A young boy sits in his mother’s English class waiting for the final bell to ring.
He observes the room, his eyes fixated on his mother as she delves into the complexities of literary works that he won’t read for another ten years or so. It is in that moment that he realizes his calling – becoming an educator.
Today that boy, Nathan Harvey, has assumed the role of one of the CHS9 assistant principals. Harvey had been a teacher for nine years, teaching fifth grade at Austin Elementary School and STEM at Coppell Middle School North.
Both of Harvey’s parents were high school teachers. His mother, Lori Harvey, taught English I and III and his father, Larry Harvey, taught AP Biology. Whether it was at Westwood Elementary School or sitting in Friendswood High School where his parents worked, Harvey has always been surrounded by the world of education.
“After about third grade I stopped putting ‘astronaut’ as what I wanted to be when I grew up,” Harvey said. “I loved my parents and I wanted to be like them. School has always been a really fun, awesome place for me and I want kids to feel that as well.”
While his vision to become an educator had always been clear, his start in education was not as he had pictured.
“I started at Austin Elementary in 2013 and I was just a fifth grade teacher who didn’t know what he was doing,” Harvey said. “I thought I knew what I was doing because of my parents, but I quickly realized that it is a really hard job. The day before the first day of school, I sat down with [fifth grade teacher Ashley Rhodes]. She wrote down a whole schedule for me and when I got in that room I remember thinking ‘Woah, OK.’ If it wasn’t for that paper I wouldn’t have known what to do. I still have it.”
Using that experience as an opportunity to grow, Harvey continuously strived to improve. He would observe other teachers on his breaks to see how he could enhance his classroom. It is this mindset that has led to the creative ideas he has introduced.
“When I think about all the work we had to do from coordinating camping trips and spelling bees to co-planning, he was somebody that always brought something to the table,” Rhodes said. “He loved leading all the activities that we did and would always say ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ve got ideas.’ He added that extra layer onto whatever we did.”
A decade later, Harvey has carried this creative mindset to CHS9.
“He takes things he has learned and makes them his own,” CHS9 assistant principal Jessica Lynch said. “For instance, we do Hour Block Lunch here and we got a new system this year called ‘enriching students’ to help organize the time. He has been able to use what he knows about that and make it a system that works for us.”
Harvey’s creative spirit is not the only thing that distinguishes him, his relationships with his students have set him apart as well.
“He puts relationships first before academics,” Rhodes said. “That is something that is really important to him. While academics are a vital part of our jobs, without relationships he knows that there is no point. He always spent a lot of time making sure that the kids trusted him.”
The relationships educators form with students is what inspires Harvey to continue on his path.
“I always want kids and staff to know that I love and support them,” Harvey said. “Anybody in education is doing it because we want to impact future generations. We want to know we did what we could to love on kids and love them well. I’ve never turned my back on a kid and I am not about to start now.”
Harvey’s kind spirit has left a mark on his many students, a mark so permanent that even years later students still recall the fond memories created during the days spent in his classroom.
“He took the time to care for and get to know his students,” Coppell High School junior Chandana Pagadala said. “I remember one time when he called me up and made sure he knew how to pronounce my name for my fifth grade graduation. He did this with a bunch of the other kids in the class too, and nobody had ever really taken the effort to pronounce my name right like that so it made me happy.”
Harvey has been touched by each and every one of his students.
“I haven’t forgotten y’all and I never will,” Harvey said. “You leave as much of an impact on me as I hope to have left on you.”
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