Katie Hardin

Katie Hardin is a Middle School Teacher specializing in Social Studies at Spring Valley School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in History with a Minor in Anthropology and a Master’s in Secondary Education: Social Studies from the University of South Alabama. With over ten years of teaching experience, Katie has taught US History at BC Rain High School for two years, spent five years teaching 5th grade at Knollwood Christian, and is now in her fourth year teaching 6th and 7th grade Social Studies at Spring Valley.

Katie holds a Class A Alabama Teaching License in Secondary Education and has received accolades such as the Howard Mahan Award for Outstanding History Undergraduate in 2010 from the University of South Alabama, graduating summa cum laude in graduate school and magna cum laude in undergraduate studies. She is a co-coordinator for Heritage Day, enriching the school's cultural celebration.

In her free time, Katie enjoys traveling, sewing, and watching true crime shows. She fosters an open classroom environment where students feel comfortable discussing their vulnerabilities and struggles.

Katie utilizes educational games like Mission-US to enhance her lessons, particularly incorporating "Mission-US: City of Immigrants" in her unit on immigration. She believes in adapting the learning environment to meet student's needs rather than trying to change the students themselves, focusing on positive progress. Her dedication to continuous improvement ensures that she and her colleagues work diligently to find materials and supports that enable students to perform to the best of their abilities.

A fun fact about Katie is that she participated in a week-long archaeological dig in high school, where she discovered an ancient artifact.