[Moby]

While growing up did any of you guys experience great teachers that were either ENFPs or other NF dreamers? You see, statistically 2/3rds of teachers are those rule-orientated SJs...and the other third is almost all NFs with a couple SP teachers sprinkled in for stuff like mechanics or shop class.



While I can't pinpoint the following teacher's type, I can be sure they were NFs at least...

1.) My former English 8-12 teacher (small, private school) was fantastic. Master's educated with a thirst for life and drama (real drama, as in plays, lol). She'd insist that everything we do was creative: papers, tests, reports, acting out dramas in class...Everything was based on opinions and questions involving "How do you FEEL about ________?"

She later became the principle after I graduated. I brought her chocolates when she retired (she was elderly) and she admitted she marked me differently than many other students, ignoring my grammar mistakes (as she said I made so many I'd get C's in everything) yet focusing on my ideas. I appreciated that.

2.) My history/World religions teacher was a very expressive and creative xNFP. He loved moderating class discussions, and as long as they were interesting and important (not even on topic!) he'd let them go all class, let us explore and discuss and enjoy. Almost like a philosopher's cafe. He loved to incorporate the arts into his classes, making even (dull, to some people) history come alive with enacting dramas, watching movies, and even once having to make a puppet show.

I owe a lot of my confidence and esteem to those teachers who instead of chastising me for not being all rule-orientated let me EXPLORE myself and learning.

[pinkrasputin]

My acting teacher in N.Y. was definitely an ENFP and he has touched my life forever. On the first day of school everyone would gather for this man's "Welcome Speech". It was so uplifting and so powerful. He welcomed in the new students and claimed "go for your dreams". His speech was breath taking. Even students who had graduated would come back to the school to hear his awesome "Welcome" speech.

I had the privilege of actually having this man as my teacher. He was the most approachable man ever. But he respected our cores. He could spot the good in each and every one of us. He would say "Breathe and let go" for everything. He inspired us to try and give more. He provided a safe place to experiment. He was truly the most giving , inspirational, intelligent, and genuine man I have ever met in my life. HE BELIEVED IN ME. So I started to believe in myself.

During the semester I received horrible news. He was shot and killed while he was cycling in a park. Idiots wanted his bike. Even after he was shot he tried to crawl to the place where he often meditated. He was a Jewish man who was into native american spirituality. The police found him dead crawling to his special place for meditation. He left behind a wife, two young children, and a league of students whose lives had been touched by this man's awesome influence. Everyone was in shock. Such an amazing kind man. Why him?

When I went to his memorial (he was cremated), next to his urn was a picture of him. It was a picture of him finishing the NYC Marathon. I didn't know why his wife used that picture, but I was determined to find out. I wanted to understand this amazing spiritual man. I wanted to know why a marathon was so unique to him that his wife knew to use that picture next to his urn. So I trained for my first marathon (NYC) the following year.

I found out later that he had run a total of 3 marathons in his life. I have just hit my personal 3 marker for marathons.

Hey Mr. A: You know I do it for you. I am determined to carry on your legacy. Your life was NOT in vein.

ENFP teachers are amazing. They are truly selfless and possess a power to touch lives...

[tobeconfirmed]

I have had a few teachers who just seemed more human to me than teacher, and that's when I learnt the most. I had two in my first school (which was a horrific nightmarish place), my English teacher, mrs. Machin who was warm and supportive, and told jokes that were funny in a way not most people got. Then we had a humanities teacher whose name escapes me, but she had curly bushy red hair and was one of the most hilarious women to ever have stepped foot in a school like that, and she took a special liking to me which I never really understood at the time, although I was very glad.
I also had a sociology teacher whose name is on the tip of my tounge but again escapes me, who I really got on with (although I was much older by this point) and she used to talk all lesson about things that were NOTHING to do with sociology. It was great. She also had a lot of faith in me again for reasons I didn't really understand.

I'm not sure I know enough about them to try and fully categorise them but I would guess that all three were at least and NP combintation. Even though I can't remember much in the way of facts about them I can still remember everything about the rooms they taugh in and the way they smiled and forgot what they were talking about mid sentance.
Lovely women.

[lycanized]

My acting teacher in N.Y. was definitely an ENFP and he has touched my life forever. On the first day of school everyone would gather for this man's "Welcome Speech". It was so uplifting and so powerful. He welcomed in the new students and claimed "go for your dreams". His speech was breath taking. Even students who had graduated would come back to the school to hear his awesome "Welcome" speech.

I had the privilege of actually having this man as my teacher. He was the most approachable man ever. But he respected our cores. He could spot the good in each and every one of us. He would say "Breathe and let go" for everything. He inspired us to try and give more. He provided a safe place to experiment. He was truly the most giving , inspirational, intelligent, and genuine man I have ever met in my life. HE BELIEVED IN ME. So I started to believe in myself.

During the semester I received horrible news. He was shot and killed while he was cycling in a park. Idiots wanted his bike. Even after he was shot he tried to crawl to the place where he often meditated. He was a Jewish man who was into native american spirituality. The police found him dead crawling to his special place for meditation. He left behind a wife, two young children, and a league of students whose lives had been touched by this man's awesome influence. Everyone was in shock. Such an amazing kind man. Why him?

When I went to his memorial (he was cremated), next to his urn was a picture of him. It was a picture of him finishing the NYC Marathon. I didn't know why his wife used that picture, but I was determined to find out. I wanted to understand this amazing spiritual man. I wanted to know why a marathon was so unique to him that his wife knew to use that picture next to his urn. So I trained for my first marathon (NYC) the following year.

I found out later that he had run a total of 3 marathons in his life. I have just hit my personal 3 marker for marathons.

Hey Mr. A: You know I do it for you. I am determined to carry on your legacy. Your life was NOT in vein.

ENFP teachers are amazing. They are truly selfless and possess a power to touch lives...

That's amazing! I've never had sucha brilliant teacher...I think the 'inspirer' part of our personalities is one of the best things about being an ENFP teacher

[Ruth]

Wow! This was such an encouragement to me. I googled "ENFP teacher" b/c I was desperate for tips on dealing with the paperwork that comes with teaching...planning, grading, etc. Thanks for the reminders of why I became a teacher in the first place!

[Thrifty Walrus]

My psych/soc teacher was an ENFP bordering on ENFJ (we had a discussion about it )

He was freakin' awesome. He made me, a hardcore objective INTP, take an interest in the ridiculously soft sciences of Sociology and Psychology! lol

edit: I suppose me being an INTP doesn't make me dislike soft sciences, it's my 6 wing moreso I suppose :/

[susurration]

How is psychology a 'soft science'?

[Thrifty Walrus]

How is psychology a 'soft science'?

Well, I kind of just lumped the two together but I was mainly meaning sociology was a bit of a soft science.... However I do think that psychology once was a soft science, with new technology nowadays detecting brainwaves and chemicals and such, it has become a much truer science. But I still consider it a little soft because there are drugs that are used to help some mental illnesses, and although they work, psychologists aren't sure why yet in some instances.

And a lot of psychology is kind of speculative, while it does use the scientific process to find information, such as prolonged experiments and what not for example on the behavioral side of psychology, it tends to answer the why and not how. For example, we know that the dog salivates without a bell, because it associates the bell with food. But how exactly is that happening? Now we know it's because chemicals were produced when food arrived, and then with the bell, so the chemicals were still coming out even when the food wasn't there.

That's a poor example but it's all I can think of atm :(

So I'd say sociology is a soft science, and psychology while softer than others, is gaining ground exponentially thanks to technology, and before long will be a full fledged hard science :)

[Tridentus]

my favourite teachers were NT teachers. they were good at giving me a different perspective which i was weak at. NF teachers were easy to communicate with and i understood instantly what they meant at all times but a lot of the teaching they gave was repetitive of what i already suspected. i feel like NTs were able to give me more that i didn't already have.

[ENFPdvd]

I am an ENFP teacher. I think that my students Pre-5 think that I'm a little wacky, a little loud, can be really funny and adore them. The only problem I have is I have a rough group of older girls that make me have to be tough all the time which is not my natural way and they think I hate them until I work with them one on one and can relax and then they are like - Oh! She is cool! She is nice! I only know this because I see the girls get all snarky with me but the other day I was washing the dishes with two of my older girls and they were like - Hey! You are fun! Why are you so tough on us?