Rod Hanson...the worlds most inspiring teacher...and the worlds #1 Bad Ass!

This post is a bit about my feelings on Rodney Hanson, my favorite teacher from my High School days, and a man who has been recently diagnosed with cancer.

Rod Hanson, in the same 15 min class discussion, once called me a liberal-commie-pinko-moral-hater for bringing up my views on whatever topic we were discussing in 4th period Government; he then called me a rightwing-nazi sympathizer for bringing up my views on the next topic.

Some of you may see this and say to yourself "How could a teacher instruct his students in such a way? He must be one of the most hated teachers in school!" Well the truth is quite the opposite, in fact, he is possibly the favorite teacher of EVERYBODY who attended Redmond High School in the last 30 years.

You may ask yourself why or how someone who calls some students Communists, then 10 minutes later call them Nazi's, be the favorite teacher of so many students. It is a testament to his character, and he is a hell of a character. His teaching unorthodox, his style radical, his demeanor calm and collected; Rod Hanson brought something new and interesting to the classroom every single day! EVERY DAY! After 30 years of teaching in the same school, the same classroom no less; he still managed to bring that same energy that came to characterize his spirit.

Some of you may know that I am a Junior at Oregon State University with a major in History and a Minor in Political Science. I can attest that my interest in these two topics are the sole responsibility of Scott Hersh and Rod Hanson! (Sorry Mr. Hersh this is a post for Hanson not you)

I just want to say: Thank you Mr. Hanson. Thank you for all your love and support. Thank you for being my inspiration and thank you for...well this is going to sound very cliche...thank you for everything.