Guthrey named top MHS teacher for 2005

History teacher and track and field coach Kyle Guthrey has been named the 2005 Outstanding Teacher of the Year for the Marshall School District. His quick actions also saved the life of one of his athletes earlier this year. [Click to enlarge]

Kyle Guthrey began his teaching career later than most teachers. But, if you were to ask him, the life experiences that he gained while working in other fields have better prepared him for the job that he has been doing for two decades now.

Guthrey, a history teacher and track and field coach at Marshall High School, is the 2005 Outstanding Teacher of the Year at the high school level in the local public schools. He said the honor is a dream come true, but the real honor was not in winning the award but the appreciation he has for the person who nominated him.

"The person who nominated me for the award, Dave Nelson, I thought it was an honor coming from him," Guthrey explained. "He is one of the best. He is one of the finest history teachers I've ever seen and for him to nominate me, I thought that was an honor."

Guthrey, who teaches American and world history to freshmen and juniors, is an MHS graduate himself. He also comes from a family of teachers, so his current career is only natural.

"I have been teaching for 20 years here. After college, I was drafted and went into the U.S. Army for two years and I spent a year in Vietnam. When I came back, I was a hog buyer for Wilson and Co.," he said. "I farmed for six or seven years after that and then I started teaching when I was about 35. That's one thing I think I might have on some of these other teachers. I think I'm a little more patient with some of these kids because of some of the experiences I've had in other areas in life."

Guthrey said that after his experiences working in other fields, he was excited when the possibility of becoming a teacher was presented to him.

"I started substituting here one winter when the farming got kind of slow. My brother Charles was an administrator here. He said that he needed substitutes and I just I enjoyed it," he said. "I loved it. I subbed that entire winter and another teacher retired that summer. Bruce Brock, who was the [high school] principal and superintendent at that time gave me a chance. When they gave me a shot, I said, 'If I'm not doing the job you think I should be doing, I'll leave in five minutes.' That was 20 years ago."

"I teach probably 75 percent of the time," he explained about his philosophy of being a teacher. "Twenty-five percent of the time I'm being a counselor a friend and a listener. Some kids have problems and a lot of them work, so you've got to be in tune to what's going on in their lives."

Guthrey, whose wife, Cassandra, is a teacher at Bueker Middle School, said the wait before beginning his teaching career was definitely a good thing for him.

"My wife and I raised four kids of our own," he said. "When I started teaching here I was glad that I waited because I could relate to kids better. I'm really here for the kids in any way and I just enjoy coming to work."

Guthrey, 57, said his short-term goal is to teach at least five more years and possibly longer. He also credited his family and Brock for giving him the impetus to grow into and get better at his career in teaching.

"I got a lot of encouragement from my family when I started," he said. "The staff here and the history department is very supportive and Bruce Brock was also very supportive when I began."

Guthrey also said his greatest pleasure from teaching comes when he sees some of his former students at various places around the community.

"When I see former students and they come up to me in the grocery storeand talk to me about something good that happened to them while they were in my class, that's what makes it all worthwhile," he said. "My wife is my soulmate and she's still going to school for another degree, so I admire her a lot. We're a good team and she still encourages me to this day."

Contact Eric Coley at

marshallfaith@socket.net