If you've been a student for a few years of your life, chances are you've encountered a variety of teachers, each with his or her own grading style, personality, level of comfort with the students, difficulty, etc. What personality is your favorite, and why? Which ultimately causes students to gain the most knowledge? Here are a couple extreme examples.

1) This type of teacher believes discipline is the best way to get students to learn. He will fail you if you walk into class a minute late. He's quick to insult people using sarcasm. You find yourself afraid to answer a question, because you fear the consequences of getting it wrong. If you're willing to study hard, you learn a lot, and although you hated him in the beginning, you start to feel as though he was 'testing' you and strive to pass that test.

2) She wants you to consider her a friend. She talks casually, like she's a student herself. She swears in class and discusses everything from subliminal advertizing tactics to quantum mechanics to her own personal problems, even if she's just an English teacher. You know she's trying to get you to open your mind, to learn practical knowledge, but you find that a lot of class time is spent learning things that you doubt are in the curriculum.

What is the ideal way a teacher should act? What would result in greater learning benefit gained ultimately? What should all teachers strive to be like?