Laura Aston was recently hired at Penn-Trafford High School. Aston’s teaching career follows the subjects of biology for grade nine and chemistry for grade ten.
Q. Where did you go to college?
A. I went to Saint Vincent.
Q. Are you planning on continuing your education?
A. Yes, I’m actually in grad school right now.
Q. Have you taught in other schools before?
A. I taught at Greater Latrobe last year.
Q. What do you teach here at Penn-Trafford High School?
A. Biology and chemistry.
Q. How do you like it so far?
A. I love it.
Q. Have you always wanted to be a teacher?
A. No. I started college as pre-med and thought that is what I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to go to med school and quickly realized that I didn’t love the content that came with that as much. I didn’t find it as interesting. That wasn’t the lifestyle I was looking for, I guess. So, this job gives me a little more flexibility.
Q. What would you say inspired you?
A. I had really good teachers growing up, and they made school an enjoyable place for me. So, I feel like that inspired me – and I just love working with kids of all ages. It was a good fit.
Q. What is your favorite part of your job?
A. The students are the best.
Q. How do you manage your classroom?
A. We like to have a lot of fun, and I’m all about building relationships. But, I also feel like because of those relationships, they know when I’m serious and when it’s time to work. But, I really do believe that learning can be fun and should be engaging.
Q. What area of teaching you have discovered you would like to learn more about?
A. Probably lab work for these classes. Last year I taught eighth grade, so the labs were not, like, full-blow labs, I guess. That’s something that I am excited to work on.
Q. What are you most excited about this upcoming school year?
A. Just getting to know my students. Some of my classes will take the keystones in the spring, so we are excited to see how they do on that and be part of that process.
Q. If you could wrap up the last couple of weeks in one word, what would it be?
A. A whirlwind – definitely a whirlwind. But, also really amazing at the same time.
Sophia Dunnabeck, Section Editor (News)