Memorable Teachers in Fiction

fictional teacher

Miss Honey

From Matilda, by Roald Dahl

Matilda is a young genius with a miserable home life. She finds refuge at the library and at school, where Miss Honey is her teacher. Miss Honey is the only adult who seems to recognize Matilda's rare intellect, and the teacher encourages and nurtures this ability into something quite special. Though she is an adult, Miss Honey's own life is far from perfect. Together, she and Matilda escape their miseries and form a family of their own.

Professor Albus Dumbledore

From the Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling

In the world Rowling developed for the series, there is no wizard more powerful than Professor Dumbledore . . . except, perhaps, the evil Lord Voldermort. Dumbledore is the respected headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and his top priority is keeping students safe from evil. Dumbledore serves as teacher and mentor to Harry Potter, a unique wizard student raised in a non-magic household. Throughout the series, the professor helps Harry defeat Voldermort by imparting important lessons about magic, personal growth and the nature of good and evil.

Miss Clavel

From the Madeline series, by Ludwig Bemelmans

Miss Clavel is a Parisian nun who teaches a group of girls at a convent boarding school. One of these girls is Madeline, the series' precocious, mischievous protagonist. Madeline often finds herself in trouble, and Miss Clavel is usually the first to notice that something is amiss. Though Madeline keeps her on her toes, Miss Clavel always manages to maintain some semblance of order, keeping 'twelve little girls in two straight lines.'

Yoda

From the Star Wars film series

Try not. Only do, or do not. There is no try. These sage words are typical of the advice Yoda gives to his student Luke Skywalker. Yoda, a zenlike master of the Jedi way, speaks in a distinctive style that is oft-imitated by fans of the Star Wars series. At the advice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, his first teacher, Luke travels through the galaxy to seek this reclusive instructor. Though he first appears as a small, eccentric, wizened old creature, Yoda proves invaluable in teaching Luke how to use his innate abilities and master a near-extinct style of warriorship.

Mrs. Puff

From the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob, this cartoon's chipper, optimistic main character, wants to get his boating license. He attends boating school with Mrs. Puff, but his skills never seem to improve. This is not for a lack of trying, or suffering, on Mrs. Puff's part. Unfortunately for Mrs. Puff, Spongebob's attempts at driving usually end in disaster. She sometimes loses her patience, but she is always there for her most accident-prone student.

Ms. Frizzle

From The Magic School Bus series, by Joanna Cole

An eccentric but effective teacher, Ms. Frizzle takes her class on amazing educational field trips. And these aren't just any field trips - the students travel in Ms. Frizzle's magic bus, which can transport them to locations like the inside of the human body, the surface of the moon and back to a time when dinosaurs walked the earth. Ms. Frizzle is knowledgeable about all the locations she guides her students to, and she seems handy at getting the kids out of sticky situations. In addition to her red, frizzy hair, Ms. Frizzle can also be easily identified by her trademark lesson-themed wardrobe and her lizard sidekick, Liz.

Professor Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X

From the X-Men comic book series

The founder of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, known in later comics as the Xavier Institute, Professor Xavier is a mutant human being with telepathic abilities. Xavier works to protect young mutants from those who might seek to harm them, and nurtures their abilities so they might use them for good. These students fight crime as the X-Men, using their mutant abilities to stop evildoers. Under the guidance of Professor X and other mutant teachers, the young students at the Xavier Institute learn that their mutations are gifts, not disabilities.

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