I realize that this may not be as intense as some of the other posts here, but my anger is still ripe as ever years later.

I had this English teacher in high school who was fantastic. Nearly everyone else in my class agreed too. Even though I was always good at English, it took a lot for an English class to inspire me. But this guy managed to. I could tell that he loved his subject more than anything in the world. He helped me get back into writing after a year-long mental block. He inspired not only me, but students who before were quick to dismiss the subject. One of my friends who always struggled with English started writing a series of short stories based on things the teacher said during lectures. This teacher helped us find the beauty and artistry in not just books, but music, movies, and even our own ideas.

He was fired halfway through his first semester working there.

We still don't know why. On Thursday we had a normal class day, but on Friday he never showed up. I'm not exaggerating when I say that nearly the entire class was heartbroken. Then we got our substitute. I don't even know how to begin talking about her.

She never wanted to discuss the readings with us. Instead she would have us take turns reading out loud--and that would be it. She then berated one girl for taking too long with the reading. When the girl explained that she was dyslexic, the teacher got upset at her for making excuses, then asked "can someone who can read pick up where she left off?".

And that was when we did read. Usually we just watched movie adaptations of the books (again, with no discussions). Afterwards she would give us exams--based on the book. The only kids who passed were the students who read the SparkNotes page before, and they only got a 70%. (Also who makes tests where multiple choice questions with 4 points each, but the essay questions are only worth 1? That just grinds my goat).

When it came to vocabulary, we were given complex but age-appropriate words with our old teacher. But under this substitute's rule we got words like "turkey" and "coal" (I still have a photocopy of the vocabulary list). This was a senior level English class (stretching the definition of childhood, I know). It was clear that she didn't take us seriously as students or as people. She came in expecting us to be shitty students, and that's what she got. Seeing our class over the course of the semester was like watching Dead Poets Society but backwards. This group of students who were once so inspired became empty husks of their former selves.

I've been dwelling on so many stories from my high school. It isn't healthy but whatever.

Also as an aside, I enrolled in an English class taught by that good teacher when I went to college. And...yeah. I mean I still admire the guy, but there was something a bit off.

Tl;dr: Good teacher gets fired with no explanation. Substitute arrives and treats us like poop.