A co-worker and I were reminiscing about schools. We both went to state schools in CT: he to UConn, I to CCSU. The favorite topic of discussion about one's school days is of course, the really funky, weird, annoying, bad or just plain rude and obnoxious professors we had. I had one of those.. the obnoxious and rude kind. He either hated me or just my hair color - at any rate, he loved to pick on me in class and downgrade my work for any non-programming related reason possible. Although to be fair, he did that last one to everyone, but as far as I know, I'm the only one whose hair color he ridiculed in front of the whole class. Just one of those really nit-picky people with something to prove to all those young and fresh CS students. Back to my co-worker.. he mentioned a quirky, weird English professor he had at UConn who would climb on top of a table and disperse inspiration in a loud voice..

"Someone watched 'The dead poets society' one time too many!" - I said.
"Oh yah, heh" - giggle from the co-worker..
"Wait" - he added - "I think that *was* him in that movie"

Well, what do you know.. Sam Pickering, an English Professor at UConn was the inspiration for Robin William's character.

I suppose this goes to prove... one person's inspiration is another person's "weird English teacher"!