May 6th is National Teacher Day! Celebrate by telling your teacher how much you appreciate them… and by reading Teen Board member Rachel B.’s blog post on some of the most memorable teachers in children’s literature.
The first full week in May is Teacher Appreciation Week, with the Tuesday of that week being National Teacher Day. Although this holiday may not be as exciting as Halloween or Christmas, it gives people a chance to thank and reward their favorite teachers --- both real and fictional.
I can remember some of the first literary teachers that I encountered. One was the fearless and wacky Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus Series. Another was the understanding and kind Mr. Slinger from LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE by Kevin Henkes.
Many juvenile books are host to memorable characters that are teachers. In Andrew Clement's FRINDLE, Mrs. Granger plays a key role in the popularization of the word “frindle”' and she encourages the main character's ideas. And in MATILDA by Roald Dahl, Miss Honey is among the few people who appreciate Matilda's extraordinary abilities.
Young Adult fiction also has an abundance of teachers and educators. Many of them are actual teachers, but others are simply those who have taught skills or lessons to another character. A literal teacher is Mrs. Baker from THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt. She coaches the main character in many ways, although she appears unkind and strict at the beginning of the novel. Even though Hans Hubermann from THE BOOK THIEF is not a teacher by profession, he teaches Liesel how to read.
Teachers (like the Hogwarts professors) or characters who unintentionally teach something to the reader and other characters make an impact in almost every book they are in. So on May 6th, National Teacher Day, which literary teachers will you think about?
