Heading into her thirteenth year of teaching, Ashley Urbaniak takes on a new school with a good mindset. Urbaniak’s love for teaching started early in her life during high school.
“[My high school] had a math tutoring center. So when I started in my math classes, they needed, similar to what [Lemont High School has] here, like the [National Honor Society] hours and things like that; volunteer opportunities. So I always, like, went ahead and volunteered [to tutor],” Urbaniak said.
Urbaniak has always enjoyed math as she was heavily involved with the subject in high school.
“I enjoy math, but I also had to work hard in math, so it’s nice to be able to break things down for students,” Urbaniak said.
After high school, Urbaniak continued her dream of teaching after receiving a scholarship to attend Illinois State University for her undergraduate. She then went to Aurora University for her master’s in Curriculum and Instruction.
While this is her official debut at LHS, she spent the early years of her career as a student teacher here where she fell in love with the community that the staff built.
“Everyone was super kind and welcoming,” Urbaniak said. “I was looking to go somewhere where I was going to feel supported and be a part of a great team.”
Urbaniak is now embarking on a new math journey and is thrilled to be teaching Math II and III this year, with high hopes to master teaching integrated math courses for the first time. Despite the hurdles that this switch might create, she is enjoying this chance to try something new.
Though starting a new job can be frightening, Urbaniak is tackling the challenge with confidence as she loves helping those around her succeed. She wants to not only build relationships with her students, but to also become a wonderful addition to the staff. We can’t wait to watch her thrive at LHS!
