Indian Hills Middle School is pleased to announce Katie (KT) Buffington as our 2021-2022 teacher of the year. From the start, KT has made an incredible impact on our students and on our faculty. She is an incredible teacher, an unwavering advocate, and a strong spirted person who does amazing and enviable activities outside of teaching.
KT Buffington is just plain good when it comes to teaching as students will attest. “Miss Buffington is an amazing teacher that understands her students. I love coming to class every day because she makes you laugh and knows how to help you out.” She is truly an exceptional teacher. “She is funny and generally awesome.” Her real-world examples, down to earth attitude, and incredible intellect all combine to provide an experience in her English Language Arts classes that is second to none. As one student said, “Miss Buffington is an awesome teacher. She understands what students are experiencing at school and makes class fun.” KT teaches with an attitude and expectation that propels students to dig deep and think beyond their own experiences. She continues to have high expectations for all students, then provides support to help them reach the expectation. “The way she teaches engages the kids in the lesson and if someone has a question she will help them all the way through it.”
Miss Buffington builds a strong community in her classroom while advocating for individuals to express who they are without reservation. “I think that Miss Buffington should be teacher of the year because she is supportive outside of academic purposes. She knows and supports that we are kids who have a life outside of school. We have discussions about things besides just school. She teaches me great things academically, but also teaches me how to be a better person.” She is about the student, who they are, and how they can grow into the best each person has to offer. She has a classroom that promotes and expects diversity, inclusion, and acceptance of all students. As one student simply expressed, “She makes the school feel safe.” KT continues to take a whole-child approach to learning and allows students to challenge their own thinking and expand their experience.
Outside of school, KT has some unique athletic interests. She is serious about strength training, often chasing a new personal best in multiple lifts. Her passion for being strong, both physically as well as mentally is inspiring. She also is a member of a roller derby team, posting her event notices for all to see and participate in this sport, and she is tough! After spraining her knee during a roller derby match, she hobbled around school for a couple of weeks as she healed and proudly showed off her severely bruised knee. She also inspires others in the sport by being a roller derby coach who has had a tremendous impact on those she coaches. One parent, and fellow district employee says that she is an incredible coach and that her daughter adores Miss Buffington as a coach. Her impact is spread far and wide, that is why we are proud to announce KT Buffington as our Teacher of the Year for the 2021-2022 school year!
The school would like to thank our community for nominating so many wonderful teachers at Indian Hills Middle School. The school received 22 nominations this school year.
The Indian Hills Middle School Community
