The best and worst fictional teachers

Feeny certainly made it through the ranks as an educator and instructor. Whether a grade school teacher, high school principal, or college professor, Feeny (William Daniels) continued to give guidance without hesitation to Cory, Shawn, and even Eric. The life lessons Mr. Feeny taught have gone a long way in shaping his students and viewers.

OK, we've never really seen the inaudible teacher of Charlie, Lucy, Linus, and the Peanuts gang. All we can make out is the staticky  "wha, wha, wha" voice coming out of a broken intercom. That said, it might be one of the most popular fictional teaching moments in television history and a longstanding way to mock teachers who like to talk and talk and talk. ...

Posing as Ned Schneebly, Dewey (Jack Black) might be lazy, unmotivated, and downright crude, but when it comes to rock music, there might not be a better teacher. Dewey found his calling in teaching various aspects of rock to young musicians who did not know what they had inside. Dewey should be considered one of the great underdog stories in the realm of fictional educators. 

When teaching the likes of Eric Cartman, it's understandable for someone to grow cynical. Garrison is completely inept as a teacher with a Southern drawl and hand puppet (Mr. Hat) and once showed a string of Barnaby Jones episodes to his students. 

He's convinced that everyone "is on dope." Mr. Hand (Ray Walston) is an old-school high school teacher set in his ways. "Aloha!" He hates when anybody is late to his class but has been known to treat his better students to pizza in class. Mr. Hand is also determined to get through to even his most unteachable students, like Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), even if that means going to their house to get his point across. 

Before Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) went through a remarkable turnaround and career makeover as an educator, she was a foul-mouthed, booze-swinging, careless middle school teacher in the Chicago area. Sure, Elizabeth is attractive, but when it comes to teaching and earning the respect of her students and fellow staff members, she would get an "F."

Though his methods are unorthodox for the late 1950s, Keating (Robin Williams) might be the most inspirational teacher on this list. He's not just an English teacher but a motivator who challenges his students to think outside the box. He inspires them to dig deep to pull out and achieve their true potential. It's one of late Williams' most cherished roles. 

Mrs. Krabappel put a lot of years into teaching, and it shows. She's surly, jaded, and plain irritated by just about everything regarding her profession. Maybe that's why she often smoked during the school day. It also did not help that she had to teach Bart in fourth grade. Edna did manage to find love during her time in Springfield, marrying widower Ned Flanders. 

In this 1996 remake of the wacky Jerry Lewis flick from 1963, Professor Klump (Eddie Murphy) is an intelligent, good-hearted man. However, he's obsessed with his image, which leads to comprising himself and indirectly further hinders his self-esteem. We know Klump means well, but we're not big fans of "Buddy Love."

It might be a little harsh to place former Teacher of the Year recipient Mr. McAllister (Matthew Broderick) on this list of "worst" teachers. He meant well. But Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) was such an annoying, overachieving pain. Mr. McAllister was only trying to knock her down off that high horse or from being student body president. Of course, his method was not on the up and up. 

Mr. Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) was a respected and genuine high school teacher because his "Sweathogs" knew where he was coming from. That's because he was one of them. He is a former underachiever who was eventually inspired to realize he had plenty of potential to be successful. 

Sue (Jane Lynch) might be a successful cheerleading coach at McKinley High. She's not a very nice individual or staff member who claims to teach gym, but she has a soft spot for Becky Jackson. We think Sue's social issues, power trip, and contempt draw from jealousy of those who have friends. While she tends to make life miserable for Mr. Schuester and his glee kids, Sue desperately wants to be accepted. 

A very successful educator and instructor, this durable professor (Maggie Smith) knows exactly where the students at Hogwarts are coming from. That's because she's walked in their shoes as a child. McGonagall, fierce as she is intelligent, eventually makes her way up to the role of Headmistress. If there's one authority figure we want on our side against evil powers, it's McGonagall.

The most infamous and hated character in Matilda lore and its various adaptations. Technically, Trunchbull (Pam Ferris) is a headmistress, but she is as hands-on as they come. She's mean, intimidating, and rules with the sole purpose of breaking the spirits of her students, especially underprivileged ones. (It should be noted that Miss Jennifer Honey, Matilda's favorite teacher under the guardianship of Trunchbull, just missed making the "best" portion of this list.)

Not only is Miyagi (Pat Morita) a wise martial arts expert, but he knows how to delegate chores to young Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). "Paint the fence," "sand the floor," and "wax on, wax off" all helped Daniel become a confident karate champion. Miyagi is also a good friend, something Daniel desperately needed to navigate his high school and early college years.

If we were ranking the "Worst Fictional Teachers of All Time," Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) would be tough to top. She makes life miserable for Harry and Co., particularly in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Maybe that's because she's trying to stifle Harry's progression and take away his powers. She was put there by the sinister Ministry of Magic for that exact purpose. 

Mr. Shoop (Mark Harmon) might put out that beach bum vibe, but deep down, he cares about his students. Looking to secure tenure as a high school teacher, Shoop is forced to turn around a group of underachieving academic misfits. It wasn't easy. Shoop even had his car damaged and was arrested. He was finally able to motivate the group, help his own personal cause, and even find love. 

A harsh disciplinarian. Oh, let's face it. Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton) is a physical education teacher who takes pride in bullying his students. Some think that it's a valuable trait in educating high school youth — just not John Farley (Seann Williams Scott), who is trying to get his mother to stop dating Woodcock. That's where some serviceable hilarity ensues. 

OK, Yoda is not a teacher in the academic sense. He's more along the lines of Mr. Miyagi. It can be said that the universe (or galaxy) is Yoda's classroom. Some would argue his greatest pupil is Luke Skywalker because of what Luke was able to accomplish as a Jedi in such a short time. Plus, he's got that dry sense of humor one would expect from a veteran educator. 

We don't actually get to see a lot of Phil (Bradley Cooper) teaching. Though, the little we do catch in the first of The Hangover films is kind of disturbing. He is rude to his students and steals their money intended for a class field trip to fund his bankroll for Doug's infamous bachelor party in Las Vegas. Phil is not a very good person.