Now that you are teaching, and realize how difficult it can be to have to control and be responsible for dozens of schoolkids, has it made you reflect on your own behavior when you were the same age?

In particular, do you feel remorse at the hard time you used to give your own teachers?

yes. I was a terror to  an English teacher in French class. eventually she just ignored us and went on with class, which is really all you can do. but man, we frustrated that woman. I wouldn't be surprised if she went back home and or quit teaching

It has definitely made me appreciate what my teachers did, now that I'm a teacher myself.  I understand that class material doesn't just appear out of nowhere, you actually have to make it and plan for yourself.  I used to think that teachers got lesson plans given to them with all the material pre-made.

I do remember one time asking my psychology teacher for some extra reading material because I was really interested in what we had been studying.  Looking back she must have thought "God, just leave me alone, I don't need any extra work" 

Telling my life story here lol, but TLDR: I've always respected teachers, but after becoming one myself the respect just grew.

Growing up in an immigrant household, my parents valued education. As the oldest child, a lot of pressure was put on me to do well in everything as well.

I always had high respect toward teachers, even the "lazy" ones. Honestly in high school, I've noticed that when you show interest in what they're attempting to teach, they put more effort and interest in teaching.

I majored in Biology with the goal of going to Medical school (we know how well that went lol). Afterwards, I got a job as a preschool teacher. My appreciation for teachers grew ten fold starting then Lol.

i was generally pretty good as a student, but i look back and feel really bad when (as a class) we made the teacher cry or were just generally being dicks

Nah makes me understand them and know the behavior better.  Kids think I'm "cool teacher" instead of "uptight and old fashioned" teacher.

No because I was an angel in school

I’m actually kinda salty that I was so polite and obedient to teachers, but so many of my kids aren’t

I really was a piece of shit at times, particularly between 13-15. Most of the trouble I got into was outside the classroom, inside, I was a pretty good student and rarely disrespected my teachers. At my HS, there were plenty of wannabe gangsters and a few real ones. I'd often get into fights trying to stop them from stealing my things (rumor got around that I was from a family of means as I'd transferred from a private school) or backing up my friends from these thugs. I bunked (was truant) quite often as my buddies and I were really into surfing and ditched whenever the waves were good. I smoked too and the staff made it a kind of sport to catch kids who were smoking and give them detention.

Still, I got my act together during my later HS years.

I always appreciated every one of my teachers, particularly my English teacher. Having experienced teaching, I can tell me teachers probably looked at some of us and thought:

- "I can see you cheating, but I couldn't give a crap at this point."
- "Just STFU. Pretend to listen if you have to. We're all tired, don't make this lesson more stressful than it needs to be."
- "I can see you've got the hots for Jenny and teasing her is the only way you know how to show affection."
- "You're really not as cool as you think and I know you're swearing/listening to music through earphones hidden in your sleeves etc. , I'm just too exhausted to give a crap."