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Oh my gosh, is this a thing, strict English teachers that you never forget? Because I had this exact experience in high school. Mrs Dusenberry, I kid you not, was ruthlessly tough and demanding, and, I never learned so much from a teacher. I loved that teacher. No one fell asleep in her class, because she was interesting, brilliant, and dangerous all at the same time. But your teacher's "start with a reflection on a quote" exercise is brilliant. I love it. Might have to steal this one for my sessions.

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Must be a thing! Haha

Glad the reflection component speaks to you. She never told us explicitly to “start with reflection,” just to write. So that was something I only realized the power of after the fact. :)

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Love this Ally (or is it Allie?, or always Alexandra?!). Looking back, all of my favorite teachers were the hardest. Every. Single. One.

For example, one was as Operations professor in my graduate program (who I still grab coffee with a couple of times a year), and another other was an AP Chemistry teacher (who I most recently saw a my aunt's funeral). These teachers were tough, but they also respected their role and the classroom they managed. This translated into some of the most impactful learning I had.

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Good guesses lol it’s Ali for short (though my friends just started spelling it that way in elementary and I actually probably would’ve preferred Ally — the “y” is cooler 😂).

On a more serious note, I love that your student-teacher relationships have gone the distance and you keep in touch. No surprise they appreciate you as a student given how motivated you are to learn and grow (and have a laugh along the way!).

Also, very sorry to hear about your aunt. My deepest condolences to you and your family.♥️

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Now I know! Ali it is.

And yes, it's great to have that relationship and continue to have discussions with them. I've found it very helpful to have mentors to bounce ideas off of.

And thank you.

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I love the emphasis on punctuality and respect, but I'm not too sure about calling out the children based on their clothing choices. Your teacher seems to have embodied, in a good way, the opposite of the current "every kid gets a trophy" ethos. I'm curious about whether the language of the class was French or English and where in Quebec. Montreal, Quebec City or the hinterlands?

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Thanks, Drake! Same here, I don’t agree with the clothing exercise but overall, she was a fantastic teacher for the reasons you mentioned and more.

It was an English class and it was outside of Montreal in an area called the Laurentians.

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