Col. Chris French is our most recent Excellent Educator.
Col. French's students say he leads by example, and treats them as if they're his own kids.
He has been teaching leadership at Bixby High School for five years through the Marine Corps JROTC program.
He calls this program "character building with a military theme", and admits it's a job that he's loved every minute of.
French Tells us, "I love the kids, and that's why I do it", and the kids love him.
Whitney Walker, a Bixby Senior, says "he doesn't want to see any of us in trouble or anything, he leads us to where we should be".
Another Bixby Senior, Jay Cothron, tells us "he has set an example that I want to follow in leadership throughout my whole life. He's been tough on me at some points and he's really driven me to become a better person".
Col. French says it can be tough being a kid these days, with social media and everything that brings with it.
Which can in return bring challenges into the classroom, but he says learning is a two-way street.
French says, "I've learned to be a better person because of them, but to brag on them, we've won the state drill championship for 3 years in a row.
Because of their experience here, should his students choose a life in the military, they'll receive an automatic promotion when they graduate bootcamp.
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