LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Nicole Hardin was nominated anonymously.

Teaching is Ms. Hardin's dream career, and she shows up every day with that in mind! She begins each day with a smile and a good vibe. She and her students start the morning with upbeat music and time to greet friends and ease into the day. They talk about who they are, how they feel, and how they want the day to go! She loves starting the day like this with the little ones, and they love it too!

She focuses on building a classroom culture of being good people. Her students know that no matter their skill level, strengths or weaknesses, fears or aspirations, they can all find a place not only to belong but to lift each other. In first grade, they accomplish this by modeling, read-alouds, discussions, and approaching speed bumps with the classroom culture in mind. They work through difficulties that way!

Every year, she takes a step back to feel pride in her students for not only what they have accomplished as learners, but how they have come together as a family, how they lift each other, how they show responsibility and kindness, and how they blossom as community members in her little school world! She has found that nothing can replace those life lessons, nothing can prepare them for learning as well, and nothing has worked as well as that mindset. Kindness and compassion go such a long way at school, and nothing makes her happier than seeing students model that every day!