Los Banos High School Tiger family is growing by the day, with its newest member to the Tiger family being Mrs. Hillary Conway.
Conway decided she wanted to step down from administrators for a while and get back to the roots of teaching. Conway was the head of special education for 10 years, following up as an administrator for two years at Pacheco High School.
Conway has returned to the Los Banos campus after graduating in the Class of 2005. Conway stated, “It’s weird being here as the teacher instead of the student because I pass by all the classrooms, remembering all my classes from before.” For the most part she is happy to be back in the classroom, and back to a place she has memories with.
Coming back to the classroom after having some time off isn’t too much of an issue or a challenge for her. Conway said, “After going into administration and back into the classroom, teaching is kind of a vacation compared to what the job is in the office.” She is ready to teach and explains that she loves having a loud classroom in which she allows all of her students to interact with each other.
Conway teaches special education from nine to twelfth grade and has 28 students in her classroom, teaching them English and math. For the other students that aren’t in her class, she explained, “I’m kinda like their school mom, Academic advisor, like a little bit of everything. I keep track of how they are doing on Aeries, calling them in if they need anything as well keeping in touch with their other teachers to make sure they are getting all the accommodations that they need.”
Conway is also incredibly happy that she only has 28 students because it means that it will be much easier to have that extra time to genuinely get to know her students on a personal level and have the ability to really put into effect that in an inclusive environment, every student will be able to thrive.
When considering the environment in her classroom, Conway believes in getting to know her students, their likes, dislikes, and home life because she feels that when the teacher takes the time to truly get to know their students for all they are and can become, it creates a safe place where they are free to learn, have fun, and be themselves.
Conway stated, “I want them to feel comfortable when they talk to me about anything and everything and know that it will stay confidential.” Conway believes greatly in the fact that when your students feel wanted and cared for that they will be more willing to perform well in the classroom.
Mrs. Conway is really looking forward to being a part of the Tiger family and getting to know all of the students in her classroom and around campus. She also wants to be more involved in the school in many ways as the year progresses.
