There are several new instructors at Fort Scott Community College this year. This is part of a series to feature them.

Classes start on August 12.

Sara Holder,  44, is a new Fort Scott Community College Nursing Instructor. She will teach at the Burke Street Campus.

She is a graduate of William Jewell College in 1999 and has emergency room, same-day surgery experience, and has worked as a school nurse.

Her hometown is Kansas City.

Holder has been married to Bret for 22 years and has two high school-age students:  Jet, a senior, and Kate, a junior.

In her spare time, she loves to watch her children compete in sports.

” I also love to decorate,” she said. ” My family serves veterans and actively fights against human trafficking.”

She was inspired to be a nurse  “by all the excellent nurses I have worked with over the years,” she said. “I want to teach nursing students to be like them.”

For Holder,  the best part of teaching is encouraging students to become safe, compassionate, caring nurses, she said.

What is the greatest challenge for her?

“The transition from being an expert nurse at the bedside taking care of patients for over 22 years, to a brand new instructor in the classroom teaching nursing students,” she said.

Rachel Stauffer, 40, is the new biology, anatomy, and physiology instructor. Her office and classroom are in Bailey Hall.

She earned an associate of applied science in veterinary technology from Maple Woods Community College, a bachelor of science in animal science from Missouri State University, a master of science in education with an emphasis in biology from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and a specialist in education in educational leadership from Arkansas State University.

“I have taught middle school and high school science for 12 years,” she said. ” Most recently I taught biology, dual credit biology, and anatomy/physiology at El Dorado Springs High School.”

Her hometown is Stockton, MO but currently resides in El Dorado Springs, MO.

“My husband Matthew and I own a small cow/calf operation outside of El Dorado Springs,” Stauffer said.  “My daughter, Macy, is active in 4-H and FFA showing cattle and goats. My son, Marshal, is also active in 4-H and enjoys showing cattle and pigs.”

“Following my kids to their activities and helping with the farm, in addition to teaching, keeps me busy,” she said.  In addition, she has served as a county extension council member, president of the local teachers association, and a 4-H leader.

She found she enjoyed educating people while working as a veterinary technician.

Several people inspired her to teach.

“I have been blessed to have some great teachers and mentors as I have grown as a teacher and person, Stauffer said.  “I had a fantastic high school biology teacher that inspired me.”

The best part of teaching for her is connecting with students and helping create an interest in science, she said.

“I like to find things that apply to their everyday lives and help them to understand those concepts better,” Stauffer said.

The greatest challenge in teaching is the current pandemic.

“Right now the greatest challenge facing us all of the uncertainty with COVID, she said. “Plans often need to be re-evaluated and changed week by week as the situation unfolds.  It is up to us to try to maintain a routine for the students and provide them with an excellent educational experience.”

Kimberly Boyer, 52, is a new Fort Scott Community College English Instructor.

She earned a  masters of arts in English from Emporia State University; a bachelor’s in education, 7-12 grade language arts; and speech communication from Chadron State College, Chadron, NE.

She has I5 years of experience teaching high school English, speech, and drama, most recently at St. Patrick’s Jr./Sr. High School in North Platte, NE. She was also the play production director and speech coach there.

For the past three years, she was a full-time writing lab assistant at Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte, NE.

Her hometown is Stapleton, NE.

Her family includes her husband, Bud, ” Who is continuing to run our ranch and trucking business in Nebraska.” They have three daughters, Brianna, Jennifer, and Nikki.

Outside of her job she loves to garden, listen to audiobooks, and bake.

She has been a judge for speech and play production competitions in Nebraska for the past 15 years.

“I attended small one-room country schools for most of my elementary school years…and was inspired by those teachers and originally intended to teach elementary school,” she said.  However, she became involved with speech and drama and decided to teach high school so she could coach these activities, settling on a language arts career.

When her daughters began taking dual credit and online college courses in high school, she decided to pursue a master’s degree and search for a job in higher education, she said.

The best part of teaching for Boyer is getting to know the students and watching them succeed in the classroom or extra-curricular activities, she said.

In a previous job, she was able to work with traditional, non-traditional, and international students in the writing lab, student success center, and library, Boyer said.  “I loved being able to show all these students how to improve their writing and research skills. However, I am looking forward to the opportunity to have my own classroom again.”

The greatest challenge in teaching for Boyer is engaging students who are in the class because they have to take English, she said. “However, English courses are more than just learning how to write complete sentences or organizing an essay. It involves critical thinking, research skills, sharing of ideas, and learning how to communicate effectively in several modalities.”