10 Celebrity Teachers You Wish You Had

The seemingly endless monotony of school life might have been a little easier with someone famous or soon to be famous as our teacher. Check out these celebrities who have gone back to school and sat at the other end of the classroom. Also, let us know who you wish you could have had for a class!

Kanye West

After attacking a member of the paparazzi at L.A.X in 2013, self-proclaimed “God” Kanye West was sentenced to 250 hours of community service. Last month, fashion students at Los Angeles Trade Technical College came to school to find Yeezus as their fashion industry teacher. Apparently, he ranted about his struggles in the music and fashion businesses and how people don’t understand him. Are we really that surprised?

James Franco

With an English B.F.A from UCLA, writing M.F.A’s from Columbia University and Brooklyn College, and a film M.F.A. from NYU, James Franco has more than proved himself to be a very educated man. In 2011, he decided to pass down his education to graduate film students at NYU by teaching a class to help these students piece together their full-length thesis projects. The question still remains if he adorned dreads and gold teeth once spring break came around.

Jon Hamm

Before he sold lung cancer to an unsuspecting, 1960s America in Mad Men, Jon Hamm returned to his high school after graduating from college in 1993 to work as a drama teacher. Coincidentally, he taught future actress Ellie Kemper from The Office and Bridesmaids and future screenwriter Beau Willimon who wrote for House of Cards and The Ides of March.

Kal Penn

In 2007, comedy star Kal Penn, from the Harold and Kumar series, was set to join the University of Pennsylvania’s faculty as a guest teacher. For the spring 2008 semester, Penn taught two film classes tentatively titled “Images of Asian Americans in the Media” and “Contemporary American Teen Films.” There’s still no word on whether they took any unnecessarily long trips to fast food chains.

Kevin Spacey

Early in 2013, Kevin Spacey announced his plans to offer master classes in acting at London’s Regent’s College. He said he wanted to continue his work in talent discovery that he had lead with the Old Vic Theater in London after serving as their artistic director. Let’s just hope he doesn’t develop feelings for one of his students and start seeing his students covered in rose petals or something!

Barack Obama

Before Obama become one of the coolest yet most controversial US presidents ever, he (appropriately) taught classes like constitutional law at the prestigious University of Chicago. Well, his official title was “Senior Lecturer,” but just imagine it: Having the future president of the free world hand you an “F” and call you a slacker!

Mr. T

“I pity the fool who don’t study!” There once was a time when Mr. T didn’t adorn a mohawk and gold jewelry while yelling at foo’s. He once served as a gym teacher at a public school in Chicago along with acting as a bouncer and bodyguard for a Chicago club. In fact, his big break into Hollywood came from winning the title of “The World’s Toughest Bodyguard” on an NBC game show in the 70s. Needless to say, his students better have behaved and brought their gym clothes.

Stephen King

“They’re all gonna laugh at you!” Well, they would have if you failed one of Mr. King’s English classes. In the fall of 1971, the future king of horror joined Hampden Academy in Maine as an English teacher while contributing short stories to magazines. Who would have guessed that their English teacher would also scare the crap out of them soon enough?

Adrian R’Mante

Anyone who grew up in the early 2000s would have killed to stay at the Tipton Hotel and have Esteban be their bell hop! Well, some students at Culver City High School in Los Angeles got something just as good. Adrian has occasionally taught at this school as a substitute teacher in between acting gigs. “Hello, little student peoples, my name is Mr. Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya De la Rosa Ramirez and welcome to my class.”

Sheryl Crow

Before the country singer topped the charts, Sheryl Crow got to “soak up the sun” over summer breaks. She worked at Kellison Elementary School in Missouri as a music teacher for several years as she waited for her big break in the music world. Coincidentally, her first official gig was singing for a “back to school” promotional ad. Luckily, the school job let her pursue her career on the weekends since singing “makes her happyyyyy!”

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