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New history teacher, basketball coach ready for stint at Canfield
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Todd Muckleroy started a new chapter in his teaching and coaching career at Canfield High School this fall.
BY ABBY SLANKER
Todd Muckleroy, a 1992 graduate of West Branch High School, kicked off a new chapter in his teaching career this fall at Canfield High School.
Muckleroy teaches social studies classes at the high school, including 11th and 12th-grade Psychology and 10th-grade World History.
Muckleroy was also hired as the head boys’ basketball coach at the high school. Teaching and coaching in Canfield schools has been a goal of Muckleroy’s for many years.
“Teaching and coaching in this district has been a professional goal of mine for the last five years. The first day of practice is Nov. 5, but our Canfield basketball players who are not in a fall sport are working hard right now, as they are currently getting in shape for the season through weight lifting and running,” said Muckelroy.
“Just like the classroom, I also have goals for my players as well. In my opinion, coaching is another avenue of teaching and making an impression on a young student-athlete. When I was in high school, some of my best memories were in the three sports that I participated in (football, basketball and baseball).
“Now that I am getting a little older, I am not able to actively participate with the physical aspect that most sports demand. Coaching is the next best thing to playing and sometimes even better when you think of how rewarding it can be after a game or even a practice,” Muckleroy said.
Upon graduation from West Branch High School, Muckleroy attended Mount Union College and then transferred to the University of Akron to complete his degree in Secondary Education (concentration in Comprehensive Social Studies). In 2008, he acquired a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Walden.
Before coming to Canfield, Muckleroy taught for eight years at Streetsboro High School. He also taught high school Social Studies and was the head boys’ basketball coach for the last five of those years.
A coaching experience at West Branch helped Muckleroy get into the teaching field.
“In 1994, I had the opportunity to coach the eighth-grade basketball team at West Branch. The season went well, but it was there that I knew that I wanted to work with middle school or high school aged students. I also knew that I wanted to coach basketball, as that would be just another great opportunity to work with students outside of the classroom,” he said.
Muckleroy has many goals for his students, but has one universal goal for them.
“It is no secret that many high school students think history is boring. One of my goals as a teacher is to make the classroom a little more exciting for my students. I want my students to be equipped with many skills that will make them good students, but most importantly, great citizens of our future,” Muckleroy said.
Muckleroy and his wife, Marci, will celebrate eight years of marriage this November. They have three children: Zane, 6 and a first-grader at Hilltop; Abby, 5 and a kindergartner at Hilltop and Cecilia, 2.
“I know that it is not easy to be a coach’s wife, but Marci is very supportive and loves being in Canfield. One of our goals as a family was to be closer to family. With my wife’s family just an hour away and my family, who are in the Canfield area, it is a great fit,” Muckleroy said.