Ozzie Tollefson attended a one-room country school from first through eighth grade. He was raised on an 80-acre farm in northern Minnesota by his Norwegian mother, who saw five of her sons go off to war. Mr. Teacher, though a work of fiction, draws heavily on Ozzie's experiences growing up during World War II. Ozzie is retired after 48 years in education, 15 as a classroom teacher in New Jersey, and 33 years as a touring assembly program performer. Using his background in teaching and theater, he produced and performed educational programs on a number of subjects, including dinosaurs, whales,