The teachers who changed our lives

Cosmopolitan staffers on the educators who made a difference

I struggled academically, and my mum noticed that I held my pen incorrectly, so she found me a tutor, Betsy. She made me realise that I can only learn in a visual way, so we invented diagrams and used colourful prompts. I’m proud to say she is now my friend and is very celebratory of the fact I can now write a feature. Although I do still hold my pen like a chopstick…

AMY BANNER MAN, FASHION DIRECTOR

We had a Canadian primary-school teacher who came across for a year, doing a sort of teacher-swap thing. She taught us to remember happy moments by looking at something then blinking quickly, taking a mental picture. I still do that today and find it handy in a world that’s now so overloaded with phones and capturing memories just for Instagram.

CATRIONA INNES, FEATURES DIRECTOR

One teacher was the epitome of “1970s progressive”. He had a dodgy red moustache and a mission to shake things up. I was shy and on the verge of being bullied – until he gave us all funny nicknames and began to address us a lot in class, forcing us to speak up. Soon I was “popular”, and had the confidence to remain that way. I wish I could thank him.

IN GE BORG VAN LOT RING EN, BEAUTY DIRECTOR

Mr Sheldrake was so different. He had film posters on his classroom walls and spoke to us as people, not just students. If you did a good job, he’d make you feel invincible. He once told me my creative-writing essay could be part of a Stephen King novel, which probably wasn’t true, but his enthusiasm instilled the confidence in me to pass my exams with flying colours.