- LaShonda Hardin says that the most rewarding aspect of her job is seeing her students – past and present – use the skills they were taught in her class.
- Hardin’s students also enjoy “life lesson days.” These are classes where students reach out to Hardin to talk about things that are going on in their personal lives.
By Jacob Perkins
Jacob.perkins@education.ky.gov
LaShonda Hardin, a business instructor at the Shelby County Area Technology Center and the school’s 2017 Teacher of the Year, hasn’t always been in the classroom setting, but she has always been teaching.
“Teaching was not my first career but I have always been teaching in some form,” she said. “I was a student tutor while at Georgetown (College). I have done private tutoring on and off. In addition, I taught Sunday school at my church for many years.
“I didn’t enter my undergrad on the path to become a teacher, but I finally made the decision to become a teacher because of my great experiences as a student.”
Hardin spent her early years at Oldham and Henry County Schools. She would go on to attend Georgetown College and earn a business administration degree.
After interning in the finance department at Brown-Forman, a Louisville-based wine and spirits company, Hardin decided to return to school and earn her master of business administration in applied management from Indiana Wesleyan University. She would then go on to earn a master’s in teaching from the University of the Cumberlands while she worked for the Kentucky Department of Corrections and as an online adjunct professor for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
Hardin said that growing up in a family of educators and business owners instilled a passion for both careers. By being a business educator, she is able to combine those passions and pass it along to her students.
“I feel like my job is to plant seeds of inquiry, develop (her student’s) passion for learning, and to make sure they are engaged in and take ownership of their own learning,” said Hardin. “This cultivation is important so that when they leave my classes, they can be successful and productive citizens in our communities.”
Hardin says that the most rewarding aspect of her job is seeing her students – past and present – use the skills they were taught in her class.
“Sometimes as teachers, our students graduate and we don’t always get to see the impact of our profession, she said. “The best part of my job is witnessing those points of growth. Getting to see my students successfully apply the skills and concepts they’ve learned in my class is great.”
Hardin’s students also enjoy “life lesson days.” These are classes where students reach out to her to talk about things that are going on in their personal lives.
“I take pride in the fact that they feel comfortable enough with me to ask those vulnerable questions. Venturing away from the lesson plan is often where the best learning takes place,” said Hardin.
When she is not in the classroom, you might find Hardin baking or practicing interior and graphic designing. She enjoys activities that allow her to show off her creative side.
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