Joe Boyle was nominated by his colleague, Katie Peters.
Mr. Boyle's a husband, father, teacher, writer, Browns fan, and a light, both inside and outside the classroom. His light shines brightly.
At work, Mr. Boyle teachers high school history. He has taught top-tier scholars and kids who struggle at the most basic level. He finds equal joy in both. Mr. Boyle's an ardent proponent for learning history in order to shape the future, and he takes students on the journey with him.
"He single-handedly researched the names of every single soldier to die in the history of our area and assigns each student their own soldier to research," said Peters. "The students not only research their soldier's military service, but who they were, what they enjoyed, and what their families were like. Through this process, although learning historical facts, the kids really learn the lesson Joe has wanted all along. We are all more alike than different, and the human experience bonds us and connects us in a way that should also protect us."
His light shines brightly.
Mr. Boyle's students come back in droves to see him, talk with him, and sit with him. They're anxious to learn whatever morsels he has for them and soak up every second they can in his rays. His message never changes: don’t be afraid to live out loud. Fight for those whose voices aren’t as loud. Include everyone. Cherish small moments. They never forget his words because…
His light shines brightly.
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Boyle writes fervent stories for a local publication. Every story is woven with identifiable commonalities to bring people together, uniting us in fond memories from childhood or common life emotions. He implores people to find the good, stick with honesty, and revel in traditions.
His light just shines so brightly.
Mr. Boyle has long outlived a predicted terminal cancer diagnosis. He taught through his illness, even though it meant coming straight from painful appointments nearly two hours away. His heart drives him even when his body fails him.
And that light shines brightly.
Mr. Boyle has stood with wealthy celebrities and famous athletes, but prefers to sit with the broken and destitute. He has traveled the world, but he would much rather talk to you about the kid from right up the block, who was gunned down in enemy fire during the war.
His light shines so brightly.
"I can’t think of a single person who has impacted more, given more, or impacted humanity bigger than Joseph P. Boyle," said Peters. "His light has led the way for thousands of young people to find their own path, and that light has been the difference."
Joe has alway been an amazing young man. He is a great example for all his students.
I met Joe through his mother. I have read his articles in the paper. He is a phenomenal writer. I have seen assignments he has given his students and wished I could be in his class. I have seen how he has taken the diagnosis of cancer and use it to benefit others. He is an amazing man who will live on through his students for generations to come.
To say Joe is inspirational is to underestimate him!! His love of history and dedication to detail is amazing! He truly LOVES for his students to experience history, not just read about it. I never liked history when I was in school (long before Joe became a teacher), but can only imagine how many of his students will have a lifelong love of the subject. He's not just a Lifechanger of the Year, but a Lifechanger of the CENTURY!!
This man is one the most passionate and inspiring individuals I've ever met. He gives the students he teaches the best of himself everyday. I would be willing to bet that the majority of students that have had Joe would say he's by far the best teacher they've ever had. Joe is just an all around GREAT man, not just a teacher!
Joe Boyle is a marvelous educator, a man of many talents. He is an inspiration to everyone that knows him. He can wrestle an alligator with one hand while conducting a symphony with the other. That may not be entirely true but if you know what he has managed in his life you know the above task would be no big deal for him.
Mr. Boyle, my dad, tirelessly works in and out of the classroom, while raising 3 kids, a chihuahua, and fighting cancer. Over the years my siblings and I have gained many “new siblings” because my dad calls all of his students “his kids” as well. Throughout the years, we have had the pleasure to get to meet many of them, and they respect and adore him just as much as his own kids.
Working with Joe Boyle is an inspiration. He is equally loved by students and coworkers. His passion for life for his students as individuals and for teaching have been a beacon for me when I've been in those moments where I feel like what I do isn't making enough of a difference, or just feel overwhelmed. When you look at all that he's done and is still accomplishing every day, it's easy to think he would be almost intimidating, but nope. He's unfailingly approachable, warm and kind. He is so eager to go out and do the next thing, all the things, and share those things. I can't say I know him well, but I am absolutely honored to know him at all
I personally don't know Mr.Boyle,but he has taught almost all of my nieces and nephews at Rogers. I've never heard them say anything bad about him. In fact he's had huge impact on them and even inspired my niece Sami become a teacher.
He is such an inspiration! need more teachers like him!
Oh Mr.Boyle! If I could describe him in a few words I would say, passionate, resilient and genuine! I actually never had him as a teacher but he did help me pass My OGT with his pow wow class packed OGT review sessions that were for everyone! One interaction made me feel like I was just as loved as one of his actual students! He is hardworking and puts his all into anything and everything he comes across. He has a way of leaving lasting impressions on those he comes across. Such a stand up guy! I love you Mr.Boyle c/o ‘11 #Ramsforlife??
Mr. Boyle is definitely a life changer. He has inspired my son (John Sr.) and I, too be the best that we can be because we have watched the strength that this man exhibits. We love you and we cherish you and the life that God has granted you to give to us.
I enjoy reading his articles in The Bowling Green newspaper. His research assignments for his students on local Veterans is amazing.
Mr. Boyle, my dad, works tirelessly in and out of the classroom. I might be his real kid, but he refers to all of his other students as “my kids” as well. Over the years, we have welcomed over a 100 students over for coffee or dinner, and they respect and adore him just as much my siblings and I!!
I was privileged to be the granddaughter of one of the soldiers honored by a student in Joe's class. My grandfather served and perished in World War 2. This service provided by a young Waite student under Joe's passionate guidance served as the only true closure my family received. He has taken on this unbelievably meaningful cause to not only teach the history of the world, country and city- but to invite his students to live it. An amazing father, he has the three most wonderful children who along with his wife raises them with as much passion for education as his students receive. I see him as a loyal, maybe a tad bit crazy, of every pro team that Cleveland has to offer. The lesson of loyalty even makes me want those darn Browns to win, if for no one else, but for Joe. His light does shine ever so brightly- if anyone should be honored by this award - it most definitely, should be Joe.
Joe is incredible! He is so deserving of this award
Congrats Joe on your nomination. You have faced every pitch that has been delivered to you with an amazing amount of strength, courage and faith. Keep up the good work. Well done.
In the face of adversity -- whether through cancer, work, or personal related -- Joe is the eternal optimist. One becomes a better person in his presence: learning and listening to him explain lessons/his perspective of history or government; his experience as teacher/mentor/journalist; his wry sense of humor, his gratitude of life he has led and the life that is still yet to lead. Rather than feel sorry for himself, I see him channel that energy into helping and serving others -- inspiring, nurturing, cheering on students, colleagues, friends. Joe Boyle is one in a million and I am honored to call him friend.
Joe, you are an inspiration - you always give more than 100%.
Because of Joe Boyle, this world is a better place.
We need to clone him a million times
I have had the pleasure and honor to work with "Captain Joe" at Rogers High School, and through our years at Rogers and our mutual love for the Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers, we became friends. When you meet Joe, you see what an inspiration he is. He has been through a lot, no matter what Joe is going through, he always has his inspirational smile on. Through Joe we all are learning how to become "game changers"!
Joe has been a friend of the family for many years. I admire his perseverance and commitment to teaching history and honoring those that served in wars from the Toledo area. His light does shine bright!
Joe never fails to instill a love of learning and a passion for investigation upon every student he comes in contact with! A true blessing for all of humanity!
Joe is a true beacon of inspiration to students and colleagues alike. He always lights up the hallways with his smile and quick wit. He is a joy to work with, and his fellow colleagues all know how lucky we are to work by his side. His light shines fiercely bright.
This seems like a good time to repurpose a Facebook post I wrote a few years ago, talking about a person I deeply admire.
I admire Joe because he has tremendous journalistic instincts, and the skills to match. He was one of the elder statesmen on the staff of the campus newspaper when I got to Bowling Green State University, and our tenures only overlapped by a semester. But in that time, I was able to see a guy with an abundance of talent for the business. After he left the paper, but before he got out of school, he set up his own online journalism operation -- this at a time when such a thing was virtually unheard of, particularly from a college student.
I admire Joe because after a few years in the journalism profession, he walked away from a career he was seemingly made for in favor of one he was definitely made for. Joe became a social studies teacher at an inner-city high school. As he himself says, "it was impulsive. It was insane. It turned out to be my calling." Through what Joe himself has shared of his methods, and from what I've seen written by many of his former students, I know that he is a *tremendous* teacher. He finds ways to make learning history fun, challenging, and worthwhile to the teenagers of today.
I admire Joe because he's a damn good photographer.
I admire Joe for his strong faith, which he expresses freely but never in a manner that suggests an absolute "rightness" or superiority over those whose beliefs are not as strong, or even completely different.
I admire Joe because he's one-half of what appears from the outside to be a model marriage. I don't say "model" to suggest perfect, but rather one that any of us would be well-served to emulate. Through Joe's own words, it's plainly clear how much he loves -- and appreciates -- his wife, more than 25 years after they met.
I admire Joe because he is an *outstanding* father. I've met his kids, and seen him interact with them. An off-the-charts level of mutual adoration is obvious. One of the things that makes Joe a great dad is the effort he puts into unique activities with his kids that will provide lifelong memories, whether it be an alphabetic photo tour around town or a video re-enactment of a Star Wars scene on a snowy day. And he was doing this long before, well, see the next paragraph.
I admire Joe for the attitude he has shown and the approach he has taken in the face of a frightening cancer diagnosis nearly a decade ago. Every step of the way, he has documented his fight for all his friends to see. He doesn't promise things he knows are out of his control, yet his updates are marked by a tone of unflinching optimism wrapped around unadulterated honesty, sprinkled with liberal dashes of humor. And he has stubbornly refused to allow his health to dictate the terms of how he lives his life. If, God forbid, any of us are called upon to face the challenges that Joe has, he has given us a road map for how to do so.
And I admire Joe because he conceived of, planned, and completed the Winter Soldier Marathon. If you're seeing this, you probably already know the story. But if you don't, google Joe Boyle Marathon and click on as many of the relevant links as you can. It's a great story.
I’m proud to have Joe as a colleague and as a friend. He is an outstanding educator and person, and he is truly doing what he was meant to do. His enthusiasm has inspired many students to love history and become lifelong learners. Joe is very deserving of this award.
I cannot adequately describe the respect and admiration I have for Joe’s passion for teaching, for students, for life. He is a humble, quiet leader to every person who has shared his orbit in any way. His humility only adds to the power of his example. He will never know how many ways people look to him as a beacon. Not only is he unaware, but something tells me it would actually make him uncomfortable. And that is what makes him one of the great. He is who he is and does what he does not for recognition, but because it’s truly who he is as a person. To see Joe win this award would be not only amazing, but it would just be fundamentally right! I’m blessed to be his colleague.
Joe does so much for his students, Toledo, BG- all of Northwest Ohio! We are fortunate he continues to choose the life of an educator.
I've been out of school for twelve years and I still think about how Joe Boyle changed my life! (Thank you) & his courage and strength is profound! No one is more deserving of this!
Mr. Boyle was the inspiration behind me becoming a teacher. He was the go to teacher if you wanted to pass the Social Studies OGT. My senior year, Mr. Boyle was diagnosed with cancer for I believe the first time. And instead of just leaving and taking care of himself (which would have been totally normal). He recorded himself teaching the remaining content, so that we would be prepared for the AP Government test. He made me enjoy social studies in a way I have never before or since in any other class. I aspire to live up to his greatness as a teacher. I love Mr. Boyle! Thank you so much!
I’m so grateful to have got to learn so much from such an amazing teacher. You are truly one of a kind ??
I've been out of school for twelve years and still think about how Joe Boyle changed my life! (Thank you) & his courage and strength is profound. There's no one more deserving!
Joe Boyle is the teacher you wish you had in school, as well as the teacher you hope your children have in school. He has the rare ability to speak to an entire classroom of children and yet make each child feel like he is speaking to him or her directly. His hands-on approach to history engages even the most reluctant student, and he empowers the students to use those skills in their other classes as well as in their lives. He is, by far, the best educator role model I’ve seen.
I have basically grown up with Joe. He always has a great story and always a smile! Your family at Nettle Lake has your back and will always be cheering you on! You so deserve this!!!
Joe is the most deserving person I can think of! He truly goes above and beyond in everything he does.
I have had the honor to work with Joe the past few years. He is one of the best educators that I have ever known. As Katie has so eloquently stated “His light shines so brightly”!
Mr. Boyle is an assets to any student that has him and also bring light to anything he touches.. The knowledge that he gives is more then just the classroom.
I could not be prouder to know this guy. In a world of darkness, this dude is a BEACON of light!