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Explore the lives and contributions of influential educators who have made significant impacts on education and society through their teaching methodologies,...
Sep 25, 2024 · It’s not uncommon to have a favourite teacher; one that inspired, encouraged, or changed the course of a life. But a famous one? Because that’s what we’re rounding up today, a list of twelve of history’s best known educators.
In honor of World Teachers' Day, we're taking a look at 17 educators who changed the lives of their students, and impacted the future forever.
- Steve Wozniak
- Salman Amin Khan
- Leonhard Euler
- Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutierrez
- Muhammad Abdul Bari
- Elsa Salazar Cade
- Colin Hegarty
- Toru Kumon
- Tatyana Velikanova
- Alexander Graham Bell
1950-Present, American
Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Computers with Steve Jobs in 1976. Wozniak was the creator of Apple 1 the computer that launched Apple. He was introduced to Jobs in 1971 by a friend who saw that they both had a passion for electronics and pranks. Wozniak left Apple in 1985 and spent some time teaching computer classes to elementary school students something he had always wanted to do.
1976-Present, American
Founder of the Khan Academy Salman Amin Khan presides over an organization and free online education platform that teaches a wide range of academic subjects. His teaching career began in 2003 when he began by tutoring his cousin over the internet in Maths. The lessons were so successful that other relatives started asking for help. His youtube videos have now been viewed more than 1.2 billion times. In 2012 he was voted by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.3.
1707-1783, Swiss
Scholar and physicist and scholar Leonard Euler is renowned for developing many of today’s mathematical concepts such as Pi. He spent time as a professor of Physics in St Petersburg Russia before moving to become head of the Mathematics division. In his 30’s he was director of Mathematics at Berlin Academy of Science and Beaux Arts and went on to become the Academy Head.
1930-2010, Bolivian
Before emigrating to the USA Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutierrez taught Mathematics and Physics in Bolivian schools for 12 years. After arriving in the USA he taught himself English and took a number of jobs to fund his way through college before he was able to return to the classroom. Escalante taught Calculus in Los Angeles, California for 17 years. He was the subject of a book ‘Escalante, The Best Teacher in America’ and a 1988 film called Stand and Deliver. There is also an asteroid named a...
1953-Present, Bangladeshi
Muhammad Abdul Bari, MBE was born in Bangladesh and is a writer, teacher, physicist and community leader. He has been named one of the most influential Asian Muslims in Western Europe. Early in his career, he spent five years teaching science at a secondary school in Haringey, London. After this, he worked as the Special Needs Advisor for Tower Hamlets Education Authority.
1952-Present, Mexican
Elsa Salazar Cade was chosen as one of the top ten Science teachers in the USA In 1995. Along with her husband Dr. William H. Cade she has won praise for her 30 years of work as an entomologist specialising on the behaviour of the Texas field cricket. The Cade’s are also well-known philanthropists.
1981-Present, British
Global teacher prize finalist Colin Hegarty says that there is no such thing as being bad at Maths. He believes that with the right tuition and support any student can succeed. He teaches 11 to 18-year-olds in a London secondary school and the 1,500 mathematics videos on his website have been viewed 5m times across 224 territories. He was awarded 2015 teacher of the year prize in the UK.
1914-1995, Japanese
The internationally known Kumon Maths Method was developed by Toru Kumon a Japanese Maths Professor. Kumon began his career teaching High School Maths in his hometown. In the 1950’s disappointed by his son’s school maths tuition Kumon began to hand write worksheets for him each day at home. By the time his son was in year six his Maths was at the level of a student nearing the end of their high school years.
1932-2002, Russian
Tatyana Velikanova was a Mathematician and Human Rights Campaigner in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Until 1957 she worked as a Maths teacher in the Urals. After moving to Moscow along with others she began to campaign for human rights in the USSR. As a result of her ‘anti-soviet activity’, she was exiled and imprisoned for nearly nine years in a prison camp. On her release in 1988, she returned to teaching Maths and Russian language and literature in Moscow.
1847-1922, Canadian
Edinburgh born Scientist, inventor and engineer Alexander Graham Bell’s most famous invention was the first working telephone in 1885. He went on to found the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) the same year. Bell had been born into a family who all worked in the field of elocution and speech and had a mother and wife who were both profoundly deaf. At 16 years old Bell’s first job was as a “pupil-teacher” of elocution and music.
- Hugh Jackman. Before people around the world knew him as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman worked as a teaching assistant in a British boarding school. He also taught PE class, where he bonded with a student he later recognized on the red carpet as a reporter.
- Stephen King. Some former students may remember having Stephen King as their English teacher. After graduating college with an English degree, he taught at an academy in Maine while submitting short stories for publication.
- Jon Hamm. Jon Hamm is another English degree grad, but he did something different with his education. He returned to his former high school to teach drama.
- Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is one of the most accomplished people in the world, which includes a background in teaching. After graduating from Yale law school, she became a law professor at the University of Arkansas.
The teachers who inspired us, and even changed the trajectories of our lives. Rita Pierson leads off TED Talks Education, our first televised event, which will air on PBS on May 7. Photo: Ryan Lash. Rita Pierson is the kind of teacher you wish you had.
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Jul 17, 2020 · To honor teachers everywhere, we’re looking at nine educators who influenced the world. According to one survey, 88 percent of Americans say they had a teacher who had a significant, positive impact on the course of their lives; and 87 percent say they wish they had told their best teachers how much they appreciated their work.
