Popularly known around campus for addressing students by their last names, AP World History and World History teacher John Prothro has been teaching for a total of 40 years now. His seemingly endless career as a teacher began all the way back in 1980s California as an elementary school teacher, following that- his career at Willis Junior High, and then eventually Perry. 

Prothro shared his favorite part about seeing students grow throughout his years of teaching, “Seeing them [students] realize their potential, that they are able to succeed without the teacher looking over their shoulder. When the student is ready to say “I’ve got this Mr. Prothro,” Im Satisfied.” For him, he knows he’s done a job well when a student has built their confidence in themselves. He prepares his students for success following a simple acronym, “The Five P’s” the five P’s being, “Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.” This acronym helps students to, as the acronym describes, properly prepare themselves for tests and assignments in his class.

While his focus in previous years at Perry have solely been AP World History, this year Prothro took on the challenge of also teaching on-level World History. 

Sophomore Hailey Hunt shared how Prothro helped her to enhance her freshman experience, stating, “I was able to feel confident because I knew that Mr. Prothro felt confident in all of us in our class..” Prothro has a lasting impact on his students, and whether they took his class last year, or seven years ago, it’s unlikely they forget about his teachings. Prothro shared, “Anytime a student returns and says they remember something positive that they did in class, that will always bring joy to my heart.” His teaching is not something that many students forget. His classroom is an incredible learning environment that allows students to thrive.