A teacher at Fort Scott Middle School resigned in August and USD 234 had a fifth-grade teacher request to transfer to the middle school, creating a 5th-grade opening.
Tiffnie Spears is the new fifth-grade teacher at Eugene Ware Elementary School in Fort Scott.
Tiffnie Spears, 29, graduated from Fort Scott High School in 2009 and graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications in 2013, then received her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Western Governors University in April of 2020.
“I was born and raised in Fort Scott and, as soon as I graduated from Wichita State, moved back home to be near my friends and family,” she said.
” I was able to do my internship hours with Mrs. Malone in the Fall of 2019 and did my student teaching with Mrs. Stepps this past Spring semester.”
She has been married to her husband, James, since 2011 and they have a 4-year-old son named Jacoby.
“My family loves to travel and our goal is to get Jacoby to as many states as possible before he graduates high school,” she said.
How did you become an educator?
“There wasn’t much that got me as excited than seeing my son, niece, and nephews grow and learn new things so I just knew I needed to go back to school to be a teacher. I was torn between following through with being a communication major or an educator so going back to school was a pretty easy choice.”
Did someone inspire you to teach?
“It was my son who inspired me to teach. After Jacoby was born, I knew I wanted to not only help him to grow and learn every day but to have a positive impact on as many children as possible.”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“The ‘Ah-ha!’ moments are the best and most rewarding moments for me. Being able to see the positive impact you’ve made in helping that student succeed means everything.”
What is the greatest challenge in teaching?
“Starting my first year in the classroom during COVID-19 has so many obstacles but the students are doing so great with the changes we are all being faced with.”