Proper, hard-working, inspiring are only a few words used to describe history teacher, John Prothro. He has taught now for 32 years and has yet to lose any passion for the work he does, calling all his students by their last names as a sign of the respect he has for them.

As said by junior John Nazi about this one-of -a- kind teacher, “I have only known him a short time; he has taught me many lessons for inside and out of school and many values inside and out of school as well.”

Mr. Prothro, a modest man grew up in California and lived there most of his life. He went to University California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he took classes to become a sportscaster; he had his own radio show along with interning at two TV stations in Los Angeles. Though that was young Mr.Prothro’s dream, he knew he had “teaching in me” as he had previously worked in classrooms and as a camp counselor. Believing that he would only teach for a year or two, but as Prothro has said, “My very first day of teaching, I got bitten by the bug and here I am 32 years later still teaching.”

Carmen, Nancy, Desmond, Christian, and Nora are only a few of the students from his first class as a teacher. After 32 years Mr. Prothro has not forgotten the names of the students, that goes to show the passion and the care that he has for not only his job but his students.

As Junior Roni Sims discusses her sixth hour teacher, she smiles at the memories of Mr. Prothro, as Sims puts it, “Map Teaching” and the passion he had for it. Involving students by getting volunteers to go to the front and act out the lesson.

Also his telling of goofy stories about college and many stories from his 21 years of teaching elementary school.

Mr. Prothro, though may not realize it himself, is an inspiration to his students. By pushing his students to be the best they can be not only inside school walls but outside them as well. Mr. Prothro also actively tries to relate and find common ground with his students by telling them stories. He has always loved history because he thinks of  moments in history as stories being told. “Everyone loves a good story” Mr. Prothro had said

Mr. Prothro has won multiple awards for his teaching along with being apart of a Emmy winning documentary about the history of the Chandler Unified School district. Most recently he has been nominated for Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year.

All this because he is not just a history teacher, he is a story teller.