About Me
Not from around here...
I grew up in North Carolina. My mom & dad were the first in my family to go to college, and my parents and grandparents always emphasized the importance of education.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Elon University. I chose mathematics not because I wanted to teach it, but because to me, it was fun. I loved seeking out the patterns in everything, creating proofs of the theorems by piecing together axioms and other theorems, and imagining infinity.
But once I graduated, I didn't know what to do with it! I didn't think I wanted to teach, so I didn't go into education. I found out that some graduate programs will pay you to go there, so I decided to take that opportunity to give me more time to figure out what to do with my life. In graduate school at Texas Tech University to earn money I had to teach undergraduate classes. That's right, they just tossed me in the classroom. I had no idea how much I would love it!
After several years teaching there and three summers doing research in mathematics, I knew teaching was my gift. I earned my Master of Science in Applied Mathematics and moved to California to teach. I've been teaching at Las Positas College since 2008 and continue to enjoy my career each semester.
More random bio facts:
I played trombone throughout middle, high school and college, marched in the bands, and played in multiple Jazz Ensembles, Brass Quintets, church groups, etc. until the end of my first pregnancy with my daughter. Though I don't play any more, I LOVE all kinds of music and am happy and excited to listen and enjoy! My favorites right now include mash-ups - take two (or more) songs and throw them together in fun and interesting ways. A master of this is DJ Cummerbund, and the BEST of his IMHO is "Earth, Wind and Ozzys", a mashup of Ozzy Osborne's Crazy Train with Earth, Wind and Fire's September. Who knew these go together so well?
I love to read and watch TV while also doing needlework (crochet or cross stitch, currently). Star Trek, Star Wars, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Marvel and DC, Disney - hey, I have two kids!
I'm not great at it, but I love experimenting in the kitchen with different foods. Baking is my favorite medium, but I also work with "normal food"!
Some of my interests:
Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society recognizes scholarship and service in California Community College Students. Enhance your college experience with community service projects, fundraising, and leadership. Conferences are always fun and scholarships are available each year. Interested? Ask me how to join the LPC Chapter!
Math Club/Mu Alpha Theta
LPC's student-run club, where you can learn that math is so much more than what you learn in your classes!
Before I started teaching at LPC, I volunteered for Asante Africa, a nonprofit that works to provide education and programs in east Africa. All the people who work for this organization are amazing people and have hearts for service. Pictured above is me with Luke a few years ago in a drum circle at an AAF event.
Additional Interests:
QUEST Science Center - a hands-on science center here in Livermore! Plans have just started, but I'm excited!
Biography (used for talks):
Ashley McHale earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science from Elon University, and a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from Texas Tech University. While in graduate school, Ashley worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio researching unmanned air vehicle flight and helped program a UAV to fly despite failures on the aircraft. She has been teaching math at the postsecondary level since 2001 and at Las Positas since 2008, including classes from prealgebra through multivariable calculus, linear algebra and discrete mathematics. Currently, her educational interests include equity, mathematics education for elementary students and teachers, and pursuing open educational resources (better known as “free textbooks”) for classes.
The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel. ~ John Glenn
Media Credits:
Course Banner: Julia Set Fractal (a math graph!), Wikipedia, Joshi1983 / Public domain
Image Carousel: AGS Message photo - Collage by Shahaf Dan; Personal pictures, Ashley McHale
AGS Group Image: Photo by Alex Nguyen
Asante Africa Event: Photo by Asante Africa Foundation
Bottom Quote Background: Astronaut above Earth, Photo by NASA on Unsplash