Teacher of the Year Once ‘Fat Boy’ Who Nearly Flunked Out
A Minnesota English instructor, a self-described “fat little boy” who was the son of alcoholic parents and who nearly failed in school, today was named the 1986 National Teacher of the Year.
Guy Doud, a teacher for 11 years at Brainerd (Minn.) Senior High School, was selected from among the nation’s more than 2.5 million public school teachers.
At the White House, President Reagan presented Doud with a crystal apple.
“I am a teacher because of teachers,” Doud, 39, said at a news conference. “They showed me that someone else than my mother could love me.”
Doud, who once ballooned up to 300 pounds (he now weighs 180), said a teacher convinced him he would make it through junior high school. He said another teacher helped him to appreciate English, even though he nearly flunked that class in seventh grade.
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