Lily Monigold - Writer Teacher/Position: Mr. Baughman - Jr./Senior High School Principal What inspired you to become a teacher and how old were you when you knew that is what you wanted to do? When I first went to college, I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do. I knew I liked Biology and sports, so I started in athletic training and coached wrestling. I really enjoyed coaching and working with people. As most kids do, I had a couple of really good teachers that were mentors to me and I looked up to them as people I wanted to emulate. I never had plans to become an administrator. My goal was to be a career teacher and lifetime wrestling coach. Eventually some opportunities presented themselves so I went back to grad school a couple of times and here I am. Have you ever thought about pursuing a different career? If so, what? For about a year and a half of college, I planned to be an athletic trainer or work in the physical therapy area. I really didn’t enjoy the odd hours and realized that most trainers were not doing exciting work. At the time, I was coaching and decided teaching was something I would enjoy. What is the best part about your job and/or about Le Roy High School? It may sound cliche, but the students. I have worked in four other school districts at different points of my career from the size of LeRoy to schools with 2,000 kids. In the end, it’s hard to beat the people in LeRoy. It reminds me a lot of my hometown and in general is just made up of good people. How long have you been teaching? I am in my 19th year in education. I taught for 6 years - Biology and PE, and began at LeRoy as an administrator in 2007. Why did you choose to teach the subject that you teach? I naturally fell into Biology and PE because of my coursework to be an athletic trainer. Biology has always been a subject that I found fascinating, especially Anatomy and Physiology. I loved athletics, which is why I started with athletic training. By the time I changed my major, I had completed coursework toward degrees in Biology and PE, and I thought I would enjoy teaching those. If you had to choose a different subject to teach what would it be? I actually considered teaching English at one point. My main interest was writing. Writing has always come naturally to me and I enjoy the process of creating and editing. What sports/activities were you involved in during high school? Football, wrestling, and track. As most people know, wrestling was and still is my favorite sport. Do you currently coach a sport or help out with any other extra curricular activity at Le Roy High School? I’m still pretty involved with wrestling at all levels from kids club through high school. I was the high school assistant from 2007-2014 and high school head coach from 2014-2016. Where did you go to college and how many years did you go there? I went to Illinois College in Jacksonville for 4 years for my undergraduate degree. Later, while I was teaching, I attended Illinois State University for two years to get my masters degree for Educational Administration. While I was the associate principal at LeRoy, I attended Eastern Illinois University for two years to get my masters degree to be a Superintendent. In short, I’ve done my fair share of school. What was your college experience like? My undergrad experience was great. I met my wife in college. IC as a small school was a good fit for me. Grad school was very different because I had to balance a full time job and family at the same time. That situation was basically just hammering through coursework. What do you enjoy doing over Summer Break? I come to work in the summer, so I like getting caught up and ahead on work. That being said, I do get quite a bit of free time that I like to spend with my family and relaxing. If you could take your students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them? I haven’t traveled much outside of the US, but I went on a trip to England when I was in college. It was a really cool experience and I think I’d enjoy taking students on a trip there or anywhere in Europe. Do you have any pets? Dog: Doug, Cat: Leo What song do you know all of the lyrics to? I know the lyrics to a lot of ‘90s grunge music. Most people who know me well also know that I’m a big Bruce Springsteen fan, so I know all of the lyrics to several of his songs. What is one of your hidden talents? Telling funny jokes . . . What would you say to your students to give them advice to help them become successful in high school, college, and their career? Do what you enjoy to do. Don’t be afraid to make the wrong decision or fail. You’ll be okay. Most importantly, work hard but don’t take life too seriously. It’s too short. Enjoy it.
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