Some say the most important job in the world is that of a teacher. And, really, we've all been placed under the tutelage of someone who was literally paid to provide education. But yet, so often, kids find themselves inspired by - and often in worship of - these individuals, young and old alike, who can play an integral role in shaping one's childhood and, some might argue, the rest of their lives.

Of course, that isn't always the case. Teachers can also be awful monsters whom we never forget for their ability to patronize, degrade, or humiliate us, often leaving one wondering if the man or woman in question took the job merely to torture students. This, naturally, can lead a kid to fantasize about how cool it would be to fall under the instruction of one of the following actors who, despite likely not possessing any type of teaching certification in real life, would probably be a blast to spend 40-or-so minutes on a daily basis.

1. Charlie Brown's teacher(s)
We only heard the voices of Mrs. Donovan and Miss Othmar, the teachers of the Peanuts gang. We don't know what they were saying, but perhaps that's ideal when someone's doling out an hour's worth of math problems.


2. Dorothy Zbornak
Bea Arthur's substitute teacher on The Golden Girls specialized in secondary American History and English, but it was her brassy, take-no-prisoners attitude that makes us wish we got to sit in on a class or two of hers (mostly just to see if anyone tried to mess with a teacher that tall).


3. Mark Cooper
While he initially taught science, former Mark Curry's title character on Hangin' With Mr. Cooper eventually landed the job he wanted, teaching high school phys. ed. (and acting as basketball coach). In the second season, Mr. Cooper's principal was played by Nell Carter. Need we say more?


4. Mrs. Frizzle
Based on the childrens' book series, The Magic School Bus was driven by a beloved teacher - voiced by Lily Tomlin - who wore eccentric earrings and a purple dress featuring carrot prints So, basically, Mrs. Frizzle was the animated version of everyone's favorite crazy art teacher (you know, the one your mom always ran into at the annual Chico's sale).


5. Mr. Kotter
Gabe Kaplan's iconic character (from, duh, Welcome Back, Kotter) sported a mustache essentially made for ironic tee shirts. Kotter's sharp-tongued confidant to the wisecracking Sweathogs at Brooklyn's James Buchanan High was a nebbish whom everyone couldn't help but love, including us.