World Teachers’ Day: ‘Breaking Bad’ and more shows with the top TV teachers of 2013

Today is World Teachers’ Day. Yes, it’s on a Saturday (Oct. 5), but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the educators of the world. We can even celebrate those teachers who exist only on television. With that in mind, here are 13 of the most notable television teachers of 2013.

1. Walter White (Bryan Cranston), “Breaking Bad”
Yes, he has been retired from teaching for awhile now. But we should never forget that the meth kingpin of Albuquerque was once an underpaid and underappreciated chemistry teacher. Maybe if we had honored him more, things would have turned out differently.

2. Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), “Glee”
Will is a Spanish teacher who never teaches Spanish. He is also a show-choir instructor who randomly disappears for months at a time. But considering where he teaches, Mr. Schu is the pride of McKinley High.

3. Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), “Glee”
Who took over the glee club in Will Schuester’s absence? That would be former high-school jock, Finn Hudson. The young man liked the job so much, he headed off to college toward the end of “Glee” Season 4. It’s unfortunate that the kid will never quite realize that dream.

4. Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel), “New Girl”
No longer unemployed, Jess is back where she ought to be: in a classroom. She has even been able to win over the mean teachers this season!

5. Dean Craig Pelton (Jim Rash), “Community”
He rarely teaches anything — except maybe awesome costume design — but the Dean of Greendale Community College should be honored for (kind of) keeping control of the insanity around him.

6. Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis), “The Vampire Diaries”
Alaric was only seen as a dead (for real, this time) vampire in 2013, but once upon a time, he was a history teacher in the vampire-infested town of Mystic Falls.

7. Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), “How I Met Your Mother”
OK, so she’s not teaching so much as buying art for a rich guy these days. But Lily’s many years of kindergartner-wrangling should never be overlooked.

8. Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), “Hannibal”
When not tracking down serial killers and slowly going bonkers, Will Graham is a professor. That’s a much safer profession for the man.

9. Cam Pritchett (Eric Stonestreet), “Modern Family”
With Lily in school, Cam was ready to get a job. AP History didn’t work out so well, but at least there was a football-coaching and PE teacher opening.

10. Annie Henry (Betsy Brandt), “The Michael J. Fox Show”
While her husband had to retire after getting Parkinson’s disease, Annie Henry keeps teaching high school English to pay for the family.

11. Mary-Margaret Blanchard (Ginnifer Goodwin), “Once Upon a Time”
When not saving multiple worlds from the forces of evil, Mary-Margaret taught grade school. She even ate the apples brought to teacher.

12. Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), “Sleepy Hollow”
Before he was a demon hunter and before he was a Revolutionary War fighter, Ichabod Crane was a professor at Oxford. Sure, that was back in the 18th century, but historical teachers need love too!

13. Bill Nye, “Dancing with the Stars”
He will never teach us much about ballroom dancing, but Bill Nye’s return to TV on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 17 was still educational.

Go back to school with pop culture’s best teachers!