Teaching that transcends the classroom
Abigail Hardage’s love for students with disabilities and commitment to Sunset Middle School’s Best Buddies chapter has brought acclaim to Williamson County schools.
As a special education teacher at Sunset Middle School in Williamson County, Abigail Hardage (BS ’21), doesn’t stop all day long. From leading a Best Buddies homeroom to teaching functional classes such as math, science and social studies, she’s busy all day long in her classroom.
But her influence has stretched far beyond her classroom walls, as demonstrated by two honors in 2024. She was named Williamson County Teacher of the Year and honored as the advisor of the Best Buddies International Outstanding Middle School Chapter of the Year.
“Some of my students have never done activities with their peers outside of school before Best Buddies,” Hardage told the Williamson Source at the time of her Best Buddies honor in August. “Our Sunset community has grown in awareness and openness, which is incredible… I believe the future is inclusive and Best Buddies is shaping our future leaders with essential skills such as empathy, communication and making sure others feel valued.”
Hardage receiving the Best Buddies international award.
Having only joined Sunset in 2021 and starting the school’s Best Buddies chapter in 2022, Hardage has already made an impact on her school’s culture.
Participation in the Best Buddies chapter has risen from about 18 members to 55 members this year. The school created a combined homeroom time for Hardage’s students with moderate to severe disabilities and the Best Buddies student leadership team. Monthly Best Buddies events are held, such as a sensory-friendly trick-or-treating and inclusive egg hunting, volunteering at a local food pantry or teaching students about accessibility through bowling.
“The combination of all the preparation and work that I have put into it, combined with how all of our students have taken that and run with it, is what makes Sunset’s Best Buddies chapter special on an international scale,” said Hardage.
“The culture our students have created has been exceptional. We could not do it without each other. They have taken everything I’ve built and really made the best of it,” she said.
In addition, the attention of her 2024 honors has brought more students to Hardage’s classroom, which has grown from five students to 11 since she began teaching at Sunset.
Hardage found her way to special education through three years of involvement with Lipscomb’s IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) program, a two-year certificate program uniquely designed for students with intellectual disabilities who want to participate in a college experience.
Hardage with students in Lipscomb’s IDEAL program, a two-year certificate program uniquely designed for students with intellectual disabilities, during her years studying at Lipscomb.
Originally from Austin, Texas, Hardage arrived on campus with little exposure to individuals with disabilities and intending to get a degree in elementary education, she said. A five-minute spiel on IDEAL during her freshman orientation drew her to an IDEAL mixer, and she loved the idea of working with the program from the moment she walked into the room.
“I was the first one there and the last one to leave. I just loved it,” she said.
Throughout her college career, she served as a peer mentor for IDEAL students (winning the Peer Mentor of the Year from the program), became a circle of support leader (which oversees all the mentors assigned for one IDEAL student) and then became a resident assistant for the IDEAL women living in Lipscomb’s residence halls.
“All of that definitely helped set the stage for my job now. It gave me a good foundation,” said Hardage.
Nashville's Channel 4 "surprise squad" featured Hardage's Best Buddies chapter at Sunset Middle School.
Once her elementary education student teaching started, it became clear to Hardage that special education was actually where she belonged. She graduated with a bachelor’s in special education in May 2021.
“These are the best people I have ever met and they deserve so many opportunities,” said Hardage. “I became devoted to the equal access aspect of special education. It is really about providing opportunities.”
In her classes, Hardage teaches the whole spectrum of individuals with disabilities including those who live with autism, down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, cochlear implants for hearing and traumatic brain injury, among others.
She teaches 6th- to 8th-graders using individual learning plans for all students and leading several paraprofessionals. Lessons taught in several different ways are going on throughout her classes, with whole group, small group and one-on-one instruction. Different students use different assistive technology throughout the school day to communicate and provide access to academics.
In addition, the Best Buddies student leadership team joins her students for homeroom at the beginning of each day. In chapter meetings of all the Best Buddies members, “we talk about what accessibility is, what it looks like and why learning supports are important. So students are not just showing up; it is a whole experience,” said Hardage. “We always go back to friendship, and intentional inclusion is what we are all about.”
Hardage won the Peer Mentor of the Year from Lipscomb's IDEAL program, became a circle of support leader and then became a resident assistant for the IDEAL women living on-campus.
Hardage still makes it back to Lipscomb’s campus for IDEAL events, especially the annual 5k run to benefit the program held at Bisons Weekend in November. In addition, this past fall she brought her students to Lipscomb to see a college campus and learn about what their future could hold.
“I just really love it,” Hardage said of her job. “I am so passionate about giving students with disabilities opportunities and that continues to drive what I do. I have loved this position, and to see the impact it has, has been so powerful.”