2022 Kansas Master Teacher Sarah M. Hoff

“I like to tell stories to make things more enjoyable, or funny, for students who may not enjoy history. The hard-to-reach students are interested in something – even if it’s not history related.”

Hoff uses a teddy-bear factory industrialization simulation and a Hershey Kisses-fueled kingdom with students actively involved in the dynamics leading to the French Revolution. As a student puts it, “(Hoff) is up-and-down, moving around, charismatic, and actually entertaining.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree in History from Southwest Minnesota State University in 2002. In 2005, she earned an endorsement in ESOL and then a master’s in 2010, both from Fort Hays State University. In 2020, Hoff was selected as a James Madison Fellow for Kansas, allowing her to work on a second master’s degree in American History and Government from Ashland University (Ohio).

Hoff began her teaching career in 2003 at Dodge City High School and has taught courses in World and American history and ESL social studies.

“Teaching is more than just teaching facts; it is leading by example to show students how they can make an impact in the community, state, and nation in big and small ways,” she states.

“She teaches her students to think critically of what happened historically and to analytically determine the impact these events still have on our nation and world today,” one of Hoff’s former administrator’s writes. “She attracts students to her courses that other teachers are unable to. The respect she has for her students is profound – and it comes back to her tenfold.”

“The majority of the students she serves come from low income, minority homes, where the students are the first generation to graduate from high school and attend college,” a colleague states. “The impact she has made on her students and consequently their families and our community is beyond any explanation I can put in writing.”