Hi! I’m Annelies den Hartog (or, Mrs. D) and I’m so excited to be the teacher at HCCS for the 2025-2026 school year!

This past school year, I taught Grade 1/2 for five months. Before that, I taught English as a Second Language to adults, so I am looking forward to teaching some age groups in between that I haven’t before!

I believe that the purpose of Christian education is most concisely stated in Proverbs 22:6: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (NIV). If children are shown, through example and instruction, a God-fearing way of living, and how this way of living affects their relationships with their peers and themselves, they will be encouraged to continue to live this way, even when it may be easier not to. What we learn when we are young has a tendency to stay with us.

I have a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, with a Minor in Creative Writing, from the University of Guelph. I am also OCELT (Ontario Certified English Language Teacher) certified through Conestoga College.

When I’m not in the classroom, you can find me writing poetry, attempting to garden, or playing video games with my wonderful husband. Together, we attend Palmerston Christian Reformed Church with our families.