With the Global Teacher Prize 2016 winning announcement just around the corner, Professor Stephen Hawking shares a fond memory of his teacher, Mr Dikran Tahta, who inspired him.
It all starts with the seed of love. The love of music, the love of history, for me it was the love of science.
At Saint Albans School, there was an inspirational maths teacher, Mr Tahta. He opened my eyes to the blue print of the universe itself, mathematics.
I wasn’t the best student at all. My handwriting was bad, and I could be lazy. Many teachers were boring. Not Mr Tahta. His classes were lively and exciting. Everything could be debated. Together we built my first computer. It was made with electro mechanical switches.
Thanks to Mr Tahta, I became a professor of mathematics at Cambridge, in a position once held by Sir Isaac Newton.
I have spent my life attempting to unlock the mysteries of the universe.
When each of us thinks about what we can do in life, chances are, we can do it because of a teacher. Behind every exceptional person, there is an exceptional teacher. Today, we need great teachers more than ever.
We must always remember, Teachers Matter.
- Stephen Hawking
