My Story
Hi everyone! I hope that you find this website to be useful! As you probably already know, my name is Steve Hartnett and I teach American History at Elizabeth Forward Middle School. I graduated from Penn Hills High School in 2007 and The Pennsylvania State University in 2011. Recently, I completed a masters program focusing on educational leadership at California University of Pennsylvania. I have been at Elizabeth Forward Middle School for six years and have absolutely loved every moment of it. When I am not teaching American History, I serve as the Assistant Middle School Boys Soccer Coach, and sponsor several after-school activities, which include the National History Bee & the Design Now Challenge. I come from a large family of educators and could not imagine doing anything else in my professional life.
I am a history nerd! I love reading anything that I can get my hands on that pertains to history. Specifically, I am interested in early American history and the United States Civil War. If you have not noticed already, I have a deep admiration, almost obsession, with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton. I try to make history come to life for my students and have my students think critically about history. Within my classroom, I use a variety of different technologies that help make history more relatable to my students. I hope that throughout the school year, it will become evident how much I enjoy teaching and working with students!
I really enjoy being outside and experiencing the world. On most nights, you can find me running the trails around the city of Pittsburgh. I completed the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2013 and again in 2018. I am a huge fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams and I am a huge supporter of Liverpool Football (Soccer) Club. In the summer, I work at Chatham University Summer Music & Arts Day Camp as a Camp Director. I also like to spend my time researching and learning more about best educational practices and innovate ways to teach my students. For example, during 2015 summer, I traveled to Harvard University to attend a week-long summer institute hosted by Harvard College of Education's Project Zero Research Institute. In 2016, I was chosen by George Washington's Mount Vernon to participate in their Teacher Institute. I really enjoy sharing my experiences from these institutes with my students and colleagues!
During the 2016-2017 school year I earned the recognition of being a certified Apple Teacher. In addition, I was named the state of Pennsylvania's PBS Digital Innovator. In June 2017, I traveled to San Antonio to attend the PBS Digital Innovators Summit and the ISTE Conference. I had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with educators from across the country! It truly was an amazing experience! You can learn more about PBS Digital Innovators Program at this link! In addition, I was also named an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) for the Class of 2019! I will be traveling to the North American Summit in Bethesda, Maryland to meet and collaborate with current and past ADEs. I am very excited to learn from some of the best educators in the Americas and to share what I have learned with the students and staff at Elizabeth Forward School District. You can learn more about the ADE program, by clicking this link!
However, the most exciting recent event was the birth of my son, Owen. My wife and I love spending every moment that we can with our son. Right now, Owen loves to read his books and play with his toy cars. I hope that he grows up to share his father's love of history and technology!
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please click the contact button and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Thank you and I look forward to working with everyone this school year!
I am a history nerd! I love reading anything that I can get my hands on that pertains to history. Specifically, I am interested in early American history and the United States Civil War. If you have not noticed already, I have a deep admiration, almost obsession, with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton. I try to make history come to life for my students and have my students think critically about history. Within my classroom, I use a variety of different technologies that help make history more relatable to my students. I hope that throughout the school year, it will become evident how much I enjoy teaching and working with students!
I really enjoy being outside and experiencing the world. On most nights, you can find me running the trails around the city of Pittsburgh. I completed the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2013 and again in 2018. I am a huge fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams and I am a huge supporter of Liverpool Football (Soccer) Club. In the summer, I work at Chatham University Summer Music & Arts Day Camp as a Camp Director. I also like to spend my time researching and learning more about best educational practices and innovate ways to teach my students. For example, during 2015 summer, I traveled to Harvard University to attend a week-long summer institute hosted by Harvard College of Education's Project Zero Research Institute. In 2016, I was chosen by George Washington's Mount Vernon to participate in their Teacher Institute. I really enjoy sharing my experiences from these institutes with my students and colleagues!
During the 2016-2017 school year I earned the recognition of being a certified Apple Teacher. In addition, I was named the state of Pennsylvania's PBS Digital Innovator. In June 2017, I traveled to San Antonio to attend the PBS Digital Innovators Summit and the ISTE Conference. I had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with educators from across the country! It truly was an amazing experience! You can learn more about PBS Digital Innovators Program at this link! In addition, I was also named an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) for the Class of 2019! I will be traveling to the North American Summit in Bethesda, Maryland to meet and collaborate with current and past ADEs. I am very excited to learn from some of the best educators in the Americas and to share what I have learned with the students and staff at Elizabeth Forward School District. You can learn more about the ADE program, by clicking this link!
However, the most exciting recent event was the birth of my son, Owen. My wife and I love spending every moment that we can with our son. Right now, Owen loves to read his books and play with his toy cars. I hope that he grows up to share his father's love of history and technology!
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please click the contact button and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Thank you and I look forward to working with everyone this school year!