Best teacher or lecturer you ever had?

My science teacher from 1st to 3rd year in secondary school was a legend. A mad langer from Cork, who I'm convinced could have been a Nobel Laureate had he not been a science teacher. Always done up immaculate in a suit and all, plus always tried to get the best out of his students. Reminded me of the Gestapo man Herr Flick from the BBC comedy 'Allo 'Allo. We might not have seen eye-to-eye when I hit 16 and testosterone and alcohol kicked in and changed my personality a bit, but he was still a legend and one of the teachers I look back on with a genuine fondness and respect.

Had another teacher for chemistry for the Leaving Cert, another legend. Bit of an absent-minded-professor type; once flooded the school by leaving a water purifier on all weekend. He was a gentleman, really nice to be around and genuinely got the work done too. Not as shouty or intimidating as the above teacher could be sometimes, but never lost control of the class. Another teacher I look back on with fondness.

The principal of my primary school was another legend. A teacher whom you do not appreciate at the time as a kid, but when you look back on it, you realise how good a teacher he was. He spent a large amount of his own money on getting reproductions of famous pieces of artwork (Picasso's "Guernica", scenes from the Sistine Chapel, etc.) and placing them around the school, and occasionally would take pupils around the school and try to educate them on the history of the artwork and to instil some love of art in them. He was a man who loved culture, sports and all the things that make life richer. He was a character, and still see him quite often. He had a brilliant way of making announcements on the PA System that was unique. He had a nickname that he didn't appreciate too much: Daisy. :P A true gent.

Lecturer in first year in college for a psychology module. She was a legend. Smoked like a chimney, took no shíte and got the work done. I rarely did anything like this, but I actually had to go to her after our final lecture to express my appreciation of how interesting, brilliant and informative her lectures were. Despite a seeming frosty and intimidating exterior, she was a lady and as witty as anything. One of the few positive things about my college career!

One teacher I had in primary school loved the class I was in so much, she deliberately switched classes, so she taught us 3 times; 1st Class, 3rd Class and 5th Class. She was like a kindly mother/aunt/grandmother and really was one teacher I was fond of. She's also a friend of my mother so I see her a good bit and she's still the exact same as I remember her from teaching me nearly 20 years ago!!! A wonderful teacher too, who was really good at getting the subjects done and encouraged her pupils.

My first teacher ever; the Junior Infants teacher. Well... I kinda had to like this one and kinda had to include her in this list... being my mother and all...