As the brand new school year begins, we see that LHS has made some major changes. These changes include six new teachers amongst the many different departments. One of those six teachers is Brandon Hillary.
Joining the English department, Hillary is teaching English IV, English II Honors and Journalism this year. Although he is excited to teach all of his new classes, he is especially psyched to teach Journalism.
“It’s [Journalism] a really powerful experience to immerse yourself in an environment that is…a little bit foreign or uncomfortable, because I think those are the experiences that make us so much better,” Hillary said.
As a new teacher, sometimes being in a new community can be intimidating. However, Hillary felt very welcomed in the community.
“I think LHS is all about the people,” Hillary said. “There’s just something about LHS and the surrounding community that is very vibrant, positive and communal.”
Hillary’s journey to becoming a teacher began during his sophomore year of high school.
“I had a teacher by the name Mr. Johnson who dared to teach English a little bit differently than others had and I knew we needed to have more teachers like that right away,” Hillary said. “Up until then, I had experienced English teachers who taught grammar, punctuation and vocabulary… but I had a teacher who dared to do more of a cultural study.”
Hillary was inspired by his English teacher’s different approach and knew this was the right path for him.
When becoming a teacher, you know that your passion is to aid others in learning something new, but when it comes to teaching a certain group of people, how do you make that choice?
“I’ve always connected to the high school age group because it’s really an age where we start to come into our own and become the person that we are going to be for the rest of our lives,” Hillary said.
Hillary explained that he felt the high school environment was one he could, “strongly impact.”
Not only will Hillary be teaching at Lemont, but he will also be coaching the freshman basketball team after spending all four years of highschool playing for his school’s team.
“As soon as I got out of high school, I started to coach immediately,” Hillary said. “I’ve coached every year and every season since, so I’m in my 13th year coaching basketball, and it really is a sport that I found a lifelong passion in.”
