Cory Matthews and his friends and family were the focal point of Boy Meets World, but two characters stood out among the group’s ups and downs: Mr. Feeny and Mr. Turner. Mr. Feeny started the series as a middle school and high school teacher before progressing to a principal and later, a college professor. He was with the core group of friends until the final season and had some of the best quotes in the series.
Mr. Turner, on the other hand, joined the series in season 3 and left at the end of season 4. But even though Mr. Turner’s time on the show wasn’t as long as Mr. Feeny’s, he made an impact on the show and his students. Both teachers were incredibly different but had one thing in common — they truly cared about the well-being of their students. They just went about it in different ways.
Mr. Turner
He Opened His Door To Students Outside Of School
Mr. Feeny set boundaries for himself. He was a teacher and caretaker at school but at home was his quiet time; a time without kids. Mr. Turner, on the other hand, felt differently. If his students needed him after school hours, he was there. He even hung out at Chubbies, the burger joint that all of his students went to after school.
Mr. Turner’s dedication to the well-being of his students outside of school made him one of the most likable characters in Boy Meets World. One of the biggest ways he showed this was when he became the primary guardian over Shawn when Shawn’s parents abandoned him.
He Was Young & Relatable For Students
It’s not that Mr. Feeny’s age deterred students from learning in the classroom or going to him after school, but he was far more conservative than Mr. Turner. With Mr. Turner being younger, he appeared more relatable to students. He was with the times and understood where the students of that era were coming from. His relatability allowed Cory and co. to feel unjudged.
While some fans felt that it didn’t make sense for Mr. Turner to be so available and understanding of his students, it’s what made him such a good teacher. Students wanted to listen to his lessons.
He Got His Students Thinking Outside Of The Classroom
Every teacher hopes their students take what they learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world. In Mr. Turner’s case, he allowed his students to learn from their own mistakes and experiences instead of sitting at a desk and writing an essay. A great example is when Mr. Feeny started a radio show. The music played and the topics talked about weren’t appealing to Cory and Shawn, so Mr. Turner reminded them that if they didn’t like how something was going, they had every right to make a change. The two then became the voices of the school radio, which other students responded to.
Another great lesson and episode of Boy Meets World is when Mr. Turner instructed his students to do a project on love and Cory and Topanga learned a valuable lesson on the reputations between the genders.
Mr. Turner Focused On Friendship
Another reason why Mr. Turner’s students adored him was that he had an emphasis on friendship. He knew how important the people they surrounded themselves with would affect their day-to-day. When it came to the bond between Cory and Shawn, Mr. Turner made them both realize how they needed each other to grow.
He proved to Shawn how much he needed Cory to keep him grounded and on the right path. He also taught Cory to be patient with Shawn and to get out of his comfort zone as Shawn did. In the episode where Cory was invited to a popular party but Shawn wasn’t, Cory went anyway despite Shawn’s feelings. Mr. Turner warned Cory about what would happen without Shawn’s support and he was right.
He Stood His Ground Against Feeny
As iconic as Mr. Feeny was, every teacher had their own way of going about things. And although Mr. Feeny had a lot to teach Mr. Turner about the education system, Mr. Turner stayed true to himself and independent from the others. He knew he had a special way of connecting to his students and was okay with being different from the rest.
Mr. Turner respected Mr. Feeny but didn’t need to conform to do his job. Because of Mr. Turner’s style of teaching and connection with students, many fans think he deserved a better ending in Boy Meets World than he got.
Mr. Feeny
He Never Lost Touch With His Students
It’s not exactly realistic that an educator follows their favorite students to every grade, school, and university, but Mr. Feeny defied the odds on Boy Meets World. In fact, some may say it was an outrageous arc in Boy Meets World when he followed Cory, Shawn, Topanga, and Angela to Pennbrook University. However, this proved how much he adored his students and admired watching them grow.
Mr. Feeny never had children of his own, so following Cory and his friends through adolescence and adulthood was his version of being a parent.
He Let Them Fail In Order To Grow
As much as Mr. Feeny adored (and, at times, loathed) his students, he had to allow them to fail to learn and grow. He did everything he could to help his students in the classroom but the true test was outside of school walls.
Mr. Feeny had been a teacher for a very long time, which meant he had seen and heard it all. He always knew when Cory was lying, and instead of saving Cory from harm, he typically said a charming quote and let it marinate for whenever he was ready. An example of this was when Cory lied about saving the school from a fire when it was actually him who started the fire in the first place. Mr. Feeny knew the truth but wanted Cory to come to the realization himself.
He Prepared Them For The Workings Of The Adult World
While Mr. Turner was fun and young, Mr. Feeny did everything he could to warn his students about the adult world. Since he traveled with them to Pennbrook, he was involved in the school’s assault trial between Professor Stuart and Topanga. He also touched base on the sad reality of body image and how everyone has insecurities.
Mr. Feeny knew he wouldn’t be around forever to protect Cory, Topanga, and Shawn, but the closest he could get was by teaching them how to respond to life’s unfair circumstances.
He Threw Perfection Out Of The Window
An ongoing storyline throughout the show’s entirety was Shawn’s home life. He was abandoned by both parents throughout his life, grew up in a trailer park, and was seen as the “bad boy” in school. In reality, Shawn was a sensitive soul who did the best he could despite his circumstances.
Mr. Feeny knew deep down that Shawn had the ability to be bright with a promising future, and focused on getting him on the right path. Some of Mr. Feeny’s quotes for Shawn will stick with fans forever. They were inspiring and non-judgemental. Mr. Feeny reminded his students that the perfect upbringing or home life did not exist and that they were in charge of their futures.
He Allowed A Change Of Perspective
As a teacher, Mr. Feeny showed his intelligence by switching places with Cory to show him how hard it was to teach. Cory was a good student but didn’t always give Mr. Feeny the respect he deserved. After a tricky class, Mr. Feeny told Cory he was the teacher for the week and Mr. Feeny would act as the student. This role reversal taught Cory tremendous lessons in respect, life, and education.
