When Jeffrey Nafie, who teaches social studies to tenth through twelfth grades at Crater High School in Central Point, was still in college, he made a solemn vow that he would never bore his students. To him, the classroom is a stage for students and teacher alike, a place to explore an learn, but also a place "to try on dreams without fear." Mr. Nafie's imaginative and original interactive methods involve students directly, helping them understand and remember complex material and ideas. Mr. Nafie thinks that a teacher's work is not all about making knowledge exciting and meaningful; a responsible educator cannot allow academic obligations to override the need to help heal what Mr. Nafie calls "the hollow spots in the hearts" of so many young people. The important thing, he believes, is to strike the proper balance between academic and human demands. "I hope they remember me as a compassionate teacher who actually taught them something," he says. In 1993 the Oregon Council for Social Studies named Mr. Nafie Oregon Social Studies Teacher of the Year.
1975 University of Nevada - Reno, B.A.
