Terry McConnell is a former school librarian, social studies teacher, special education worker, and track and cross-country coach. His career as an educator spanned forty years, most of which were spent at a high school near Route 1 in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, Virginia, where he also lived for many years.
Over the decades, McConnell worked closely with thousands of students and became intimately familiar with the trials and tribulations they face in the classroom, the hallways, and beyond. He witnessed firsthand the tolls bullying, substance abuse, and dysfunctional relationships take on young lives-and so, too, experienced firsthand how guidance, encouragement, and learning can help turn things around. As a school librarian, he conducted numerous book clubs with students and gave book talks to motivate them to read and discover the ideas and skills needed to confront life's challenges head on.
