LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Thomas O'Connor was nominated by an anonymous colleague.

Mr. O'Connor works with some of the most challenging students at his school. He takes students considered "at-risk" of not graduating due to a history of failure and a background of poverty, and turns them into passionate learners and scientists.

Mr. O'Connor began his teaching career last year at Cypress Lakes High School (a.k.a. "Cy Lakes). He immediately showed early signs of being a "Rock Star" teacher. Being a first-generation college grad in his own family, and growing up with many economic challenges himself, he quickly gained credibility with his students as someone who cared about their success in school and in life and could relate to their struggles.  He taught science with skill, passion and brilliance, but also focused as much of his efforts on teaching the "whole student."  He taught students how to overcome personal obstacles, identify personal strengths, and be honest about weaknesses. Mr. O'Connor took time to learn about their lives, and the sharing of his own experiences and stories truly resonated with his students. He instilled faith and confidence in them, and he went out of his way to not only differentiate his learning, but make it relevant for each student's personal story.

Many of his students struggle with attendance throughout the day, yet they somehow find a way to be present in his classes, reporting that "it's the only class that matters." Mr. O'Connor leverages this buy-in to encourage them in other classes and other areas of life. He teaches them that "showing up" is the first step to realizing their goals.

This year, Mr. O'Connor has agreed to take on the sponsorship of the Science Olympiad team, a UIL competitive student group that works together to solve various science challenges. This team's membership has typically been drawn from the "elite" students in upper level AP courses, but Mr. O'Connor has helped struggling students believe they can compete academically with the best of the rest.

As an educator, and a professional, you would never guess that Mr. O'Connor is in his second year of teaching.  He is a natural, and goes well beyond even the most experienced teachers in terms of lesson planning and reflection.  His skills in data-analysis are trully remarkable, using them to track individual student progress, diagnose problems, and design interventions that are specific to the student.

"Tommy has quickly endeared himself to our department and administration as a life-long learner who is always seeking out ways to grow in his craft and content knowledge through workshop and conference attendance, and as a positive influencer of our school's culture," said his nominator. "He is a cheerful and hopeful educator who really believes in all students, even the 'toughest nuts to crack.' This attitude, and the results that have followed, are infectious, and our Aquatic Science program has now become the largest of its kind in the district.  Students of all kinds are drawn to it, knowing they will gain not only a valuable high school science credit, but will learn valuable life lessons along the way, while having a lot of fun throughout the journey. Tommy is the definition of a LifeChanger, and I recommend him without hesitation."