Teachers We Wish are RealOctober 02, 2014

Over one hundred countries celebrate World Teachers Day on October 5. It's no surprise, as they are of critical importance in the development of quality education. Good thing writers feel the same way too.

The list of fictional teachers is long. It will be unfair (to real teachers) to wish they exist, but we can talk about them. Let's have a look at some of them:

Digory Dirke (The Chronicles of Narnia). The Pensevie children stay at the professor's country estate during the Blitz of London. He is first seen as reclusive and unwelcoming. What Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy didn't know is Professor Dirke, who is 52 years, has a secret. He is twelve when he and Polly Plummer, his neighbour and friend, chance upon his Uncle Andrew's magic rings. It brought them to an abandoned world called Charn, where they meet Jadis, the future White Witch. A chase leads them to a void, where they witness how a lion created Narnia. The Pensevie kids will explore this enchanting realm.

Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter series). He is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He's also Harry Potter's guardian. If not for him, the young lad might not have defeated Lord Voldermort (a.k.a. Tom Marvolo Riddle). J.K. Rowling didn't reveal much about him at first, but readers can sense the heroic deeds he done while administering Hogwarts.

Abraham van Helsing (Dracula). Who would have thought that a man of learning would save London - and the rest of Europe - from bloodthirsting vampires? He's a no-nonsense fellow, not dismissing the superstition that most choose to ignore. Bram Stoker also describes him as methodical, which makes him one of a kind. Dr. John Seward, one of his former students (and one of Lucy's suitors), would ask for his help. Count Dracula found an archenemy.

Jennifer Honey (Matilda). Miss Honey is astonished by Matilda's intellectual abilities. She also formed a strong bond with the young girl. She believes her pupil is special, but her parents and headmistress Miss Agatha Trunchbull think otherwise. But she found a way (unexpectedly).

Robert Langdon (Da Vinci Code). Dan Brown based his protagonist from Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist renowned for his lectures on comparative mythology and comparative religion. But fans of the novel see Professor Langdon as Indiana Jones in Harris tweed. What should be a business trip in Paris turned into an adventure of a lifetime, as the tourist destinations in this French capital become clues that lead him to the discovery of a secret society. Fans know the rest of the story too well.

James Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes series). Sherlock Holmes calls him the Napoleon of crime. Adam Worth is one of the characters whom Arthur Conan Doyle based Moriarty from. A real-life criminal mastermind, whose intellect is the only reason readers fancy. As for the rest...

There's more, but it's your turn to tell your favourite teacher(s). Go on, don't be shy.

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