A teacher with ‘Hart’

“It’s a huge part of my life, and I live very close to the school and my husband does a lot of volunteer work at the school, so it’s a huge part of our lives,” Hart said.

She added that both of her boys were Eagle Scouts who did major projects at the school.

“It’s just a huge part of our family’s life, and it’s going to be hard to give it up,” Hart said.

Hart’s first foray into teaching came in 2000 when she joined the Mountain View Los Altos High School District’s Parent Observation program. She became director in 2008. Six years later, the program merged with MVPNS and Hart began teaching the 2- and 3-year old parent co-op classes.

Parents and colleagues alike praised Hart’s dedication to the children.

“Diane is a really hard worker and very committed to educating young children and their families,” MVPNS director Claire Koukoutsakis said. “I think that we all grew as teachers working alongside her and working together with her.”

Christina Wu, whose three children have attended MVPNS, said Hart always took the time to get to know her students.

“She cares about each child so much and will really go the mile to connect with them and learn what they like and introduce that somehow into the curriculum,” Wu said. “She’s just always trying to figure out more ways to engage the kids.”

Wu also cited Hart’s commitment to online learning early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of pausing during lockdown, she said Hart kept classes going and taught the kids as if they were still together in person.

“She read stories, sang songs, she danced with us, she prepared all these little activity bags and kits for the kids to do at home and she would do them with us from her own kitchen,” Wu said. “So that was amazing. She really kept up those relationships with the kids.”

Lasting legacy

Hart said she sometimes runs into families at the supermarket and the children recognize her years after she taught them. She couldn’t figure out how the children remembered her, until a parent explained it to her.

“Well, every class has a photo placemat that has the teachers and the parents and the children – kind of like in squares, and it’s laminated – and the kids keep these placemats,” Hart said. “I’m, like, ‘I’m really surprised your child remembers me because that was a long time ago,’ and they go, ‘Oh, it’s the placemats, they still eat on it.’”

Hart will be remembered by many of the parents as well.

“Many of us were first-time parents, and what you read about parenting in books and what you hear can be vastly different when you experience it yourself,” parent Jean Lee said. “She gave us stability, and she gave us some methods for us to parent

better.”

Hart still plans to help out at the school, but she said she is more focused on taking care of her grandchildren.

“It will take several people to do the work that Diane did,” Koukoutsakis said. “She will be sorely missed, and I look forward to the work she can do in her next role with our school.”