MEET DON LYLE ¢â‚¬â€�a Vinton resident and retired teacher who spent more than four decades creating nurturing environments for students and student-athletes.

Don Lyle ¢â‚¬â€�known to most in the community as ¢â‚¬ËœMr. Lyle ¢â‚¬â„¢ ¢â‚¬â€�is the thirteenth nomination to the Family Nurturing Council ¢â‚¬â„¢s Faces of Benton County campaign. Mr. Lyle was nominated by Eighth Grade Science Teacher Lindsay Gallo.

¢â‚¬Å“[Mr. Lyle] is a retired [Vinton-Shellsburg] teacher, but continues to coach and volunteer his time with student athletes ranging from elementary to high school with sports clinics, refereeing, weight lifting, etc., ¢â‚¬ � Gallo wrote on Mr. Lyle ¢â‚¬â„¢s nomination form. ¢â‚¬Å“He also [supports] students by attending various extra-curricular functions throughout the year. ¢â‚¬ �

¢â‚¬Å“Mr. Lyle really cared about all of his students, even the ones who weren ¢â‚¬â„¢t necessarily ¢â‚¬Ëœgood ¢â‚¬â„¢, ¢â‚¬ � former student Shane Monaghan, now a college graduate, wrote of his Eighth Grade Math teacher. ¢â‚¬Å“And for those of us who weren ¢â‚¬â„¢t really great students, I feel that by not turning his back on us, he contributed more to our successes than anything else he could have done. ¢â‚¬ �

¢â‚¬Å“I always wanted to identify as a teacher first, ¢â‚¬ � Mr. Lyle said of his role both in the classroom and on the field. ¢â‚¬Å“The classroom was first ¢â‚¬â€�I was always well prepared. ¢â‚¬ �

Mr. Lyle retired from Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District in 2017 after 46 years in the classroom ¢â‚¬â€�the bulk of those years spent teaching Mathematics. He also coached middle school track, middle school girls ¢â‚¬â„¢ basketball, and high school football.

¢â‚¬Å“Active kids make better learners, ¢â‚¬ � Mr. Lyle said. ¢â‚¬Å“Middle school is really about the kids ¢â‚¬ ¦there ¢â‚¬â„¢s so much going on in their heads, their brains are not completely developed ¢â‚¬ ¦a lot of nurturing needs to be done. ¢â‚¬ �

¢â‚¬Å“I like to help people ¢â‚¬ ¦that was my first strength. ¢â‚¬ �

Mr. Lyle grew up on a farm near the town of Keota ¢â‚¬â€�the oldest of three boys. He attended the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in Mathematics and Physics. Long before he got his teaching license, one of Mr. Lyle ¢â‚¬â„¢s first experiences coaching/mentoring was as a helper for his younger brothers ¢â‚¬â„¢ Little League team.

¢â‚¬Å“I was too old to play, so the coach asked if I would help out ¢â‚¬ ¦I would help with catch, batting practice. I watched the coach work ¢â‚¬ ¦.but I ¢â‚¬â„¢ve never had any guidelines on how to [mentor]. ¢â‚¬ �

In retirement, Mr. Lyle stays away from the classroom, but has continued his work as an assistant football coach.

Asked why he spent so many years teaching at the middle school level only ¢â‚¬â€�a particularly tricky time in adolescence ¢â‚¬â€�Mr. Lyle explained: ¢â‚¬Å“By the end of the year, they appreciate you [as their teacher] ¢â‚¬â€�my job was to help them make it through. ¢â‚¬ �

Thank you, Mr. Lyle, for being an everyday hero and a force for good in our community!