Andrea Reed - My American Life

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/15/dawn

There are certain teachers that stick with you, and they start to gain the mythical status where rumors and stories start to circulate about them, which are just true enough that you start to think about them as truth, one of those that was in my life was Andrea Reed, or Mrs. Reed for those under the age of 60 that spoke with her. I don't think I ever heard anyone, even her 'peers' in other teachers ever call her by her first name, she was always, and will always be, Mrs. Reed.

Mrs. Reed was THE chemistry teacher.

The rumors about her were rampant, but there was one thing that was clear, her classroom was her domain and no one, not even the administration had power in there.

She was a retired (according to the rumors) college professor who was teaching high school chemistry and science classes, and she was notorious for chewing kids up and spitting them out. She had no problems with making students cry, being brutally honest with them, but if they were willing to listen, she was willing to dump so much information into your head that you would be smarter than the other chemistry teachers combined.

One of the best stories, that as far as I'm aware is a fact, was after the first few weeks in her chemistry AP class, she would stop her class and congratulate them for knowing more than Mr. Chapman, the baseball coach that doubled as a chemistry teacher only because he had to have a job at the school to coach baseball.

The scary part about her, was that she had awards to back up her teaching, but she didn't brag about them, you had to hunt them down about her. In her back corner of her classroom, behind a pillar, next to the door that would lead back to the back stockroom, were a series of awards given to her from major teaching groups for nation wide teaching awards. But as soon as you saw them, you'd have to turn tail and run back out of the classroom before her attention was turned on you and you were told just how much you were slacking.

Opposed to common belief, I never took a class from her. Ever. I was part of science olympiad and she was one of the team coaches, but other than that, I avoided her because there was one thing that she wanted from her students, perfection. With science olympiad, it was almost as bad as being in her class, because she had one simple, basic, understanding of what we were getting ready to do - we were going to win. She wasn't bashful about it, she didn't pull punches, she pushed every single one of us to be perfect, to be the best we could be, and it was simultaneously the best thing a teacher has ever done for any student that I have ever seen, and also the most scary, heart rattling thing any teacher had ever done.

Even in college I never quite had a teacher that DEMANDED greatness from students. There were ones that had higher expectations, but there were never ones that would chew you up, spit you out, and shame you in front of everyone, like Mrs. Reed.

I have no clue what happened to her.  I'd bet that she's out there somewhere, terrorizing someone about not being as good as they could be. But if I could have my way, I'd keep a miniature Mrs. Reed in one pocket and a Bro. White (long story there, but he's a second place in kick you in the butt and make you do something teacher list) in the other. I'd never slack off, and my productivity in life would be through the roof.