What Makes A Great Teacher?

I have been a teacher now for 7.5 years - at the undergraduate level, and most recently law school. I still don't think I have it fully figured out, although I have had some successes and some failures that have "schooled" me. I have been judged by my "peers" - but honestly I wouldn't waste my time sitting in some of their classrooms for two minutes, and I grieve that my dear students are subjected to them. I have had numbers assigned to the quality of my teaching - and also comments from past students. Not sure why this has been on my mind recently, but I thought I would share some personal experiences with my top five all-time great teachers, how they have shaped my teaching, and why I still love them:

1. Dr. Bill Sabo, Political Science, UNCA - I love Dr. Sabo because he made me WANT to learn about political science -- not just do enough to get by with a passing grade. He made me THINK about the topic - so much so that a favorite pastime was to sit in his office and wax philosophical about the material. He was the first person who made me realize that the Founders were just as selfish and self-motivated as those they purported to want to govern. He also never gave one in-class assessment - all take-home writing assignments that forced me to analyze the material.

2. Dr. David Hopes, Humanities, UNCA -- I love Dr. Hopes because he showed me that learning can be fun - I will never forget, following a lecture on the Ancient Egyptians, that he played "Walk Like An Egyptian" by the Bangles, saying that the recording had recently been discovered in the ancient tomb of an Egyptian King. HAHAHAHAHAHA!! I laughed so many times in his classes, showing me that you don't always have to take learning so seriously.

3. Dr. Charlotte Goedsche, German, UNCA -- I love Dr. Goedsche because she was meticulously prepared for each class, and CARED about her students. She would call us at home (prior to the days of text and email), if there were a point she wanted to make in class, but wasn't able to get to. Such a dear lady.

4. Prof. Lee Hargrave, Criminal law, LSU -- I loved Dr. Hargrave when he was with us here on Earth, because he did not make one declarative statement the entire semester. However, I learned more from him than probably any other professor. He was not so arrogant to think that he had all the answers to life's questions -- he insisted that you find your own answers. To this day, NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING drives me crazier than to hear about a "teacher" who flashes power points up on a screen, tells the students to write it down, and spit it back on a test. Those "teachers" are fooling themselves if they think they have any answers to anything - to the contrary.

5. Dr. Dwight Mullen, Political Science, UNCA -- I love Dr. Mullen because he was the first person to make me realize that there is a "status quo" in our society, and that not everybody gets the long end of the stick on that point. He made me want to go out and change the world, make a difference, shake things up, not rest on my heels, and never give up on my goals and dreams.