Teaching Art with Heart: Chad Hardin Overcoming Adversity, Inspiring Generations of Artists

Klein, Texas—Meet Chad Hardin, a Klein Collins art teacher whose story is one of resilience, passion, and pure heart. 

For those unfamiliar with him, Mr. Hardin is blind in his right eye, but that’s never stopped him from creating beautiful art and sharing his talent with Tigers since 2007. 

His story in Klein, Texas, starts in the fall of 1990.

“I started 6th grade at Strack Intermediate after moving to Klein from Shreveport, Louisiana. Art was always one of my favorite subjects, so I took it all 3 years at Strack,” Mr. Hardin said. “Baseball was probably my number one passion, though, and I played ball growing up from t-ball through my freshman year as a Klein Oak and Spring/Klein League baseball player.”

One April evening at a game at Roth Fields, Chad Hardin’s life took a turn.

“I stole home, and the catcher went back to retrieve the passed ball. As I slid into home, the pitcher did not cover the plate, and the catcher fired the ball towards home and hit me square in the eye,” Hardin said. “That landed me in the hospital with a detached retina and ruptured eye. After several laser surgeries to reconstruct it and a failed attempt at re-attaching the retina, the doctor was successful at reattaching my retina, but the damage had been so severe it left me blind in that right eye.”

Mr. Hardin then spent time navigating life without the use of his right eye.

“I had a tough year adjusting to having no depth perception and getting behind in classwork,” Hardin said. “When I went back to school, I had to re-evaluate my priorities, and baseball was not something I could return to.”

During this time, Mr. Hardin found hope and inspiration in art. He took two photography classes at Klein Oak that motivated him to mow lawns and save enough money to purchase a 35 mm SLR Canon Rebel G; the rest was history. 

“My love of photography grew thanks to my amazing teachers in Klein. I continued to take photos throughout high school and college,” Hardin said. “For me, college was a big deal because my dad used most of his savings to put me through school, and I was the first in my family to finish college.”

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Photography and a minor in studio art, he received an opportunity to work for Principal Randy Kirk and be part of the Klein Collins family, where he’s proudly educated thousands of student-artists since he started. 

Mr. Hardin encourages gratitude, humility, and compassion in his classroom, always lending a helping hand to his students and fostering an environment where questions, ideas, and feelings are welcome.

“We all can start a project with the exact same tools, but it is our unique experiences and perspectives that turn a project into something that can make a true impact on our world,” Hardin said. “I have heard it best that Art is what makes us human—it gives us the ability to create and express our feelings like no other beings can. We can use art to help us overcome emotions, work through tough experiences, remember our past, give hope to the future, entertain ourselves and others, solve problems, bring beauty, create value and worth, and show appreciation for one another. Art gives us a chance to leave a legacy.”

Mr. Hardin’s story embodies how despair and pain can be turned into something truly inspiring and beautiful.

“With teaching, every day is a new day and a unique adventure with so many challenges and obstacles. Students come from all walks of life, languages, backgrounds, and needs,” Hardin said. “I don’t think any amount of education can prepare you for what you will encounter daily as an educator; it just comes with experience because there are so many variables. I try to teach my students life lessons just as much as I teach my course subjects.”

Mr. Hardin, part of your legacy lies within the incredible artwork of your students and the lasting memory they have of the creativity, excitement, and genuine care you provided for them in Room 401 at Klein Collins High School. 

We are so proud to have such an outstanding teacher in Klein ISD and hope that many others will be inspired and moved by Mr. Hardin’s story