When South Decatur High School opened its doors to the new school year last week, freshman weren’t the only ones experiencing the hallways for the first time.

Recently appointed social studies teacher Amanda Pfaff brought her unique perspective and eagerness to teach to the classroom on her first day to the job she believed she was meant to have.

Pfaff was born in Sullivan, Ind., and grew up in Willow Branch in Hancock County. She attended high school at Eastern Hancock where her father was a principal. But her genetic predisposition to teaching doesn’t end there.

“There’s a huge family history in the field of education,” Pfaff explained.

Her grandfather was a teacher and administrator too. The Pfaff dynasty includes not only teaching but coaching and sports instruction as well. She spent much of her time in high school participating in sports like volleyball, basketball, track and cheerleading.

Before she went to college, Pfaff thought about seeking a career in sports medicine. But she quickly found herself disinterested in the difficult math and science classes that would lead to that career. At the same time, she was cadet teaching. That program gave her the opportunity to work in the classroom with students and to learn from the teacher.

“Teaching was always in the back of my mind,” she said.

While cadet teaching, Pfaff experienced her epiphany. The first time she saw a student really grasp and understand what she was teaching, it clicked for her.

“It was a natural high,” she said.

After that, she thought that becoming a teacher was something at which she could excel.

“I thought, maybe I’ll give it a go,” she said.

Pfaff graduated in May of 2007 with a teaching degree in high school social studies from Franklin College, a school Amanda calls “the Harvard of the Midwest.” She then began looking for jobs. It wasn’t easy though, as social studies is often one of the most highly competitive teaching fields.

In March, she began responding to interested school corporations. At the end of April, she was notified that she had been offered the job at South Decatur. This year, she will be teaching government and U.S. history.

But Pfaff didn’t arrive at social studies by chance.

“It’s in the family, it’s a family position,” she explained. “I grew up in a social studies house.”