When students see their teachers, they typically see their work ethic, their classroom management and their desire to help kids succeed. Students may not see their altruistic efforts or their personal passions. Scott Kniefel is one West teacher who leads an exceptionally selfless life; as a foster parent.

Mr. Kniefel has been happily married to his wife, Kathryn, for eight long years. What makes this couple unique is that they are foster parents. All together, there are currently eight children living under their one roof. Three of the eight kids are biological children, three are foster kids and one of them is adopted. The oldest one of the biological kids is attending West.

Being a foster parent comes with a lot of responsibility. There are many different things parents have to do in order to meet the guidelines of becoming a foster parent. The Kniefels attended a two-week training course to learn about the rules and regulations. Taking classes every year is required as well because they have to recertify to make sure that they are still qualified. They have to make sure their house is safe and pass the home safety check, which includes double-checking that the smoke detectors work, the kids must know where the fire extinguishers are located, and the extinguishers must be a certain size.

Also, they had to go through a criminal background check. “You have to meet qualifiers and safety things that most people don’t even pay attention to, “ says Kniefel. As a parent you always want to make sure that your kids are safe. Kniefel has to do the most and go through a lot to make sure that he is eligible to be the great foster dad that he is.

Kniefel has been working at West for a total of nine years. He teaches English 1, English 2, and Digital Composition and coaches wrestling. Something else that is pretty cool about him is that he sells food and drinks in his classroom all day long. He has a giant fridge that has a variety of delicious snacks to choose from.