<human>: My Grade 12 English teacher, Mr. D, taught me to question my beliefs and to think for myself. He wasn't exactly a [John Keating] type, but he had a profound influence on me that I am thankful for to this day. Being raised in a religious family, I followed what others said (especially my parents). But I was fortunate enough to have a great teacher in high school who opened my mind to the wonder of the world. 

Over my high school years, Mr. D and I discussed everything from science to politics to religion. Seeing how ignorant I was, he even burned me some copies of Hitchen's "God is not great", Dawkin's "The God delusion" and Harris' "End of faith" (don't worry, I later went and purchased some copies for my library). And that was it, the curiosity bug bit me and I've been on a journey towards knowledge and enlightenment ever since, thanks to a high school teacher I once had. 

**So, have any of you had similar experiences? Who has had the greatest impact on you so far?**

P.S. I still keep in touch with Mr. D to this day (I've been out of high school for more than 6 years now - I know I'm very young still). He's retired now (which saddens me that kids won't get to learn from him), but he keeps busy by publishing some of his artwork and ideas in an [online blog] He also has some really interesting [graphic novels in case anyone wants to give them a read]

Provide a brief overview of the text.
<bot>: My high school English teacher had a huge influence on me and helped me become an independent thinker. Do any of you have similar stories? Who has had the greatest influence on your life so far?