Emotional intelligence begins to develop in the earliest years. All the small exchanges children have with their parents teachers and with each other carry emotional messages.

I grew up in a bookless house - my parents didn't read poetry so if I hadn't had the chance to experience it at school I'd never have experienced it. But I loved English and I was very lucky in that I had inspirational English teachers Miss Scriven and Mr. Walker and they liked us to learn poems by heart which I found I loved doing.

The single most important thing in a child's performance is the quality of the teacher. Making sure a child spends the maximum amount of time with inspirational teachers is the most important thing.

I've been acting my whole life. I have this huge imagination! I'm a dancer and my mom's a dance teacher and I was always performing and entertaining people. I'd go to see live theatre or a movie and I'd become the main character for a few days afterwards. I loved being somebody new for a temporary amount of time.

Some of my high school teachers did remind me that I had an excellent imagination when it came to making up excuses.

I never did very well in math - I could never seem to persuade the teacher that I hadn't meant my answers literally.

I hope that I serve by being a teacher.

Teachers have a chance to mold someone inspire them. I hope all teachers realize that.

The contrasts between what is spent today to educate a child in the poorest New York City neighborhoods where teacher salaries are often even lower than the city averages and spending levels in the wealthiest suburban areas are daunting challenges to any hope New Yorkers might retain that even semblances of fairness still prevail.

Oh stuff the critics. I don't care. Too many people are snooty about classical. Look I wasn't brought up in a home where we listened to classical music. It was a singing teacher that thought it would be best for my voice. Then I moved into crossover. And if that makes the music accessible to more people then great.

I remind everyone: Whether you school them at home or send them to school you as a parent have the responsibility to make sure they learn and behave. Teachers and principals may help but parents are the ones who must accept responsibility.

I'm like a really goofy home ec teacher.

Most of the time I liked school and got good grades. In junior high though I hit a stumbling block with math - I used to come home and cry because of how frustrated I was! But after a few good teachers and a lot of perseverance I ended up loving math and even choosing it as a major when I got to college.

In high school a teacher once suggested that I be a math major in college. I thought 'Me? You've got to be joking!' I mean in junior high I used to come home and cry because I was so afraid of my math homework. Seriously I was terrified of math.

Students never think it can be the teacher's fault and so I thought I was stupid. I was frustrated and would come home and cry because I couldn't do it. Then we got a new teacher who made math accessible. That made all the difference and I learned that it's how you present it that makes it scary or friendly.

I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.

My father was my main influence. He was a preacher but he was also a history and political science teacher and since he was my hero I wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a teacher.

History is the only true teacher the revolution the best school for the proletariat.

This is what I would have done if I had to have a real job: I would have been a history teacher.

I think the British people are very very attached to the idea that the health service is free at the point of use. But there is no reason why every doctor nurse and teacher in this country has to be employed by the state.

A teacher must believe in the value and interest of his subject as a doctor believes in health.

My mother was a public school teacher in Virginia and we didn't have any money we just survived on happiness on being a happy family.

Police and firefighters are great but they don't create wealth. They protect it. That's crucial. Teaching is a wonderful profession. Teachers help educate people to become good citizens so that citizens can then go create wealth. But they don't create the wealth themselves.

I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.