A Teacher and a Leader
“Other teachers have a wealth of information and ideas to share — you just need to ask!”
– Kathryn Manternach Hafner ’14
Central Major: Secondary Education
Campus Activities: Dance Team, Math Club, Central Teacher Academy, Community Band and Community Choir
Career: Williamsburg Community School District, 7-12 Math Teacher, Model Teacher and Dance Team Coach
“Learning doesn’t stop just because I earned my degree and license,” Kathryn Manternach Hafner ’14 says. She has enjoyed leading the charge in her school district to implement standards-based grading and blended learning. Most importantly, she has enjoyed seeing the positive impact the standards have had on students.
Hafner has continued to teach a variety of courses while serving as a mentor teacher for new teachers, a member of her lead learning team and a model teacher for her school. She has enjoyed the opportunities to develop as a teacher in Williamsburg.
She reflected on her first year in which she taught six courses from new curriculum, which meant no resources from previous teachers. She spent many hours planning, but the best part was forming connections with students.
“No two days are the same,” says Hafner. “So it keeps things exciting.”
She also learned teaching can be an isolating job without teacher friends with whom to share stories and ask for advice. Central students get real-world classroom experience during their first education course, an experience that was extremely helpful to Hafner.
In addition to classroom teaching experience, Hafner also had the impactful opportunity to study abroad in Bangor, Wales, during her time at Central.
About the Author
Hello! I’m Christa Miller ’20, an English and anthropology double major and student writer for Central. I love horses and can be found riding every opportunity. Outside of classes, I enjoy studying at The Sanctuary on the square and relaxing with some video game walkthroughs. I also enjoy spending time in conversation with friends and writing poetry or short stories.