Faculty Spotlight Q&A with Mr. O'Connor, '06
Mr. O'Connor teaches religion to juniors and seniors.
Faculty Spotlight Q&A with Mr. O'Connor, '06
Every year here at Farrell, we always see new staff who are eager to bring their own style of teaching to whatever class or program they are teaching. The thing we want to answer here at The Lion is: What are these new teachers like? What did they do before Farrell? Why did they choose to teach at Farrell?
These questions and many more are always pondering in the heads of Farrell students, and we aim to answer that question with a new member of our faculty, Mr. Ryan O'Connor, '06!
Graduating from Farrell in 2006, Mr. O’Connor joins the faculty as a member of the Theology department, teaching junior and senior Religion courses. Mr. O'Connor teaches students how to grow closer with God while also teaching them morals.
Mr. O’Connor took time out of his busy day to speak to The Lion to discuss his past and why he wants to teach at Farrell. We thank him for his time!
We heard you have a background in politics. Can you discuss that a bit?
I majored in political science in college. I developed an interest at Farrell. I worked for [former Congressman] Michael Grimm by walking into his campaign office asking for a job, and I just got one and moved to Washington, D.C. to work in congressional office for a few years.
What was working for Congressman Grimm like? What did you do there?
I worked in the district office. I helped with immigration, natural disasters, etc. In Washington, D.C., I dealt with press communications.
What was your experience in Washington like?
It’s a soup bowl of politics. People don’t realize the effect of politics in their lives but it’s very proficient.
Mr. O'Connor spent a number of years working in politics before transitioning to teaching.
Why go from politics to teaching?
I went into politics to help solve world problems. However, I began to realize that the problems in the world weren’t due to a lack of action, but a lack of knowledge. People were moving in the wrong direction, so I wanted to educate people so maybe some of these smart kids will do good things for the world one day.
How is Farrell different now from when you went here?
Now, Farrell has more technology and nicer things, such as this new lunchroom that we’re doing this interview in. There is also a new administration system. When I was here, we never had the Principal & President system. I think now that we have that everything runs a lot smoother. Mr. Musanti was still a dean when I went here. He taught chemistry as well, which he still does today.
Something that I like about the changes Farrell has made is how they keep the traditions of all the older things, but they keep up with the times at the same time.
The Lion is Monsignor Farrell's student digital newspaper. To read more articles from The Lion, click here.