HOT FOR TEACHER

Talk about an A-list education! These famous faces got their starts taking center stage in the classroom

Celebs like Jon Hamm had their first audiences in classrooms!

Hugh Jackman

The coach at England’s Uppingham School was a real beast! Wolverine leading man Hugh, 50, first flexed his muscles as a gym teacher at the boys’ academy in 1987. And even though he’s come a long way since then, Hugh is as devoted to his pupils as ever. When the Emmy and Tony winner recognized a former student on the red carpet in 2013, he approached him and asked how his physical education was progressing. “It’s very important to me!” insisted the Aussie.

Jon Hamm

No doubt the Mad Men dreamboat had everyone’s attention when leading the drama lessons at his alma mater, John Burroughs High School, in St. Louis in the ’90s. “I had the good fortune to do it for a year,” Jon, 47, remembers. “And I would definitely go back to it, and I might still.” After all, he has a proven track record: Long before they shared the screen on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt or in Bridesmaids, Ellie Kemper was one of Jon’s ninth-grade pupils. “He was not ugly,” jokes the actress, 38, of her former instructor. “Everyone loved him.”

Sheryl Crow

Every day sure is a winding road teaching elementary school students! After graduating from college in 1984, the Grammy winner became the music teacher at Kellison Elementary School in Fenton, Mo. “I loved it,” says the 56-year-old, “but I had this burning desire to get my music heard.” She hasn’t forgotten her roots, though. Sheryl is now a national spokesperson for Adoptaclassroom.org, which helps get educators the supplies they need. “I come from a family of schoolteachers,” shares the star. “[It’s] the most important job that exists.”

Sylvester Stallone

There was nothing tough about Sly’s grading when he worked part-time at the American College of Switzerland back in the day to make ends meet. “I would teach physical education to a lot of wealthy American girls,” recalls the Rocky star. ‘’The first thing I learned was that rich girls do not jump or sweat. All of them got A’s just for showing up.” But he holds himself to a higher standard. Now 72, the actor continues to hit the gym hard, saying it’s a lifestyle that’s been “ingrained” in him.

Sting

Sting already had his sights set on rock stardom when he accepted a position at St Paul’s First School in northeast England in 1974. So the singer, 67, says he instructed a class in “everything from basic maths to soccer” by day, and played “packed houses” with his band Last Exit at night. “I held a job down, I paid a mortgage, paid my taxes, before [fame] happened,” says Sting (born Gordon Matthew Sumner), who eventually found success as a member of The Police. “It allowed me at least to keep a balanced view of what was happening to me. I really value those times.”