At Colearn Academy SC, teaching is about more than delivering lessons. Teaching is about building relationships, encouraging families, and helping each student discover what they are capable of achieving. Few embody that mission more fully than Ms. Hillary Lundstedt, a third-grade teacher and a passionate advocate for personalized education. Ms. Lundstedt currently teaches third grade at Colearn Academy SC, a virtual public charter school designed to bring together the strengths of home education and public school. She teaches Math 3, ELA 3, Science, and Social Studies while overseeing and supporting approximately 50 third-grade students and their families. This is her second year at Colearn, but her experience working with children and families spans more than 25 years.
For Ms. Lundstedt, the desire to become a teacher began long before she ever stepped into a classroom. “I loved setting up my dolls and stuffed animals to ‘play school,’ and I always wanted to be the teacher!” she recalls. Her passion was strengthened by her own childhood experiences. Born two and a half months premature, Ms. Lundstedt and her twin sister received additional support in speech and reading. Along the way, they were blessed with teachers who encouraged them to work hard and learn, an experience that would ultimately shape Ms. Lundstedt’s own philosophy of education. “Just as my teachers had inspired me, I too want to encourage children to work hard and learn,” she says.
Her professional teaching journey began in 1991, working with children with mild to moderate disabilities. She later spent five years teaching third grade at an Orton-Gillingham school before stepping away from the classroom to raise her three children. Ms. Lundstedt’s years as a mother and home educator became an important part of her teaching story. While raising her children, she also tutored from home and eventually began educating her own family. As her children grew, Ms. Lundstedt incorporated video and online learning into their homeschool experience. She watched her children become increasingly independent and learn to manage their own education. This experience reinforced her belief in individualized instruction, flexibility, and perseverance. “Watching them develop skills and independence at their own pace over time was one of the most rewarding parts of our homeschooling experience,” she shares. That experience now gives Ms. Lundstedt a unique perspective as she partners with the home-educating families at Colearn Academy.
After her children graduated from homeschool, Ms. Lundstedt entered a new season of her life. In March 2020, she had just begun a short-term substitute teaching assignment when the COVID-19 pandemic began. She completed remote-teaching training and continued teaching online for the remainder of the school year and into the following year.
“I was immediately drawn to Colearn because of its unique partnership with home-educating families,” she says. “When I read Colearn’s vision—to ‘transform education through family partnership’ by bringing together the strengths of home education and traditional schooling—I knew I had found a school whose mission aligned with my own experience and passion for education.” She was excited to join the Colearn community, and it didn’t take long to recognize that her years as both a classroom teacher and home educator had prepared her uniquely for the role.
One of the things Ms. Lundstedt values most about Colearn is the flexibility and choice it offers families. Some students participate in Ms. Lundstedt’s live online courses, learning in a small-group setting. Other families appreciate the ability to work directly with their children one-on-one at home, with Ms. Lundstedt providing oversight, tracking progress, reviewing assignments, and helping parents determine what resources and approaches best fit their child. Her role goes beyond academics. “I also support, encourage and partner with my home educators to help best meet the individual educational needs of their 3rd grader,” Ms. Lundstedt explains. That might mean suggesting a curriculum, helping a parent individualize an assignment, recommending a different learning strategy, or simply being a listening ear and source of encouragement. As a former home educator herself, Ms. Lundstedt understands the joys and challenges parents experience firsthand. She considers it a privilege to come alongside families as they navigate their children’s educational journeys.
Ms. Lundstedt believes that every student has the ability to grow and learn when provided with the right combination of tools, personalized instruction, flexibility, and perseverance. She makes it a priority to know not only her students, but also their parents and families. In her live classes, Ms. Lundstedt incorporates interactive activities, slides, hands-on learning, discussion, and a variety of learning modalities and strategies designed to encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and participation. She also appreciates Colearn’s emphasis on giving students multiple ways to demonstrate what they know. Students might respond through writing, video, audio, discussion, or another creative format. For Ms. Lundstedt, these options can help students develop something even more important than academic skills: confidence. “I love that about Colearn as it helps students become confident, resilient learners who are willing to try, persevere, and discover what they are capable of achieving!” she says.
One of Ms. Lundstedt’s most memorable teaching experiences came last year while working with a third-grade student who struggled significantly with writing. Rather than allowing writing difficulties to prevent him from demonstrating his understanding, Ms. Lundstedt provided different ways for him to show what he had learned. Over the course of the year, she watched his confidence and abilities grow. By the end of the year, he was creating videos, designing a diorama, putting on a play, writing facts, and actively sharing his learning during class discussions. For Ms. Lundstedt, that transformation captured the heart of personalized education: meeting students where they are, providing the support they need, and giving them opportunities to discover their own strengths.
Some of Ms. Lundstedt’s greatest accomplishments, however, have happened at home. She and her husband, Greg, are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have educated their three children. All three have graduated from their homeschool, and each has continued pursuing their own educational and professional path. Their oldest son earned both a B.S. and an M.A. and now works for the government. He is married and is the father of Ms. Lundstedt’s first grandchild. Their middle son earned a B.S. in Aviation and is now a First Officer with Delta Air Lines. Their youngest daughter received a four-year scholarship and is currently attending North Greenville University online while pursuing her Elementary Teaching Certificate. Ms. Lundstedt is especially grateful for the years her family spent learning together and for the ways those experiences continue to shape her work with students and families today.
Outside of school, Ms. Lundstedt is married to her husband, Greg, who serves as pastor of Equipping Bible Church and teaches Equipping the Saints. She credits him with being a constant source of love and encouragement and for continually pointing her toward the Lord and His Word. Ms. Lundstedt is deeply thankful for her family, her years as a home educator, and the opportunity to use the experiences and gifts she has been given to serve others.
“I am thankful to the Lord, my husband, my family, and the opportunity to use the experiences and gifts He has given me to encourage and support students and families,” she says. With her unique blend of classroom experience, special education training, home-education experience, and genuine passion for families, Ms. Lundstedt brings a deeply personal perspective to her work at Colearn Academy SC.
For Ms. Lundstedt, education is not simply about completing assignments or mastering subjects. It is about relationships, perseverance, flexibility, encouragement, and helping each child discover that they are capable of learning and growing.
