About Dr. Gardiner

FORMAL TRAINING

Dr. Gardiner earned an Associates degree with honors in Secondary Education from Montgomery College. He earned a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude, in Philosophy and History at the University of Maryland (College Park). He then earned state teaching credentials at Princeton University. He completed a Master’s Degree at Princeton Theological Seminary where he revived an academic journal, the Princeton Theological Review. He earned a Ph.D. in History at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He also engaged in Ph.D. coursework at Penn State. Since that time he has completed post-doctoral education coursework at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, St. Mary's University and Columbus State University.

EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION

Dr. Gardiner earned his state teaching certification in social studies from the acclaimed teacher education program at Princeton University under the mentorship of Dr. Ruth Wilson. He completed his student teaching at Montgomery High School in Princeton under Mr. Bill Korson.

Gardiner's philosophy of education was peer-reviewed and published in The Journal of Contemporary Research in Education (Ole Miss, 2017).

Dr. Gardiner holds a lifetime public high school broadfield Social Studies teaching license in the State of Wisconsin. Since first teaching at Montgomery High School in New Jersey, Dr. Gardiner taught for nine more years at the middle and high school levels.

After receiving a Ph.D. in History in 2005, Dr. Gardiner joined the faculty as the chairman of the social studies department at Catholic Central High School in Burlington, Wisconsin. There Dr. Gardiner served as a student teacher mentor and helped guide teachers new to the profession.

Dr. Gardiner taught a multitude of courses across the spectrum within the social studies department, with a principal focus on U.S. History. He taught Civics, A.P. U.S. History, World History, Government, Western Civilization, Psychology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Geography, Computer Science, et al. Over his ten year career in the high schools he was the recipient of several awards, including Teacher of the Year and two Hawkspy Awards.

In 2009, Dr. Gardiner became a member of the faculty at Columbus State University and received tenure in 2014. In 2019, Gardiner was selected for by the University for the "Excellence in Teaching Award." That fall he returned back to the High School arena, and has been teaching history here ever since.

PERSONAL LIFE

Dr. Gardiner was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, and has lived and taught all over the U.S. including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Georgia. He has a daughter, MaryBeth, a Ph.D. graduate of Princeton University, currently a professor at the University of South Carolina. MaryBeth was ordained a Presbyterian minister in the summer of 2024. Here is the laying on of hands during the ordination: