Thomas Jefferson High School tutor and teacher, Liz Buffington, has a motivating perspective on education and a person’s ability to influence others.
Social Problems Teacher Liz Buffington. Photo by Kiera Classen
Buffington’s story begins in San Diego, California. Born and raised in Cali, Buffington says she had a nice childhood. “My younger sisters, Ashley and Kate, and I were really close, and we still are,” said Buffington. However, when she was only at the age of three, her parents decided to split. By the time her fifth birthday rolled around, Buffington’s father had remarried.
Any child with divorced parents might find themselves relating to the way Buffington felt when she lived in two households. “It was difficult for me; there were always two sets of rules.” Buffington also found herself having to work really hard in school. “For some reason my sisters were always really good in school; they got all A’s. It was really frustrating for me because my little sisters picked up things faster than me. I would always have to try harder just to get a B and sometimes even Cs,” commented Buffington.
Even though school was a challenge, it soon became a positive outlet for Buffington. “I would have to say my favorite memory from when I was little was in the ninth grade. That is when I finally started to like school. I realized that it was a place where I could just be myself. There weren’t two different sets of rules, like at home. It was a place just for me, and I started to grow. Once I started liking school, my teachers started to praise me, not because of my work, but because they could see me growing.”
In her junior year of high school, Buffington and her family started a new chapter of their lives when they packed up and moved to Denver, Colorado. Her mother had remarried and her new husband was offered a job in Denver. Once settled in, Buffington began her studies at South High School.
Graduating high school with flying colors, Buffington headed off to the University of Colorado at Boulder, the college of her choice. She majored in Sociology and Communication and minored in Ethnic Studies. While at CU, Buffington began her first job. For three and a half years she taught adults how to use computers. “I taught them about the new technology and how to use it. They were new to the computer so it was my job to give them a perspective on technology and how it helped with their job.” While teaching, she worked in the Department of Housing and was the department trainer.
After teaching for the adult audience, Buffington decided her true calling was in social justice and teaching younger students. To fulfill this new goal, she went back to school at Metro State College of Denver, where she received her teaching license in Social Studies.
Buffington has always had a passion for social justice. “I think that social justice is so important because it is a nice mixture of sociology and ethnic studies. I believe it is a way to fight for everyones’ rights and a way to affect what is good for everyone, not just one person.”
With her new goal and teaching license, Buffington found herself with a student teaching job at Thomas Jefferson High School. In 2007, she began working beside – and learning from – Social Studies Teacher Linda Estlund. When Buffington soaked up all the information she could, she didn’t want to leave TJ. “TJ is such a great school. Everyone can find a group where they belong and friends that are into the same things. I think of TJ as a huge family and a place where kids can discover who they really are.”
Buffington has had a major impact on TJ since she started in 2007. When she first started, Principal Sandra Just asked Buffington if she would like to start a tutoring center. “It was a small little room by the library. Now, Ms. Vann and I were able to expand the center and it is great to watch it grow,” said Buffington, with a proud smile on her face. Room three is now the location of the Spartan S.H.I.E.L.D., which stands for Spartans Helping Individuals Excel, Learn, and Develop, where Buffington offers her helping hand. The S.H.I.E.L.D. is a place where students can go to get extra help with schoolwork and also complete their credit recovery. During second, third, and sixth period Buffington tutors her students.
Another class that Buffington picked up last year is Social Problems. “This class is my bread and butter of the day. I love being able to teach students that the choices they make not only affect them, but everyone around them. It is so satisfying when I see a student decide to make their own decisions and say how they feel in front of the class, and then the other students get ‘light bulbs’ and think that they should just be themselves.”
Clubs are also on Buffington’s Thomas Jefferson resume. The Gay Straight Alliance and Smart Girls are her clubs of choice. “I really like helping the clubs because you can also see these kids grow. I think the Gay Straight Alliance, GSA, club has really been influential to the TJ community. The club has made TJ more aware and I like watching them affect their school,” says Buffington.
Outside of school, Buffington spends time with her college sweetheart and husband, Jeff. The couple is also parents to two young children, Oliver (six years old) and Delyla (three years old). “On the weekends I love spending time with them. We go swimming, go to soccer, and snow shoeing in the winter.” The children also share the same passion for TJ, and always want to go to work with their mom. “Oliver always tells me, ‘Mom I am going to come to your school when I’m older so you can be my teacher,’” Buffington said with a giggle. “They always ask to come to school with me and I try to bring them to events.”
Buffington says she couldn’t be happier with her job at TJ. “I feel like I really relate to the kids I help because I struggled so much with school when I was their age. The one piece of advice I have for students is to never give up. You may have to try a different way, but never give up.”
