About Ms. HL
Welcome to 5th grade and the learning community of Ms. HL’s Mountaineers! I’m Kaitlyn Harris Leach (“Ms. HL”) and this will be my sixth year teaching at Laurel Mountain. I believe that true learning comes from students being engaged in authentic contexts and inquiry, so I am grateful to work in a school that offers many amazing spaces and opportunities!
Why Mountaineers? As human beings we all face challenges, make mistakes, have unique interests and strengths. In our classroom community, we have different ‘mountains’ we climb each year but are all on the same journey. Climbing mountains takes practice, resilience and support. Mountaineers have to train in all types of terrain and find what method is most successful for them. As a teacher, my philosophy is to create an empathetic, empowered community of learners who will support each other in our climb!
A little about me: I grew up in Southern California near the ocean and love exploring tide pools and hiking with my family. I moved up the coast for college to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, along with a minor in Biology. After completing my degree I stayed in San Luis Obispo and led a STEM camp through my university for 2 years. This led me to my next step in life, which was moving to Austin to pursue my Master’s degree in STEM Education. After graduate school I started my 5th grade position at LME and love working with students at this amazing school!
In my spare time I love to travel and explore new places. On the weekends you can find me hiking with my Australian Shepherd Dallas, paddleboarding or exploring local coffee shops around Austin! I also love puzzles and working on different art or crafting projects.
I look forward to partnering with your family and having a successful year of learning, laughing, and making new memories. Fifth grade is going to be fabulous!
Fun/ Random Facts About me!
Paddleboarding is one of my favorite things to do in Austin! I have an inflatable one that I keep in my car for spontaneous adventures.
I love art and currently have been enjoying taking ceramics classes at a local studio.
Sunflowers are my favorite flower. California poppies are a close second ( I named by cat "Poppy")
I try to watch the sunset as much as possible. My favorite place to watch it is the Montaña de Oro state park in California because you can sit out on the cliffs and are almost completely surrounded by the ocean!
Dallas, my Australian Shepherd
Poppy, my sweet cat