Free Character Writing Prompts #5: Teachers

Try out this list of free character writing prompts about our favorite and least favorite teachers! When it comes to most stories, teachers tend to fall into one of two categories. In one corner, we have the life-changing educator who truly reaches his or her students on a deeper level. In the other, there's the nasty instructor who seems to be constantly out to squash the students' fun. Of course, from our own experiences in school, we know there are many shades of grey and there are often as many different kinds of teachers as there are students. Let's embrace these workhorses of the educational system by portraying teachers realistically and genuinely in our stories. 

Free Character Writing Prompts #5: Teachers

1. At first glance, if you saw this gangly, pale man with glasses, you might be able to figure out his profession in three guesses or less: high school math teacher. He wasn't the kind of teacher who wanted to prepare his students for a standardized test, nor was he a Robin Williams-esque stand on the desk type. He taught his students math, plain and simple, and he did it in a way they understood it. A former volleyball player in his student days, he was tough, but never intimidating. He once pulled an all-nighter at school working on test papers during a hurricane that prevented him from returning home that night. What got this man into math and how did he become such a strong teacher?

2. Even though he liked to start class with a joke, he usually kept things serious, because the lives of men, women and children were in his hands. He'd been teaching EMT certification courses for over a decade and took pride in his instruction. If he didn't teach a subject correctly, how could he face his wife and son when he returned home? Even though he was a strong-willed man, he always cried when he received a message from a former student who saved a patient's life. What line of work would he take up if he lost his teaching job and why?

3. As she sent her oldest child away to school for the day, she put on her outfit for work. It consisted of a sports bra, a tight-fitting tank top and a pair of yoga pants that hugged her svelte frame. She was the primary instructor of the "workout challenge" class at the local gym and she worked hard to put her students through the ringer every week. While her friends marveled at her physique after having had two kids, they didn't realize how much work she had to do to maintain an exercise teacher's body. She was always quick with a joke to lighten the mood and she connected with long chats after class. What made her decide to embark on this sweat-soaked teaching journey?

4. As you pawed through your old elementary school yearbook, you always wondered what happened to your fourth grade teacher who taught you the value of proper planning. By the virtue of being so painstakingly organized herself, she made you understand how you could be organized. You remember her being a bucket of laughs and her long, wavy red hair. She got married a few years after you had her and you marvel at her keeping a classroom organized while planning a wedding. She must have worked extremely hard and as a result she remained impressed on your mind. What ended up happening with her and how has she impacted the lives of other students?

5. You decide to buy the next round of beers as your friend gives you another piece of advice about dating. Since you've always been a bit timid in that area, you have been happy to latch onto this wise soul and his deep understanding of the opposite sex. He's even written a book on the subject and is well-known around the area as a mentor to men in love. You know him as a regular guy who loves playing video games and performing comedy at a local club. He is a wizard when it comes to analyzing relationships, and you hope that some day he will find a love that measures up to his standards. Why has he made dating relationships such a focus of his life?

6. With five minutes left to go in class, he stared at the second hand moving slowly around the clock. He had given the students 20 minutes of silent reading and told them that if anyone said a word he would dock them a letter grade. While he's gotten into teaching because he thought it'd be easy and to get summer's off, he'd gotten more than he'd bargained for. After four years on the job, he resolved to spend as little time in the building as possible and was ready to dash for the door. How does he typically interact with his students and will he continue to be a teacher for the rest of his working life?

7. You've heard of fathers who learned a lot from having a daughter, but this was ridiculous. Despite the fact that she had yet to reach puberty, your daughter was your best kept secret as your life advisor. This was due to a wisdom she possessed that was well beyond her years. How many little girls read self-help books and meditated? Despite a love of pigtails and frilly dresses she had more to offer than most expensive therapists and personal coaches. You wonder where she got such a propensity for helping people through life's toughest times, because it certainly wasn't from you or her late mother. What are some pieces of advice she's given and what kind of person will she grow up to be.

8. She was built like a truck and had a haircut like someone who might drive one. Also, she was the health teacher required to show you the "Miracle of Life" video and teach you about sexually transmitted diseases. While anyone teaching fifth graders about this subject would be a bit awkward, she wanted to do a fantastic job and was over thorough about every aspect. She lived alone and played on several recreational softball and soccer teams. He would she react if a student asked her an intentionally inappropriate question?

9. In his youth, he was filled with anger and hate, but a trip to Tibet completely changed his life. He saw the peacefulness of the Buddhist monks and embarked on an existence of meditation and love. Upon returning home, he chose to teach this peaceful lifestyle to those who had an upbringing like he had. Because of his previous experience of a destructive lifestyle, he was able to reach many students with his Eastern teachings. How was he able to defeat his inner-negativity and what is his current day-to-day life like?

10. Her life goal was to change how other women thought about money. She realized in her late twenties that she wanted to understand more about finances and to stop depending on male bosses and financial planners. As she learned more and more, she became a voice of reason and advice to women she knew, which turned into a class. The class turned into a book and before long she was appearing on national talk shows promoting her ideas. While she was happy to be helping so many, it was difficult on her social life and she had a tough time keeping up with the friends who'd helped to catapult her to fame. Why did she choose to focus on teaching about money and what future does it hold for her? 

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