Jerry Guttman, a business education teacher at Manheim Township for almost 40 years, has retired as of Friday, November 20. Her work has played a massive role in the business department at the high school, where she taught Intro to Business, Typing, Entrepreneurship, and Accounting I, II, & III. Guttman also coached Varsity Girls’ Cheerleading and the PowderPuff tournament at MTHS.  

The variety of courses Guttman taught at Township have had a significant impact on the some 4,000 students that have taken them. “Mrs. G has taught countless students the language of business. The transition from high school to a college business school was seamless from the knowledge I learned from Mrs. G.,” says Stephen Gingrich, a former student of Guttman’s. 

Over the years,  Guttman taught Gingrich’s uncle and his two younger brothers including Henry Gingrich, a junior at the high school. “Mrs. G has been very influential to me and my family… We thank her for her endless support and her efforts to inspire students,” said Henry. 

She served as a mentor to not only her students, but also to her colleagues. “On a personal level, she was definitely a mentor to me when I was a new teacher at the district eight years ago. She spent countless hours helping me become the teacher that I am today,” said Steven Brenner, an accounting teacher in the high school.

Her efforts were not only contained to the classroom. At the invitation of the superintendent, she designed both the Bluetique and the Entrepreneurship course to go with it. Students in the class had complete control over the operations and management of the store, with herself and Sean Burkhart serving as supervisors. The store, which is still located in the cafeteria, launched in 2010 and was successful for eight years before it shut down due to a lack of student interest stemming from a ban on selling gum and candy.

Having taught at Manheim Township for the entirety of her career, Guttman has had the unique opportunity to see the growth and development of both the school district and business education as a whole. “I have seen concepts and beliefs come full circle and repeat themselves… I remember when I returned in 1996, not even knowing how to turn on a computer, and now I am finishing my career teaching in a dedicated computer lab,” said Guttman. 

Julie Frey, another business teacher, said in her farewell speech to Guttman that,“Jerry was always seeking out new ways to keep her students engaged in learning and was always excited to try new technologies…and became the Schoology guru even before we knew how to pronounce it correctly.” 

Guttman’s retirement comes during uncertain times, with the coronavirus pandemic heavily impacting the school district and the country as a whole. Though she planned on retiring at the end of the 2020-21 school year, she did not feel that she could teach in person during the pandemic. She gives the following farewell to her now former students and colleagues at MTHS, “I never imagined that I would have to end my retirement in these current conditions.  I have always loved Manheim Township, the students, my colleagues, and what it represents.  It was bittersweet when I had to say goodbye to my kids, but in the words of Winnie-the-Pooh, ‘How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.’”

“So I will simply say thank you Manheim Township, stay safe, stay healthy, and I will miss you.”