Quality Faculty

Kaufman, an English instructor, joined the SFCC faculty in 2005. She is co-advisor of the Alpha Lambda Omega chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and serves on numerous committees.

Kaufman, of Sedalia, received a Master of Arts degree in English (writing) in 2004 from the University of South Dakota. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Education in 2000 from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio.

Prior to coming to SFCC, she taught as an adjunct writing instructor at Defiance College and as a writing instructor in a summer TRiO math and science initiative program at the University of South Dakota.

She has received numerous awards of excellence in English, and established the first public library, the Kaufman-Orso Public Library, in Kumba, Cameroon, in July 1999.

In her nomination essay, Kaufman said teaching and learning have a symbiotic relationship.

“My role as an educator is not to teach students how to regurgitate what it is that I want to hear,” she wrote. “My role as an educator is to teach students how to think—not what to think. To do this within my classrooms, I must build a community of learners willing to interact with one another, to push each other to ask deeper questions, and to remain open-minded to the various responses.”

Kaufman wants her students to embrace their own learning, take responsibility for their personal growth, and begin to see that the world is their classroom and they simply have to interact with it.

“I design my courses to meet the needs of my students, but I have high expectations for what my students can accomplish,” she said. “I want my students to see the connection between their learning in the classroom and the community in which they live, so I design assignments and activities that provide opportunity for this connection.

Prior to coming to SFCC she taught English and social studies in the Green Ridge R-VIII School District and worked as an oncology secretary at Bothwell Regional Health Center.

In her nomination essay, Wirt said her goal is to provide students with the knowledge and experience they need to accomplish their life goals, and to feel confident in their ability to do so.

“I enjoy working with students, encouraging their creativity, and boosting their self-confidence to become the great leaders of our future,” she said. “To see a student light up with a spark of enthusiasm and self-confidence is one of the most wonderful feelings that can be experienced as an instructor.”

The Student Government Association gives the Instructor of the Year and Adjunct Instructor of the Year awards annually. Selection is based on nominees’ quality of instruction, contribution to SFCC, essays about their careers, professional development activities, and length of service in education.