The windows rattled when Mr. McDonnell boomed "Hello!" every morning to the students in the hallways. With the demeanor of a drill sergeant, he even frightened the senior football players who knew him only by sight. On my first day in Mr. McDonnell's English class, I honestly thought that he would kill English for me.
But I soon came to realize that my first impressions of Mr. McDonnell had little to do with the kind of teacher he actually was. …
