Running a school district is a team effort, orchestrated by a series of administrators and staff with their own ways of keeping in order. Superintendent Dr. Rod Gardin is modest about his role within the East Porter County School Corporation: it is his job to keep the team on track. With patience and understanding he guides his students and his staff to a better future.
As Superintendent, Dr. Gardin has a hand in almost every aspect of his schools. Everything from student discipline to legal questions comes across his desk.
“I am responsible for everything,” he says, “Fortunately I have a great staff.”
Dr. Gardin has been a part of the community since he was a child. He was born in Valparaiso but grew up in Crown Point. After getting married he lived in Lowell for a while then decided to return to Valparaiso.
“Valpo is just a nice place to be. It just has so much to offer. In the past ten years it has become so vibrant and appealing,”
Dr. Gardin said of his hometown. "It is not just the town that drew him home but the entire county.
“The values and practices in Porter County are consistent and fit with what my family likes.”
After high school, Dr. Gardin attended Indiana University. He got his Bachelor’s degree in Education before switching universities. Purdue granted him a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership.
He began his career as a teacher and became a principal.
“Education is like health care, like nursing. It is a helping profession. Being with kids is energizing. Watching them learn and grow is something I really wanted to be able to do.”
For ten years Dr. Gardin was principal of Lake Prairie Elementary School in Lowell. Then the opportunity to be Superintendent of the East Porter County schools came up. He was interviewed by a panel of parents, teachers, and administrators. It has been 11 years since his application was accepted and Dr. Gardin still loves his job.
His work has brought a lot of good to the school system, whether it be the Chromebooks he helped bring to all the classes, or just the different perspective he shines on young children’s behavior. Children of all ages are prone to doing or saying things they do not mean when they are frustrated or upset. It is something all people who work with kids have to deal with. For Dr. Gardin it is easier than for most.
“Kids don’t have the life experience yet to know how to respond to what happens. They are not being malicious. And we have to take those times when they are not behaving as we’d like to help them understand what’s wrong with their behavior and make a plan to improve it.”
It is not just the students that require the Superintendent’s patience. If there was one thing Dr. Gardin could change about the public education system, it would be government opinion of it. A Recent law has made changes to education policy that do more harm than good. Dr. Gardin commented that it does not seem that legislators consult a wide audience of educators or administrators when making changes to state laws. He added that as a result some of the most recent changes to the education-related law have not been clear or possible to implement.
Leading the school system affects him as an administrator and as a parent. Two of his children have attended East Porter County schools. His wife is a speech pathologist employed by Porter County Education Services, of which Dr. Gardin is the board president. Education has had a big role in his life since the first day he started attending public schools himself. Dr. Gardin will continue the fight for the students in public schools despite government resistance and budget cutbacks.
It is a demanding job but a satisfying one. East Porter County schools could not ask for a more determined superintendent.