My Most Inspirational Teacher

When asked the question, what teacher has inspired me the most, the response was involuntary. Without a doubt I know that Mr. Liebman was my most inspirational teacher. If you knew Mr. Liebman you would know why this response came so easily. In fact, if you asked every single one of his former students, the majority would say the same thing. I think there are many reasons why Mr. Liebman has touched so many lives. He was laid back, he would talk to students about their personal problems, but most importantly he made History class interesting.

The first time I crossed paths with Mr. Liebman, I was a sophomore in World History Honors. He was young, in his early thirties, but he had been teaching for over ten years. I respected him, because I knew he had experience teaching; but I also related to him, because he was close to my age. Liebman went to high school in the eighties, a time period I actually could remember. The first day of school he began telling the class funny anecdotes about his high school career. I immediately liked his personality. In fact, I think that is how he would reel people in. He made his students like him, so when it was time to work, no one would dare disappoint him.

After he had broken the ice, he began to lecture. I myself like history, but have never really been interested in nomads and cave dwellers, the subject area we were forced to begin the semester with. However, by making jokes along the way, and little sayings to remember things, everyone was interested. That is just what he did. He could make something that would be like pulling teeth for most teachers, into a fun game. As the year went on, his students became more and more intrigued. You could hear a pin drop in his lectures, and it was not because people were bored, or sleeping. His students would hang onto every word. My class went through the entire book that year, something I had never done in any other class. Normally at the end of the semester we would be somewhere around World War II. Mr. Liebman thought that was ridiculous. So, we spent the majority of our time learning about the Vietnam War and the Cold War, two things I was never really taught about.

After my sophomore year, I like most of his students took his Advanced Placement American History class. This class was smaller than my last, and a bit more laid back. Because the class was an Advanced Placement class, he treated us like adults. It made me feel good to be a part of this class. He would spend more one on one time with his students. This is not something that happens in the public school system. He would occasionally sit down with each of us, and check on how we were doing. He would help us if we had any problems with our college applications, or any other assignments.

Occasionally, he also helped us with our personal problems if we had any. I remember one time in particular; I had received my first heartbreak, by my first real boyfriend. I came into class, and he could tell there was something bothering me. At the end of class he asked me to come over to my desk. He asked me what was bothering me, and after I told him, he went on to tell me about when he was in eleventh grade, and he had his heart broken. I wasn’t sure if the story was actually true, but I knew that he was trying to make me feel better.

At this time, I realized that I wanted to be an educator. Mr. Liebman had touched my life in many ways. My story is not like what most people think an inspirational teacher story would be like. He did not pull me out of the ghetto, or get me off drugs, or even help me graduate. But if I did have any of those problems, he would have in a second.

The way Mr. Liebman inspired me is by giving me an example of how I want to teach. I could only pray that my future students will respect me, and learn as much from me, as Mr. Liebman’s students did from him. Mr. Liebman inspired me to want to teach like him. I realized I want to teach history, because I want to make kids love it, the way Mr. Liebman did with me. Once in awhile, I like to go back to my high school and check in with Mr. Liebman. Normally, I tell him how I’m doing, what classes I’m taking, and how my professors are. I think eventually, instead of becoming a teacher, my dream may become to teach next to my favorite teacher.

-- Sarah Wood, Florida Atlantic University