Welcome to the New Teacher Spotlight! Illini Central would like to introduce new teachers to the district. Today we are highlighting Miss Ashbaugh!
Miss Ashbaugh is a 5th grade teacher and this is her first year of teaching.
Ever since kindergarten, Miss Ashbaugh wanted to be a teacher. She grew up in a family of educators. Her mom, aunt, dad, grandma, and great aunt were all teachers. Her favorite thing to do when she was growing up was to help them in classrooms. When Miss Ashbaugh was little she would help them organize or decorate. As she got older, she was able to observe her family members teach and she learned a lot from them. They were an incredible support system for her.
Miss Ashbaugh feels motivated when she sees her students get excited to learn. She loves planning super fun lessons, and then watching her students thrive off of them. This excitement pushes her to work hard to make learning fun for them, especially if they are enjoying a subject that they normally dread. These things make all of the planning that she does worth it. Miss Ashbaugh also enjoys seeing her students grow. If she sees a student do a math problem on their own that a week ago they couldn’t do, she gets excited. Some of her students may think that she is crazy, but Miss Ashbaugh loves encouraging her students. She loves celebrating when students do not need help on problems, she believes this is a huge moment in their learning. Miss Ashbaugh loves watching kids learn, grow, and become more independent as the year goes on.
Miss Ashbaugh was drawn to Illini Central because one of her friends mentioned that the school district was hiring. She sent in her application and then had an interview. When she met the administrators and when she saw the school, she felt welcomed and she felt really good about taking the job. She loves the size of the school and how tight the community is. She also thought that the other staff members were very supportive, and the staff has continued to help her and guide her through her first year of teaching.
Growing up Miss Ashbaugh lived in Rochester, Illinois and her family is very important to her. Her mom is a kindergarten teacher at Sherman Elementary and her dad is the Rochester High School principal. She also has an older sister named Makynzie. Makynzie is a pharmacist at Memorial. She also has a little brother and sister that are twins. Her little sister’s name is Molly and she goes to college at ISU, and her little brother, Mitchell, goes to Mizzou.
While in college, Miss Ashbaugh had the opportunity to study abroad in Sevilla, Spain. She spent six months there and she made a lot of good memories. If she could live anywhere, she would love to go back. She loved the food, the people, and the atmosphere of Sevilla. She also loved that she could walk anywhere.
Watching Netflix is one of Miss Ashbaugh’s hobbies. Whenever she is told about a new show, she has to watch it. She loves having shows on while she is grading, lesson planning, or hanging out with friends. She also likes to read, but it has to be a certain type of book. She feels as if she has to be fully invested in the book to actually finish it.
One piece of advice that Miss Ashbaugh would give would be: “Never compare yourself with others. Everyone is unique in their own way. Accept your flaws and work towards self-development which is an on-going process. Practice self-love.”
Her idea of a perfect day would start by waking up early and watching the sunrise. She would then get coffee with her friends, and spend time with them since they do not get to meet often. She would love the weather to be sunny and beautiful, and she could catch up and talk to her friends like they did when they were in school. She would end her perfect day by spending time with her family. She would have a bonfire with them and make dinner and roast marshmallows for s’mores. She would love to include her aunt, uncle, cousins, and her grandparents. She would end her perfect day this way because she would be able to spend time with the people who mean the most to her.
If Miss Ashbaugh was to meet a historical figure, she would like to meet former president, William H. Taft. She would like to meet him because he got stuck in a bathtub in the Whitehouse and they had to cut him out. She would love to know all of the details, and nobody would know the details better than him.
Illini Central thanks Miss Ashbaugh for her dedication to the students at Illini Central!