Great teachers I had a few – but then again too few to mention

Andrew Leigh has a post on an ANU award for great teachers. This is a Good Thing. While I’m in full cry about the forth arm of government – the ‘suasional’ arm of government – I wondered why the ALP didn’t give out awards like that. Couldn’t do them much harm. Could do them some good in showing what values they support.

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Mark Bahnisch
18 years ago

It’s a great idea, and kudos to Andrew for initiating it.

I had two fantastic teachers in senior – for English and History. By coincidence, I was in Dymocks tonight buying a couple of hardback history tomes, Niall Ferguson’s latest and a history of Prussia – and I ran into Mr Tobin my modern history teacher and had a chat. A lot of what he taught me has stayed with me and continued to fire my enthusiasms and interests. And similarly with Mrs Abernathy for English and my literary interests – though they’re more of an avocation.

But when – if ever – and I’m 38 and 21 years out of high school – do you feel comfortable addressing the said teachers as Graham and Kate? I always give myself a gold star if I’m able to avoid “sir” or “miss”?

And Mr Sherman too – Paul never taught me but as a Drama teacher directed Shakespeare plays I was in – he’s very well known in Brisbane theatre circles as someone who’s been acting, inspiring, and organising since the 60s.

I’m always very chuffed to see them, and I’m sure they’ve had a positive influence on generations of Kedron High kids. We had a very good bunch of teachers – in a state high school in what was basically a lower middle class area – those three are just the most outstanding.

Keith White
Keith White
1 month ago
Reply to  Nicholas Gruen

Thanks for your veiled appreciation of my attempts to further your education. Your enquiring mind always seemed to be at work and it was my pleasure to have you in my classes.
Mr White

Mark Bahnisch
18 years ago

I can’t remember how this started, but I call my mum “Mum” but my father “Brian” – I have a feeling before I was about 5 it used to be different – perhaps I was encouraged to call each by their first names – it was the 70s!

I think titles have been on the way out for ages. When I was first at Uni in 86, we used to call all the academics Prof X or Dr Y (or Mr M or Ms N as there were a lot from the MA as terminal degree era), but I very rarely hear academics addressed by anything other than their first name. And in customer service, when I hand over my credit card to pay for something, I always get “Mark” instead of “Mr Bahnisch”. I very occasionally encounter waitstaff who call me “sir” but I always ask them not to.

Mark Bahnisch
18 years ago

Maybe the titles at school are a replacement for “Sir” and “Miss”, so in a sense still less formal!

James Farrell
James Farrell
18 years ago

When I entered at a high school in Brisbane (having started high school at an international school overseas), and heard ‘Sir’ and ‘Miss’ I found them very comical and couldn’t bring myself to use them. I always said Mr Rigby and Mrs Mackerras. In years 11 and 12 we were allowed to use the teachers’ first names (even with the nuns). Unlike Nicholas, I found this natural and was glad of it: I wanted to be treated as an adult. Now university students call me sir, and after 15 years it still jars.