VIDEO: Ozzie Guillen to Students, ‘School is Your Job’

Ozzie Guillen says he remembers when Midway Airport had one runway.

The White Sox manager also recalls growing up in Venezuela with only one TV in the entire town. Once a week, the boys in his hometown of Ocumare del Tuy would watch wrestling on Saturdays.

While Guillen's success in baseball now allows for several TVs in his home, he has decided to keep TVs and computers out of his children's bedrooms.

"You have distance from family then," Guillen said, referring to when family members isolate themselves by watching TV and or using a computer. "You sit there in the room for hours and hours and hours. You don't enjoy going out, don't enjoy being with your parents. Always busy."

Guillen's glib and direct use of words gets attention — almost as much as his record as White Sox manager, which includes the 2005 World Series championship. But that headline-drawing bluntness drove many points home about gratitude, hard work and necessary sacrifices made, even in the seemingly insulated life of a professional athlete, during his visit to High Point Elementary School in Orland Park on Friday.

"I learned how fortunate we really are compared to what he grew up with," Tim Houston, an 11-year-old 5th grader, said about Guillen's visit.

Matthew, father of High Point 5th grader Hannah, won a contest through Aquafina and Chicago radio station B96 for Guillen to visit the school. Part of the winnings included a visit to Hannah's class, taught by Gail Bodenheimer.

"The kids in class all started jumping and screaming," Hannah said about the reaction when Bodenheimer's class found out about their visitor. "Everyone was just really excited."

Bodenheimer, who has taught for 32 years, said it was the "best day of my career."

Guillen regaled Bodenheimer 's class about coming to the U.S. at age 16 without knowing how to speak English, the differences between American schools and Venezuelan schools, and how he actually enjoyed being sidelined for an entire season with a serious knee injury after colliding with Tim Raines.

"People thought I was going to be miserable because my life was baseball, but I was excited," Guillen said. "I had a chance to take my kids to school. I got to see them for a year, take them to games. It was the first time I could just spend time with them."

Guillen's visit to Orland Park coincided with the passing of Cubs player-turned-soulful radio announcer Ron Santo. Guillen said Santo's death affects many people involved with baseball.

"When you talk about Ron Santo, no matter if (you're a) Cubs fan, Sox fan, St. Louis Cardinals fan, you talk about baseball," Guillen said. "It's kind of sad because this guy, a lot of people were rooting for him to get into the Hall of Fame. It should be a sad day for everyone. But it's a great day to miss a guy that did everything not just for the Cubs, but for baseball, period."