Mrs. Harkness

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About The Teacher Label:


About The Teacher
According to my mother, I decided to be a teacher after I attended my first day of Kindergarten! Devastated when I was told I could not stay in school forever, I brightened when I realized that I could be a teacher and THEN I could stay in school forever!! Well here I am, 35 years after earning my teaching credential at Chico State in 1974. Quite simply, I love to teach, and I love to learn. I love to learn anything new, and I encourage my students to do the same. I love that look on a student's face when he or she "gets" something for the first time. I was born in Red Bluff at St. Elizabeth's Hospital and baptized across the street at Sacred Heart Church. Although I lived most of my childhood in Los Gatos, I spent much of my summers and holidays in the North Valley--helping my grandpa raise olives in Corning, swimming in the creek at French Gulch, visiting grandparents in Westwood and Redding, and shopping in Chico. I attended St. Mary's in Los Gatos, and after graduation in 1965, I went to Los Gatos High School and graduated with honors in 1969. I chose Chico State because it had the best reputation for teacher education, and I graduated magna cum laude in 1973 with a BA in Psychology, Honors in English, and a teaching minor in Speech & Hearing Pathology. While earning my credential, I taught in the Oroville area and learned how to design and set up Early Childhood Centers. In 1974 I began my teaching career in the 4th grade at Notre Dame School. I married my high school sweetheart Bill, and our two children, Sarah and Billy, attended Notre Dame School, pre-K through graduation! I have taught every grade from Pre-K through 9th grade, and I have been in the Junior High Section here at Notre Dame School since 1986. My interests include camping/hiking, skiing, tennis, swimming, reading lots of different books, sewing, music, travel, and community service. In September 2002, I fulfilled a childhood dream and hiked to the top of Mt. Whitney. I started playing piano when I was 4 and I enjoy playing for the Masses at St. Thomas More. I also sing in the Chico Women's Chorus -- Bella Voce. I have designed and led many student study tours to Washington, D.C. and Europe for the 7th and 8th graders and their families. In 2007 I traveled to China with the Chico Chamber of Commerce. I have traveled to at least 27 of the 50 states. For many years I was a Girl Scout leader and a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts. I was a board member of the Chico Community Ballet, served as PTO President for Notre Dame and PTO Secretary for Mercy High, and sat on the Chico Planning Commission, the Chico Housing Task Force, and Chico's Architectural Review Board. In 1995 I was named an Outstanding Girl Scout Leader in the Sierra Cascade region, and in 2002 I was nominated for Disney's American Teacher Award. I have been listed several times in Who's Who Among America's Teachers, and in 2005 I received one of the Wells Fargo Teacher of the Year Awards in the Chico area. In 2007 I was awarded a Sarah D. Barder Fellowship from Johns Hopkins University - Center for Talented Youth. I believe in challenging my students to have dreams and work hard to achieve them. Year after year I have seen students of every ability "rise" to the expectation that has been set for them. When I challenge them with a tough assignment (ie. their first MLA research paper), my reward is the pride I see in them when they are finished. I have had the wonderful delight of helping many 8th graders make the successful transition to high school and come back to share their excitement, confidence, and successes. I encourage my students to arrive in my classroom "ready to learn". When the students point out how hard they are working, I remind them that my job is to build strong minds and strong bodies. Most importantly, I believe in my students and I strive to make sure they know that I care about them and their learning and that God will always be there for them. I want them to experience learning in an environment that is Christ-centered, positive, energetic, fun, and motivating.

Mission Label:


Mission