GALION – Everyone has had at least one “great teacher,” the type that has a true passion and love for teaching and a genuine spirit of caring for his students. Mr. Bill Stepro is one of the “greats,” touching the lives of hundreds of students over a 50-year career in the Galion City School District.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Miami University at Oxford, Mr. Stepro was recruited to Galion to join the staff as a junior high school history teacher in the fall of 1968. In 1980, he was transferred to the high school, a move which he’s glad he made.
“Moving to the high school was a great move,” said Stepro. “My excitement for moving had nothing to do with the students. I loved the junior high students, but I didn’t love the way they rearranged the building and made it an open concept with no doors.”
He has been a member of the social studies department, teaching a variety of history and government classes at both the junior high and high school levels. During his time, he always set the expectation for achievement high for his students regardless of their dedication to their studies.
“Despite not being a very dedicated student at the time, Mr. Stepro cared for me and I knew that because he had high expectations for me,” said Elementary School Physical Education teacher and Galion alum Matt Tyrrell. “He taught me the best way to love your students well is to have high expectations for them, a lesson that I have tried to carry with me in my career as a teacher.”
“Mr. Stepro treated students with respect and wanted each student to succeed but would not be afraid to poke fun at students in ways that would challenge them to be better,” said Addison Zeisler, a 2015 GHS graduate. “I remember Mr. Stepro saying to me, ‘Ms. Ad, you believe in women’s rights? Carry the projector to the library.’
“He knew I wouldn’t be able to resist that challenge, and even though it was heavy and I thought I might drop it, you bet I didn’t ask for any help! He definitely always pushed us to do more than that of which we thought we were capable.”
“You knew going into Mr. Stepro’s class that it wasn’t going to be easy; that he was going to make you work hard and learn,” said Primary School Intervention Specialist and Galion alumna Meghan (Kuns) Tyrrell. “He expected your work to be completed and correct when you turned it in on time, and obvious wrong answers were often met with a swift smack of his cane on your desk.”
“He made sure that everyone would participate in class and ensured that everyone was following along and paying attention: if not he would surely call you out on it and get you to start,” said Clair Erlsten, a 2015 Galion alumna. “One thing that I really enjoyed was that he would not simply lecture to the class: rather, he would participate and discuss during the class with students.”
“Mr. Stepro treated every student with the same respect and he expected the same from every student,” said Primary School teacher and Galion alumna Sarah (Flowers) Wegesin. “I wanted to try hard for him because I knew he believed in me and what I was capable of, and he wasn’t afraid to hold you accountable but did it in a way that you never wanted to let him down.”
“Bill had a way of creating a very challenging environment but was always sincere and honest in his delivery,” said Gary Frankhouse, a 1989 Galion graduate. “He demanded your engagement yet respected each student for their unique talents.”
Memories of Mr. Stepro being a great storyteller, surprising his students dressed as a historical figure and his ability to encourage students are several of many from former students.
“He was like having a personal tour guide through the history books with all the added behind the scenes scandalous details,” said Meghan Tyrrell. “It was not uncommon to come into Mr. Stepro’s class to find him dressed as a past president or other historical figure, and a scaled, functional model of a guillotine on his desk was completely acceptable.”
“I know that he has personally written thousands of notes of encouragement to students during his 50 years of teaching in Galion,” said Matt Tyrrell. “I even know he writes notes to students who he has not had in class, such as those making All-A honor roll. This exemplifies Mr. Stepro’s ability to cultivate a special connection in a real way with all students.”
“I have received text messages from Mr. Stepro every finals week since starting at Kent State, wishing me good luck and encouraging me to keep pushing through,” said Erlsten. “I believe this truly resembles how much he cares about the success of his students not only while he has them in class but farther in the future as well.”
If you ask Mr. Stepro what’s kept him going through five decades of teaching, he’ll tell you it’s one thing: the students.
“Back in ’68 the students were great, despite not knowing what I was doing back then,” said Stepro. “They could have caused all kinds of trouble, but they didn’t, and I still communicate with several of those students today.
“The students today could go crazy because their teacher’s an old guy in a wheelchair, but they don’t. They’re all good kids and I appreciate that.”
One of his former students called on Mr. Stepro for his assistance and expertise while in college, and Bill didn’t hesitate to help.
“I remember calling him up during college to see if he had some time to sit down and talk over the material I had on an upcoming final exam in Modern World History class I was taking at OSU,” said Galion High School teacher and Galion alum Brent Tyrrell. “He invited me over to his house that night, and that discussion helped me ace the final exam.”
While there are countless recollections of fond memories like this from his thousands of former students, Mr. Stepro has a difficult time identifying one that captures his attention.
“There’s been so many people who have been so nice to me and done so many things for me that I can’t single out one,” said Stepro. “I think still being in contact with students over the years, having places to stop and visit students when we go on vacation, former students texting me pictures when they go to Washington, DC of the monuments. That’s neat because it shows that they remembered something from class.”
“Mr. Stepro is one of a kind,” said Matt Tyrrell. “It’s hard to put into words exactly how he does what he does, but his dedication to his craft both at a knowledge level and relationship level is unlike any that I have ever seen – he’s the best!”
“He would make us learn things until we couldn’t forget, and then he’d make us learn them again,” said Zeisler. “He loved to talk about England and would always say, ‘you WILL go there someday and you WILL see this or that.’ I liked that he always talked with this hope for the future equally for everyone.”
“There are so many people with so many memories and stories that it could fill an entire World History book,” said Frankhouse. “The one thing about Mr. Stepro that has stuck with me is give 100 percent toward the career path you have chosen and be innovative in the way you pursue that passion.”
