“I was inspired to do my major because I have always enjoyed working with kids and thought about teaching for a long time, but I originally thought I would teach in elementary school, specifically kindergarten,” said Ashley DeCleene, a St. Norbert College junior observing and helping out in the classroom of Mrs. Joy Mayer.
DeCleene is from De Pere, went to middle school at Notre Dame and then high school at De Pere.
She is in her third year at SNC and is double majoring in biology and secondary education.
“Once I got to high school I had some really good teachers, mostly my science teachers, and discovered my love for science, and this is when I decided that I wanted to specialize in science, specifically biology, instead of teaching a little bit of everything in elementary school,” said DeCleene.
She was also interested in becoming a teacher because she babysat for a couple families when she was in elementary and middle school and always enjoyed playing with and watching them.
DeCleene tutored a little bit during high school and got some more experience working with students.
“I had already thought about teaching,” said the college junior, “but these experiences, along with many of my high school teachers, helped to strengthen this decision.”
She is excited to have the opportunity to begin leading classes and activities as well as teach subjects that she is passionate about.
DeCleene thinks this “block experience” at NDA is very valuable and will help her build confidence about her teaching abilities.
“Although I have a lot of help from my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Mayer, I am nervous about planning and preparing the lessons that I will be teaching and organizing them in a way that I believe students will understand,” said DeCleene.
Outside of school her favorite hobby/interest is outdoor activities and traveling to different places to hike and ski.
She loves to hike different trails in the fall to see the colorful trees, but her favorite place by far was hiking in Glacier National Park.
DeCleene said, “I coach volleyball at De Pere High School and love watching sports in general. In my free time outside of teaching and coaching I enjoy reading and painting.”
A fun fact about DeCleene is that she is part of the TRIPS program at St. Norbert College which has allowed her to go on multiple service trips outside of the state with other students from her college.
“I have volunteered in Memphis, Tennessee, and Washington D.C to learn about different social justice issues such as healthcare and homelessness,” she explained.
While she was in D.C. last year, she went to Jimmy Carter’s Visitation in the capitol building, and this year she will be going to Ashville, North Carolina, to learn more and perform service towards environmental sustainability.
