Teacher spotlight – Mrs. Hardick

 Mrs. Hardick is an Environmental Science teacher in addition to teaching SOAR classes. She grew up and graduated from Tulpehocken Area but spent one year in Wellsboro during grade school. Mrs. Hardick took a few classes at RACC and the rest at Kutztown which is where she later graduated from. She was also the first one in her family to graduate from college. With a degree in Secondary Education Math and Physics. 

     Mrs. Hardick started as a long-term substitute at Tulpehocken for two years before that position was not going to open for a teaching spot so she started to look around. Mrs. Hardick started teaching at Hamburg during the 1999-2000 school year. She did not apply to Hamburg at that time but got interviewed in August then they hired her shortly after. 

      Some of Mrs. Hardick’s hobbies are to sew (she made all the curtains in her house), plant flowers and vegetables, try new foods, game nights with family and friends, hiking at national parks, and anything that involves spending time with family and friends. 

     She has been married for 26 years to her highschool sweetheart. She has one daughter, Clara, is 19, who lives at home and works at the Hershey Gardens. She was at college last year when she discovered she has a rare disease called Acute Intermittent Porphyria. Mrs Hardicks says “I have been amazed at her strength and ability to have a positive attitude through her constant pain.  You find your true strength when going through your worst of times.” 

     Before teaching at Hamburg, she worked at Trautman’s grocery store (now Boyer’s in Bernville) for ten years. After that she worked at Walmart for a year doing the invoice, cash, receiving, and upc offices. She also worked at Christmas village for a few years and a hay ride season. Then Mrs. Hardick was a long term substitute at Tulpehocken then came to Hamburg. 

     Mrs. Hardick really was not sure what she wanted to do after high school. She always liked helping people and thought she would be able to explain topics to students so they could understand, this led to being a Math teacher. She worked hard and tried to understand it and really liked the predictability Math then as a senior she took Physics which she also struggled with. She had no idea how hard it would be because she was the first to graduate college. 

     There are many things she likes about HAHS, she has developed many friends.From a professional, there are a lot of great perks. She says “as an educator she believes we offer many opportunities for students to grow and develop into successful young adults.” Hamburg offers many different paths to graduation including internships as well as BCTC. She does not think Hamburg “gives the impression” that going to college is the only path to success.