Being a highschool student, I'd thought it might be worth it to share my view on the subject, or at least what it has become.
The best teacher by far in my school is a Bronze and Silver star awarded Marine vet who served in Vietnam. The man has received numerous teaching awards, many on the national level. He is always crtical of what we do, and always demands more, usually through derrogatory remark, but he always gets it. In many ways he acts much more like a peer than a teacher, which makes him better than any other teacher, at least in my eyes. Just my two cents
-Jackson
BTW He coaches our track team and hasn't had a loss in 29 years (He really gets everything outa you)