take an idea and run with it

i'm rather happy to say that i have been able to stay in touch with at least one of my high school teachers. high school is a very interesting time when you're actually making the transition between being a child and being an adult. teachers that witness this stage of your life are rather forgiving in that they allow you to make some of the social faux pas involved in your entrance into adulthood - such as flirting.

if you've been able to maintain a relationship with any past teacher, from any stage of your education, it is likely that that person had a profound effect on you in some way, perhaps influencing your career choice or supporting you in your personal life. mine is my grade 12 biology teacher. i always admired his charisma and his dedication to teaching. he was far from conventional in his methods. i specifically remember his showing us a slideshow that he put together. it was images of animals and cells and other life forms and processes. the soundtrack included "ground control to major tom" by david bowie, and "eye in the sky" by alan parsons project. on remembrance day of that year, he played bob dylans' "masters of war" and mounted the lyrics on the overhead.

evidently, mr.maclellan (john, though i can't comfortable call him that to his face despite the many times he has asked me to) has been supportive of my scholastic endeavours. more than that, he's supported me as a person. so, in return i thought i would post his website here.

part of his unconventional teaching included magnets. he was just starting to expand while i was his student, but since then has covered his classroom with sheet metal and all manner of colourful cut outs and posters. what amazes and moves me most is that he did almost all of this with his own money. now, he's started a business that has distributed over 300 units to canada and the u.s., and has recently made a transaction with a company in australia. his company is called virtmac, which stands for Visual Interactive Revolutionary Tactile Magnetic Classroom. don't ask me; i didn't come up with it.

good luck, john.