We all have that one teacher whom we remember as being the toughest, most tenured teacher of them all. You know the kind I’m talking about; that teacher whose classes were always the most quiet because no one dared to speak unannounced and disrupt the teacher in the middle of his lecture.
It’s the kind of teacher who doesn’t aim to be his students’ friend, because his purpose is greater than that. His purpose is to make sure students leave his or her class knowing more about the world than when they stepped in.
In the case of the students at Francis High School in California, that teacher is Jim O’Connor, a strict match teacher who also happens to be a former Vietnam veteran. His students know better than to put his patience to the test, but that doesn’t mean the war veteran doesn’t also have a soft, caring side to himself.
In fact, believe it or not, the man spends most of his time outside of school as a TLC Volunteer at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles where he cuddles and comforts sick infants. People are surprising, aren’t they? Watch the video below to learn more about Jim’s story and his work at the hospital:
