New teacher hopes to inspire

Inspirational teachers is all it took to spark an interest in education for Renae Gifford.
“I had a lot of inspiring teachers in school,” she said. “I wanted to give back and inspire others as well.”
Gifford is a new addition to Iola High School. She will teach English for sophomores, a reading concepts course for a semester at Crossroads and a semester of creative writing.
She grew up in Hutchinson and graduated from Hutchinson Community College with an associate of arts degree and then received her bachelor’s in English secondary education at Emporia State University. It was at Emporia where she met her husband, Nathan.
Gifford took on the role of stay-at-home mother until 2004 when she began substitute teaching. She and Nathan have five children ranging from 3 to 15.
She began substitute teaching in Burlington long-term and became a paraprofessional for two years. She taught full-time for one year in Southern Coffey County. For the last two years Gifford was the learning facilitator at Coffey County Academy of Learning, an alternative school.
USD 257 seemed to be the perfect fit for Gifford.
“It had several things I was looking for and a supportive administration,” she said. “I also always wanted to try block scheduling,” where students take different subjects on different days, much as at the college level.
So far, the supportive environment has held true, Gifford said.
“Everyone has been helpful,” she said. “They are willing to help out and offer materials.”
Gifford will teach the required classics like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Night” but hopes to teach a few of her favorites like Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel, “Fahrenheit 451.”
Some of her favorite authors are Dean Koontz, Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth.
“Just like any teacher I would like to see the students grow and read more and enjoy reading,” she said. “I also want to touch their lives and inspire them to become better people.”
Stories are a big part of Gifford’s life. In her spare time she likes to read, watch television shows or movies.
The Gifford family resides in Burlington and Gifford makes the long trek to Iola every day. Her oldest daughter will be joining Gifford at IHS as a student. Nathan is a photographer and owns a game business, Hornet Games.