Made for Middle School: Incoming Head of Middle School Jesse Hardman Seeks to Foster Culture of Courage

Jesse Hardman was once a kid who didn’t see college in the cards—and went on to become a Fulbright Scholar whose life’s calling is educating the next generation of upstanders and changemakers. Who does he largely credit with inspiring his passion for education? His life-changing middle school teachers. A passionate advocate for whole-child education and a champion for equity, justice, belonging, and empowering student voices, SSFS’s incoming Head of Middle School has an educational philosophy that closely aligns with the School’s Quaker values. He brings a heartfelt commitment to supporting teachers, equipping students, and partnering with families and caregivers to cultivate a joyful, courageous, and mission-aligned learning community. We recently sat down with Jesse to learn more about what drives his work—and what he’s most excited about as he steps into his new role at SSFS. Read on for the edited excerpts of our conversation.
 

What is it about the middle school years that drew you to work with this age group?

My whole career has been grounded in the middle school years. Prior to being Assistant Head of School at Barnesville, I was a middle school math teacher there, and in Baltimore [as part of AmeriCorps service] and even in Germany [as part of Fulbright Scholarship] before that, where I worked with both middle and upper school students. What drew me to wanting to be a middle school educator was my own middle school experience and the impact that my middle school teachers had on me. I didn’t know it at the time, but my first experience with whole child education was from teachers during my middle school years. 

Growing up, college didn’t seem like it was in the cards for me. But some of my middle school teachers saw potential in me that I didn’t see in myself, and they went above and beyond. They connected me with resources, opportunities, and support, leading me to think of college as a possibility. They developed in me not just a love of learning, but a desire to be an educator myself—a middle school educator. My heart and soul are in middle school education. I see being an educator not just as a job, but as my life’s calling. I will always be eternally grateful for the impact my middle school educators had on me, and that’s the type of impact I want to have on current and future generations of students and leaders. 

What are some of the highlights and takeaways of your education and career as a teacher and administrator that you’ll draw upon in your role at SSFS?

I’ve been in several different educational settings—in international, public, and independent schools. I’ve seen a vast breadth of learning environments and programmatic structures both from a teacher perspective and a leader lens. What I’ve taken from that is a student-centered approach grounded in responsive classroom methodology and restorative practices. 

I want to make sure that each person on our team does their part to foster belonging so that every person in our community…students, fellow educators, families, caregivers, and other community members are safe, seen, supported, and heard every step of the way. That's how I've approached it throughout my career as a teacher and a leader. Fostering belonging is a community effort, and I do my best to model this each and every day. I see a lot of [my philosophy] at SSFS, which makes it a really good fit. I’m excited to work with the Sandy Spring Friends community to help positively impact students, developing their sense of agency and advocacy—not just in the school community, but wherever they may go in life.  

What led you to apply for this position, and what aspects of SSFS were particularly compelling to you as you learned more about the community through the search process?

I’ve known a number of people who’ve either attended or worked at Sandy Spring, and I’ve always heard great things about the school. I’ve always identified with Quaker philosophy and the Quaker SPICES. I’m drawn to the way that the Quaker values at SSFS help support student agency and advocacy, combined with inquiry-based and experiential learning. Additionally, the School’s commitment to equity, justice, and belonging resonates with my professional and educational philosophy. I'm excited to partner with all constituencies in the community to foster belonging, identify and address inequities, and uphold the School’s core values that come from the Quaker SPICES. I'm excited to be part of a community whose values resonate so deeply.

What do you think are the most important qualities for middle school students to develop during these years?

It’s important that during their middle school journey, students begin to understand themselves not only in the context of the school community, but also to develop self-awareness as global citizens. The values that are central to a Sandy Spring Friends education are exactly those that middle schoolers should be developing: how to self-advocate, be an upstander, practice mindfulness, empathize, problem solve, and be critical thinkers. Developing mindfulness is a critical component of the middle school experience, because it helps tie together empathy with the work of fostering belonging. Mindfulness helps students understand their identity and define their voice.

A windows and mirrors framework—the idea of including diverse perspectives and identities in the curriculum and community to allow students to see reflections of themselves [mirrors] and gain insights into the experiences of others [windows]—is important to students understanding their identities. In fact, it’s important that every constituency—whether it's a student, educator, family, caregiver, or a community member who may be coming to present at an assembly—sees themselves in the program and in the Sandy Spring Friends community. This is a key part of the positive impact the middle school experience can have on students as they develop into empathetic, mindful, inquisitive, upstanding leaders who are ready to go on to high school and do great things.
 

How do you support teachers in their craft and professional growth?

As an educational leader, I see a primary responsibility of my role as being there to provide differentiated support for every teacher’s professional development, just as teachers differentiate instruction to support each student’s individual growth. It’s incumbent upon school leaders to understand the teachers on our team and work in partnership with them to put their professional growth and development first. This ensures that every person on the team is regularly implementing those best practices that set students up for success both academically and in developing their character as upstanders and changemakers. 

I see myself as somebody who actively listens, partners with teachers, and provides the support they need each and every day so that we can all show up for the students. This is the best way to provide SSFS students with a mission-aligned education—and help them find joy and purpose in learning.

 

How do you plan to support the academic growth and the social-emotional development of students in your role?

My approach will be two-fold. First, I’ll actively listen in order to understand what’s currently in place in terms of programs and structures that contribute to students’ academic and social-emotional growth. I’ll seek students’ voices; I want to hear what they would like to see in their program. Students are the reason we show up every day; I want their voices to be heard.

Second, I’ll look for opportunities to innovate. Interdisciplinary, cross-curricular, and experiential learning are central to my pedagogical philosophy and how I partner with a team of educators to ensure the authenticity of our instructional framework. I’ll look to enhance learning opportunities that will help students make connections across subjects, critically reason, and problem-solve. I’ll seek to enhance programs in ways that will help students take the knowledge they’ve learned and translate it into action as effective decision-makers, problem solvers, and advocates. I want them to be able to take what they’ve learned and go out into the world and have a positive impact in their community, as changemakers and upstanders, in whatever they may choose to do.  All of this is critical to delivering a mission-aligned, whole-child, student-centered education that addresses both academic and social-emotional growth, empowering students to advocate for what they need. 

What strategies will you use to foster a culture of belonging for those in your care at SSFS?

When it comes to belonging, it’s essential that educational leaders foster a culture of courage in the learning environment. When that exists, you can more consistently implement the accountability needed to foster belonging. It’s incumbent on all constituencies in a school community to be accountable for their impact when making decisions. This helps everyone feel safe, seen, heard, and supported. 

We need to hold up a mirror to ourselves and others in moments of conflict in order to identify our implicit biases, understand the impact of our behavior or words, and develop an action plan to move forward in a positive direction and avoid repeating the negative impact. I believe in encouraging a growth mindset in navigating social conflict, embracing the fact that we can all develop and improve conflict resolution skills.  

One accountability framework I use for identifying and addressing inequities and fostering greater belonging is the “CPR Method,” which I learned from Kyle Williams (Chief Empowerment Officer at A Long Talk About the Uncomfortable Truth). This method involves Clarifying, asking questions like “What did you mean when you said what you said?,” Probing the person to consider the impact of actions, as in, “How do you think your words and/or actions affected the other person?,” and Recognizing - helping people understand and take accountability for the impact of their actions, such as by providing resources to the person to help them understand the impact and make better decisions next time.

What are you most excited about as you begin your tenure as Head of Middle School at SSFS this July?

I’m excited to support the kids, and I’m excited to get to know the middle school team and the families and caregivers. I want to partner with the entire community in providing a mission-aligned, student-centered education. I’m excited to be joining the Sandy Spring Friends community, and I will always give everything I can each day to make sure we're doing right by our students, supporting their academic and social-emotional growth, and helping them develop into change makers who will go out into the world and have a positive impact. When I was on campus, I felt at home. I want to learn from the team and have a positive impact. I can’t wait to get started!

 

Fun Facts

Hobbies and Skills

• Playing music | I’m a guitar player and a singer. I like to write and record my own music, and I’ve taught myself to produce music. Music helps me unwind, and I perform whenever I can. I’m really into blues, folk, and jazz. 
   
• Baseball | Baseball is my favorite sport, and growing up in New Hampshire close to the Massachusetts border (and Fenway Park), I’m a Boston sports fan.
   
• Chess

Family (including any pets)

• I love spending time with my wife Steph and our dog Penni—a Chihuahua Jack Russell mix who’s as cute as can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite school memory

• There are so many! I have to go with my first day of teaching.

Best piece of advice you've ever been given

• As an educator, always remember to be a student of your craft.

Favorite books (professional and general)

• The Language of Learning: Teaching Students Core Thinking, Listening, & Speaking Skills by Margaret Berry Wilson
   
• The Power of Our Words: Teacher Language that Helps Children Learn by Paula Denton
   
• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Favorite foods

• Brazilian pancakes and beef stroganoff.

Favorite teacher

• Deirdre Doyle. She went above and beyond to help me see my own potential, inspire my desire to be an educator, and connect me with resources that made college a reality—for that, I’m forever grateful.

 

Learn More Middle School    Equity, Justice, & Belonging at SSFS

Stay tuned for more community spotlights throughout the year!