Mrs. Barb Hartgerink
Personal Profile
I was born Barb Meyer in Grand Haven, Michigan but grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland which is just outside of Washington D.C. I attended Calvin College where I met my husband, Jim. He teaches art in Timothy’s middle and high school. We attend Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, and we have 3 children. Our oldest daughter teaches English at Calvin Christian High School in Escondido, California. Our son and his wife live in Lakewood, Colorado, and our youngest daughter and her husband live in Tabernash, Colorado.
Professional Profile
I attended Calvin College from 1970 to 1974 where I received my BA in Elementary Education. I taught 5th and 6th grade in Muskegon Heights, Michigan for one year before we moved to Elmhurst. For the next 4 years, I taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades all in the same room at Des Plaines Christian School.
I took 12 years off to raise my 3 children and then I taught kindergarten for 1 year for Timothy but the classroom was in the Western Springs Christian Reformed Church. After that I worked as a part time librarian at Timothy for half a year until there was an opening in the 3rd grade. I have been teaching 3rd grade since 1990. I went to the University of Illinois and received my Masters of Education in Curriculum and Development in 1998.
Philosophical Profile
I use the letters ABC in my philosophy of education.
A stands for ability.
Each child comes into my room with different abilities. Some are fast learners, some are slow. Some have greater abilities in reading or math, and some have greater abilities in music, art, or social skills. I hope to make each student feel great about whatever ability God has given them and to challenge them to work hard at and improve it.
B stands for belonging.
I will emphasize to the students that they belong to God. They are His and no matter who they are or what they do, He loves them. They also belong to God’s family. They need to help each other, pray for each other, and treat each other with love and respect.
C stands for confidence.
I hope to instill confidence in every student in my room. I want them to know that I will help them as they learn, and that I am confident they can do it. I want them to have the confidence to try as hard as they can and not be afraid to fail. My class should be a place where they can make a mistake and not be laughed at but be able to learn from that and try again.
I also want them to have confidence in God – that He will always be there for them and will always love and help them as they grow physically and spiritually.
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