Meet Mrs. Harshbarger

EDUCATION:

Pre-College: Edgelea and then Mayflower Mill (Yes, I was a little Grinder in the ‘80s!), Southwestern Middle School, McCutcheon High School class of 1992.

College: Purdue University; Elementary Education BA, Endorsements:  Kindergarten and Gifted & Talented (GT)

CAREER:

Mayflower Mill

2004-2005: First Grade Maternity-leave substitute and Interventionist

2005-2006: Kindergarten (I thought I would be a career kindergarten teacher because I love to teach little ones to read!)

2006-2008: Fourth Grade and Fifth Grade GT

2008-Present: Second and Third Grade High Ability. This is what I have been teaching for almost 20 years, and where I hope to stay until the end of my teaching career!

HONORS AND AWARDS:

2011 Mayflower Mill Teacher of the Year

2013 National Association of the Gifted National Conference Presenter

2014 Indiana Association of the Gifted State Teacher of the Year

2015 Golden Apple Award

2016 Olin Davis Award for Exemplary Teaching of Economics - State Winner

FAMILY:

My family is a huge blessing and a top priority for me! My husband Brad and I have been married since 1992. Our oldest daughter, Carly, graduated from Purdue in 2017 with a degree in Elementary Education and she moved to Florida to pursue her dream of becoming a Disney Princess! Some dreams don't come true, so now Carly is living in Florida and teaching second grade ( and she still loves Disney World and goes to the parks all the time!). Carly and Josh were be married in March of 2025! Our youngest daughter, Brylie, graduated from Purdue in 2020 with a BS Degree in Marketing from Krannert School of Management and a minor in Communication. Brylie works at Purdue University in Social Media Marketing, has  a freelance company, and works at Anthropologie in Indy (for the discount!). She and James will be married in September of 2025. The year of weddings!  

Brad and I agreed staying home with our children was best for our family, so I was a stay-at-home mom for ten years. During that time I taught piano lessons and ran my own home-school for the girls and some of my friends' children.

Both of my daughters went through Mrs. Boyd’s class at MME, and that personal experience influenced much of how I built the 2/3 High Ability Program.

MY FREE TIME:

When I have free time, I love to read – but I can only do that in the summer. If I start reading during the school year, forget it, nothing will get done! During the summer I have been known to read non-stop for several days or a solid week and devour ten to twenty books in that time. My favorite genres are historical fiction, mystery and children's class literature,  though I like to read current children’s literature too so I can give book recommendations to my students.

I also like to scrapbook, quilt, and organize and clean out cabinets and closets. Strange, I know, but I love that feeling when everything is neatly categorized in a closet or cabinet!

LITTLE-KNOWN DETAILS:

I love to design floor plans – I designed the bungalow we live in and I have designed floor plans for three other families. If I could find a way to make money at it, I would design floor plans as a second career!

I don’t plan to teach full-time forever – The original plan was for me to work for ten years outside the home, I am past year twenty… so don’t be surprised if I announce my “retirement” at any time! Unless grandchildren start arriving, I don't plan to retire until 2029.

PERSONAL:

Favorite Children’s Books: Ramona, Running out of Time, Encyclopedia Brown, Indian Captive: the story of Mary Jemison

Children’s Books I do not like: A Series of Unfortunate Events and Holes

Favorite Activity in the 2/3 Classroom: Free Read Friday and Morning Meeting

Least Favorite Activity in the 2/3 Classroom: Mandatory Testing (ILearn, IREAD, Reading leveling)

Favorite Snack: Chips and Salsa, Potato Chips and French Onion Dip, TacoDoritos

Favorite Drinks: McDonald’s Sweet Tea or Hot Caramel Machiatto. Igloo Diet Vanilla Coke. Starbucks Chai Tea Latte or Strawberry Frappuccino.

Favorite Restaurants in town: Pepe’s, Arni’s, Olive Garden, Cheddar's, Wings Etc., Red Seven, Nine Irish

Favorite Fast Food: Igloo (well, mostly I just like to get caffeine-free diet vanilla Cokes), McDonald's, Chipotle, 

Favorite Vacation Destination: Hilton Head Island or Disney World Resorts

Favorite Stores: TJ Maxx, Ann Taylor, Kate Spade, Target, Crate and Barrel