We All Have a Story, Kyle and Mike Suffoletto: Rochester, NY Portrait Project

A father once told his son not to follow in his footsteps. “Go into computers,” he said. “It’s a booming industry and you’ll make a lot of money.” The father, Mike, was right, but the son, Kyle, chose to major in English and secondary education, mostly because, though he would not admit it then, he wanted to be like his father, who began teaching middle school reading in Webster in 1975. Mike taught and coached in Webster for over thirty years, but it was his last year before retiring that Kyle was hired as a high school English teacher in the same district. “Make sure you wear a tie every day,” Mike told his son. And Kyle got a briefcase, too, as his father always carried one. Shirt pressed, tie straight, and briefcase in hand, a name was soon passed down. It is hard to say when the name originated, but it was not a chosen name. Staff and students affectionately referred to Mike as “Suff;” it did not take long for them to do the same with Kyle. 

As Mike retired from teaching, his influence only increased in the district as he successfully ran for the school board, later became its president, and eventually became the president of the Monroe County School Board Association. Kyle continued to follow. He became the lead teacher for the English department and currently teaches AP Literature and Composition while also coaching soccer and tennis.

It is normal for fathers to want better lives for their sons, whatever that better may be. But sons should be so lucky to have fathers that they want to become. So it goes that a father had a son, and the son became the father, for they are one. And they are and will always be One Webster.

Kyle Suffoletto

ELA Teacher

Webster Thomas High School

Mike Suffoletto

Retired Reading TeacherWebster

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