These aren’t scientific, written-in-stone categories – don’t be surprised if your teacher turns out to have qualities of both a “drill sergeant” and “flustered teacher.” But these categories ARE based on real-life teachers getting hired at a school near you!

The Drill Sergeant
Some teachers just seem to love having power over a whole class of students. And what they love even more is getting the chance to use it! Drill Sergeants are into strict rules and intimidation, like harsh penalties for any talking in the classroom and crazy policies about how many times you can use the restroom each semester. Sometimes they even resort to bullying or violence – you know those stories about teachers throwing chairs and stuff? They’re not all urban legends! If your teacher does things like yelling at students ‘til he or she is red in the face, you might be dealing with a teacher that’s a little more than just strict. Believe it or not, teachers can be bullies, too.

The Recluse
Ever had a teacher that didn’t seem to know what was going on in the world around him or her? We call these “recluse teachers” because it seems as if they’ve hidden themselves away from the rest of the world! Maybe your teacher is woefully out of date when it comes to current events, or uses slang from the ‘70s. Sometimes it even carries over into their personal style. Case in point: bow-ties, plaid, outdated jewelry, and spandex.

The Flustered Leader
Some teachers seem to be nervous or just really absent minded in front of their students. Class is always unorganized and you never know what’s going to happen next. It might seem like your teacher never has a lesson plan, or a clear idea of what he or she wants to teach that day. Things just never seem to work out. If your class is watching a video, the VCR or DVD player won’t work, or your teacher accidentally brought the wrong videotape or DVD to class. Even simple things like using an overhead projector can get muddled up when the Flustered Leader tries to use it – the light bulb burns out, he or she writes with the wrong pen, can’t find the right transparency, etc.

The Forgetful Leader
Every school has at least one forgetful teacher. This is the teacher that misspells words on the black or white board, can’t pronounce things correctly, or completely forgets what he or she told the class. You know those promises that your teacher is going to grade your paper or test right away, and you’ll get it back in two days? Or that tomorrow the class will go on a field trip? Don’t get your hopes up when you hear those promises from a Forgetful Leader!

The Big Talker
Ever had a teacher that just wouldn’t stop talking? Some teachers seem to love to hear their own voices and rarely let students get involved with discussions. Sometimes class can drag on forever with a teacher like this!

The Foot-in-Mouth Expert
Some teachers apparently haven’t gotten the memo about what is and isn’t OK to say in class. Have you had a teacher who openly talked about his or her personal opinions on things like gay marriage or abortion, and expected the whole class to agree with him or her? Or a teacher that said sexist or racist things in front of the class? Unfortunately it’s all too common, and the problem is rarely addressed.