Educator Barbara O'Connor Inspires Future Teachers During TOT Presentation

Distilling the essence from her long career as a principal of many schools, including serving as founding principal of the Orange County School of the Arts, Barbara O’Connor modeled passion in her talk with the Teachers of Tomorrow (TOT) club members in the Education Building on Tuesday, April 28. An undergraduate at UC Irvine, Ms. O’Connor also earned her teaching credential here and is presently a doctoral candidate in the UCI/UCLA Joint Ed.D. in Educational Administration.

At the request of TOT Activities Chair Rachel Holland, who hosted the meeting, Ms. O’Connor responded to questions about the hiring process for teachers. Her hour-long presentation was packed with pertinent anecdotes detailing application, interview, and hiring procedures. She described how she, too, began her professional educational career looking for a teaching position under very challenging circumstances; her persistence was rewarded, and, much to her surprise, by the time she was thirty, she was a principal.

Having seen the teaching profession from all sides, Ms. O’Connor “told it like it is,” in her clear unequivocal manner. For future use, she distributed a packet of invaluable information that she had prepared that will help Teachers of Tomorrow club members as they prepare for the next stages in their careers in Education.