TEACH BORN TO

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE ARTS TEACHER OF THE YEAR EMILY JEFFORDS A STAR AMONG CHILDREN, PARENTS, AND COLLEAGUES

Emily Jeffords was the kid who came home from school to play school.

“I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher my whole life,” she said. “My mother was a first-grade teacher, and learning—not education—was at the forefront of everything we did. It seemed only natural to follow in her footsteps.”

Indeed, it’s clear the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as Jeffords’ commitment to early childhood education seems to stem from a place where a lifetime of learning and leading by example is at its very root. It’s an effortless and natural dedication inspired by a simple idea: that every child will learn in her classroom.

Jeffords, Hilton Head Island’s School for the Creative Arts 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year, shares that even from her earliest days as an educator—returning home to her native Florence, South Carolina after receiving an undergraduate degree from Clemson University—her primary goal has always been to help each child work towards their personal best.

“There’s magic in watching each child work up to their potential,” she explained heartily. “Some students need more assistance to gain skills while others are ready to excel and be challenged. It’s important to make connections to each student and their families so I better understand what they need academically, socially, and emotionally. My job is figuring out how to help each child thrive in a learning environment.”

This can-do attitude has certainly had a positive effect on Jeffords’ impressive 21-year career. Just a few short years after graduation, she was elevated to curriculum coordinator while still in Florence. Since relocating to Hilton Head Island in 2007 to join her long-distance fiancé and now husband, she’s worked in both the public and private sectors of the island, teaching Pre-K through third grade. Yet somehow, she always knew HHISCA was home.

“I was working on my master’s in administration while teaching at the Early Childhood Center and wanted more experience. While interviewing with Gretchen Keefner, the Creative Arts principle at the time, I was struck by how easy the conversation felt, like family talk. Gretchen was incredibly supportive of my master’s, and I fell in love with the hands-on learning approach which