It’s hard to not recognize everyone in a school full of so many faces, but one person everybody knows, is Mrs. Gunter.  Her helpfulness, personality, and caring nature for everyone at school shows through her dedication of being a substitute teacher and hopes of being a full time teacher.

When Mrs. Gunter was in high school, she only wanted to be two things: a wife and a mother. Straight out of high school, she decided to earn a degree in liberal arts and education, but things went off course. Mrs. Gunter quit going to college to fulfill her dream of starting a family. She has four sons: Seth, Ian, Patrick, and Sean. She worked part-time at American National Bank and while her kids were growing up, she worked in Human Resources. During the times she was not working, Mrs. Gunter would make ornaments and jewelry for craft shows to make Christmas money.

While Mrs. Gunter was staying at home to raise her children, she decided to start being a substitute teacher at local schools. In total, she has been subbing for seven years at five schools: Twin Springs, Stony Mill, Brosville, Tunstall Middle, and Tunstall High School. Now, she is the long-term substitute for the life planning and independent living classes. “In here, you’re teaching kids how to do everything from getting along in life, to help decide on colleges, their career paths, how to get a job, and how to do well,” said Mrs. Gunter. She enjoys working in this type of class because of her previous work in Human Resources. “It’s basically teaching them how to be good adults and how to choose a good future.”

Over the years , Mrs. Gunter has substituted for her own children’s classes. Her sons have not always enjoy having her as their teacher, because she is harder on them than anyone else in the room. The expectations her and her husband have for them are set high, so she holds them to their standards in class. “I know I’m hard on them, but I know what we’ve taught them, so I expect them to show me,” said Mrs. Gunter.

After subbing for many years, Mrs. Gunter decided to go back to school to complete her college education to become a full time teacher. Mrs. Gunter has always wanted to teach Social Studies, but her recent time spent in Family and Consumer Science classes has sparked a new interest for her. She now attends Grand Canyon University, which is an online Christian college, to earn her Bachelor’s degree. “I love, love, love it,” she said.

The school’s activities and students play a big role in her life. Mrs. Gunter is a huge support for all of the kids here, whether it be helping in their studies at school or being a cheerleader at athletic events. “You guys have got a school spirit that I have never seen before,” said Mrs. Gunter. She has supported her sons in their band and sports involvement over the years and continues to do so with all of the students.

Mrs. Gunter ‘s love and passion for the Tunstall community shows through her devotion to the staff and students. She says that she has made some of her best friends in the staff here and that she is thankful for how good everyone is to her. ” Mrs. Gunter helps us keep a consistent learning environment and can do just about everything,” said Mrs. Harper, “she’s our Jack-of-all-trades.”

She describes the environment here as a true family group and she enjoys working with all of the students. “It’s not like anybody is truly ever on their own. Everybody is behind each other and helping each other out. It’s just something I’ve never had before.”