much the anchor in the whirlwind, giving his students a bit of stability and assurance that whatever it took, they would make it through.

Teaching can be hard, but not giving up on students, even when they’re at their worst, makes it all worth it. At least that’s the lesson taken from To Sir, With Love.

If a teacher can teach their students something that can save a life or even the world, that makes them one of the greats.

There have been a lot of great teachers in pop culture, but Mr. Keating has inspired the most people to become educators.

When it comes to the Abbott Elementary staff, one can’t quite possibly pick just one teacher. They each showcase a different way to approach education and prove there is not just one right way to be a teacher. So long as educators care about their students, they do what needs to be done.