When students talk about what they'd like to major in when they go to college, I always advise them to pick something they are passionate about. After all, they will be doing it for a long time. Every now and then I find a student who wants to be a teacher, even though our profession has recently taken a lot of hits from politicians who think we are overpaid. (
I will not rant here....that's for another post) Here's a long list of famous people who were or are teachers. Perhaps some will surprise you and your students.
John Adams (
Former President)- taught for a few years (left teaching for law school)
Madeline Albright (
first female Secretary of State)
Louisa Mae Alcott (
Author)
Maya Angelou (
Poet, Writer)- College professor of international relations
Clara Barton (
Founder of the Red Cross)- taught in dozens of schools
Alexander Graham Bell (
Inventor)- taught speech at the Boston School for Deaf Mutes
Dan Blocker (
Actor-Bonanza)- taught high school English and drama and 6th grade
Laura Bush (
Former first lady)- former teacher-librarian
Jimmy Carter (
Former president)- taught at Emory University in Georgia
Billy Crystal (
Comedian-Actor)- worked as a junior high school substitute teacher
Sheryl Crow (
Singer-Songwriter)- former elementary school music teacher
Tony Danza (
Actor) - starred in reality program where he taught high school
Clarence Darrow (
U.S. lawyer)
Roberta Flack (
Singer)- taught music and English
John Fowles (
British author)- taught English
Robert Frost (
Poet)- taught English and music
Art Garfunkel (
Simon and Garfunkel)- taught math for 2 years
John Glover (
Actor) - taught college course on directing
Sir William Golding (
Author)- taught at a boys' grammar school
Al Gore (
Former Vice-President)- taught at Columbia's School of Journalism
Greg Graffin (
Punk rocker)- College professor (
UCLA)
Dennis Green (
Former Minnesota Vikings Football Coach)
Andy Griffith (
Actor)- was a music education teacher
W.C. Handy (
U.S. blues composer)- taught music on the college level
Edith Head (
Costume designer)-taught French and art
Hugh Jackman (
Actor) - former teaching assistant
Lyndon B. Johnson (
Former President)- once was a school principal
Stephen King (
Author)- former English teacher
Kris Kristofferson (
Singer-Actor)- taught English at West Point; was a Rhodes scholar
D.H. Lawrence (
British author)- taught at the Davidson Road School, Croydon
Spike Lee (
Movie Director-Writer)- teaches film at the Tisch School of the Arts (
NYU) and Harvard University
Leonard Maltin (
TV Movie Critic)-teaches at the University of Southern California
Christa McAuliffe (
Challenger Space Shuttle Astronaut)- was an elementary school teacher
Frank McCourt (
Author)-teacher for 30 years
Benito Mussolini (
Italian dictator)- taught after serving in the military
Pat Nixon (
Former First Lady)- taught high school
Barack Obama (
President)- lecturer at the University of Chicago
George Orwell (
Author)- taught in boys' high school
Thomas Paine (
U.S. patriot)- was a schoolteacher in London
Kal Penn (
Actor)- taught at the University of Pennsylvania
Mr. T. (
Actor)- former part time gym teacher in Chicago
J.K. Rowling (
Author)- taught at a school in Portugal
Salman Rushdie (
Author)- taught at Emory University
Gene Simmons (
KISS)- taught elementary school before forming the rock group KISS
Sylvester Stallone (
Actor)- worked as a gym teacher to pay the bills
STING (
Singer-Songwriter)- taught at a Catholic school
Raymond Joseph Teller (Penn and Teller)- taught high school English and Latin
Oprah Winfrey (
Talk Show Host)- teaches a class via satellite (
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls)
Ron Wood (
Rolling Stones)
Steve Wozniak (
Apple Co-Founder)