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Teachers who inspired great scientists

A great teacher can change the world.

All of us can recall a special teacher who inspired us, challenged us, opened our eyes to new possibilities.

“You remember them because they lit a flame within you,” says astrophysicist and science popularizer Neil deGrasse Tyson.

“They got you excited about a subject you previously didn’t care about, because they were excited about it themselves. Put that in every classroom, and it will change the world.”

In celebration of UNESCO World Teachers Day, we present reflections from some of the world’s greatest physicists, past and present, on the teachers who inspired them.

Black and white picture of a man with quote about his teacher

Stephen Hawking sitting in a wheelchair with quote about teacher

Portrait of a woman with short dark hair and glasses and a quote about a teacher

Woman in a blue suit leaning over a railing and a quote about a teacher

Man in a black suit and glasses posing outside a physics institute

Man with silver hair wearing a light grey suit and blue bowtie

Black and white picture of an older man wearing a suit and smoking a pipe with a quote about a teacher

Portrait of a man wearing a black suit and glasses with a quote about a teacher

Portrait of Albert Einstein with a teacher quote

Black and white picture of Ernest Rutherford

Man wearing a black suit with dark hair and a quote about a teacher

Man wearing a dark jacket and glasses inside a cafe and a teacher quote

Man standing at a blackboard teaching and a quote

Portrait of a man in a dark suit leaning against a wall and a quote

 

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