History teacher John Prothro has turned heads in the community for being one of the best history teachers in the Chandler Unified School District. With a plethora of awards including an Emmy,  Mr. Prothro continues to stay courteous and respectful.

Accomplished is only one of the many words that can be used to describe Mr. Prothro as a husband, father, and teacher. With a determined plan to one day become a husband and father (in that order according to Mr. Prothro), teaching was not what he originally wanted to pursue.

“I had planned in college to become a sportscaster. I had taken sportscasting classes and I had my own radio show and I worked at two T.V. stations in Los Angeles as an intern,” stated Prothro in a recent interview.

With the desire to become a sportscaster, there was always an itch for teaching that never left him alone.

“I thought I would teach for one or two years and then get back into the T.V. side of things, but my very first day of teaching, I got bitten by the bug,” said Prothro.

Thirty-two years later, the “bug’s bite” still has Mr. Prothro itching. Students who have had Mr. Prothro in the past could not agree more about the decision he made to become a teacher.

Junior, Angelica Hoffmann, had Mr. Prothro for her freshman World History course.

“Having Mr. Prothro as a teacher I feel like it gave me like a broader way, like he really pushed me to go out of my comfort zone,” said Hoffmann

This is only one student out of the heaps Mr. Prothro has had the chance to teach over the years. With every new year there are new students who get to experience the teaching style, and energy of the classroom that Mr. Prothro brings.

Not only do students notice his passion for teaching, but teachers as well.

Freshman World Studies and junior American History teacher, Shaundra Gutierrez has never had a one-on-one conversation with Mr. Prothro, but she has seen him at department meetings.

“I do not know him very well, but based on what I have heard from other students is he brings a lot of life and energy to the classroom and he seems very humble and hard-working,” stated Gutierrez.

At the end of each school year, Mr. Prothro’s positive energy stays with every student for the next chapter in their life. It is safe to say all of the previous students who had the tremendous opportunity to have Mr. Prothro as a teacher are grateful that the “bug” bit him on his first day of teaching 32 years ago.