Liz Gifford moved to Haines from Juneau where she had been living for two decades and recently teaching at Floyd Dryden Middle School for about five years. She taught Spanish, language arts and social studies in both of Juneau’s middle schools.
Gifford, who has her master’s degree in teaching, started with an undergrad degree in anthropology in Oregon. She said she found her way to a passion for outdoor education when she moved to Alaska and got a certificate in Outdoor Education from the University of Alaska Southeast.
She has made a career out of educating people – often outside. Gifford has been a wilderness guide, a photography instructor, a sea kayak instructor and a yoga instructor, among other things.
Now, new to Haines and the school district, Gifford said she is settling back into the classroom and excited to teach social studies to high school students.
“I love that I get to teach Alaska history again,” she said. “I love place-based education and nature-based learning.” She points to Klukwan and Tlingít elders in the community as a huge asset in the place-based education and learning in the Chilkat Valley.
“We have the beauty of this place, the history of this place, the culture of this place,” she said.
Her first trip to Haines was two decades ago when she visited for the bald eagle festival.
“Every time I come to Haines, I feel like I’m on the edge of the wilderness,” she said. “It’s the real Alaska, between the mountains and the ocean.”
She said she’s excited to meet other people in town who are connected to the land and a sense of themselves in it. Gifford loves to ski and also has an affinity for living near and being on the water. “When I was moving here, I thought ‘do I bring [both of my] kayaks and my paddleboard?”
Gifford has been teaching all over Alaska and the world, in Tracy Arm and Denali, Antarctica, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica. Now, she is excited to land in Haines.
“I’ve been so fortunate to travel the world for the last 12 years, but it doesn’t compare to the deep connections you make when teaching in a community,” she said.