Thompson Goes to The Head of the Class
When GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Jason Thompson (Patrick) heard he was trading places with a first-grade teacher as part of ABC’s FANtastic February, he wasn’t even a tad hesitant. “I was excited. It was a perfect fit for me, because I love being around kids,” smiles Thompson, who eagerly took the reins of Jamye Wolff‘s class at W. T. Elementary School in Irving, Calif., while Wolff flew to Los Angeles to learn what it’s like to be a daytime actor and surgeon. For Thompson, it proved to be an unforgettable day.
Soap Opera Weekly: Was life in the classroom a bit more difficult than life on the soap set?
Jason Thompson: Let me say it was definitely different and an amazing experience. The kids were so sweet, receptive and welcoming. I had such a good time. I spent about four or five hours with them, and they were great. I was definitely part of their daily routine. I didn’t just sit back and watch them.
Weekly: Did you meet with the teacher before taking over her class?
Thompson: Yes. She came to the office and introduced herself when we (Thompson and FANtastic February host Bob Guiney) first got there. She told me that we were going to go through the regular curriculum — read a couple of stories, go to the library, then go to lunch.
Weekly: What was it like actually teaching these kids?
Thompson: It was so much fun, because they were so smart and so sweet. We did this calendar thing, where they take off this little velcro day of the week and put up the new day. It’s how they learn the months and days of the week. I helped them with that. Then, I read with different groups. I also read to the whole class a little bit. I sat down and gave Charlotte’s Web a go. I tried as well as I could with the voices. I don’t know if it was good or not, but they seemed to be listening. I didn’t see too many fall asleep. Afterward, we went to the library, and I helped pick out books with them.
Weekly: How was lunch hour? Did you go to the cafeteria?
Thompson: Yes. We all went to the cafeteria together. The kids were like, “What are you going to get?” They wanted to eat whatever I was eating. I ended up having a hot dog. With every bite I’d get up and switch seats, so I could sit with everybody. It was so funny, because once these kids got comfortable with me, they wanted to be around me the whole time. They’d fight for position to sit beside me. At one point, we went outside to take a picture and there were all these little 6-year-olds swarming around me. It was so much fun. They made me feel like I was friends with them.
Weekly: Did the kids say anything that made you laugh?
Thompson: Well, I’ve never heard “Mr. Thompson” so many times in my entire life. It almost caught me off-guard. They were like, “Mr. Thompson, come over here.” “Mr. Thompson, help me with this.” “Mr. Thompson, read me this.”
Weekly: If the acting thing all goes away one day, would you consider becoming a teacher?
Thompson: Well, I’ve always enjoyed kids. Even when I go to charity events at children’s hospitals I love being around them. Kids are the most inspirational thing in the world to me, and I have all the admiration in the world for teachers, because they’re not doing it for the money. They’re so underrated within today’s society. You know that they’re there because they feel like they’re making a difference and kids look up to them. They’re not doing it for the paycheck. They’re just great, great people.
Weekly: Was it hard when it came time to say goodbye to these children?
Thompson: When we were leaving, one of the kids yelled out to Bob, “I know you don’t live here, but I still care about you.” And this one little girl started crying. She was holding onto my hand so tightly it was heartbreaking. Bob and I were like, “Oh, my gosh! These kids are killing me.” It was really hard to say goodbye to them. I had to walk out and take a deep breath.
Weekly: If the opportunity ever arose to do this again, would you?
Thompson: In a heartbeat. This was easily the most rewarding [public appearance] I’ve ever done. I went to the Indy 500 and to Nashville for the Country Music Awards, but this was so fulfilling and fun.
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