Welcome to Ashley’s Learning Zone!

My Teaching Philosophy
I’m an educator and community leader in Durango who mentors
diverse youth to help them become change agents and seekers of
meaning and purpose. The co-founder of an organization called San
Juan Mountain SOLES and a Humanities teacher at Animas High
School I have focused on connecting my students to the world
beyond our four walls and providing them with experiential
education experiences that foster stronger connections to place,
community and self. I want to raise students who believe they can
make a positive difference in the world and actively work to do so
beyond their time at Animas in ways that are unique to their needs,
values and interests. I believe that the best way to do this is to
engage students in the real work that organizations in our
community are doing to solve the urgent problems we face today.

My Core Teaching Values

Community Justice and Fairness Adventure

Compassion
Collaboration
Communication
Exploration
Fun
Intellectual curiosity
 Authenticity Critical Thinking Striving for Excellence

Self-expression
Integrity
Reflection and Growth
Vulnerability

Why teach?
 I believe education is the most productive way to close our nation’s achievement gap if every student,
regardless of background, has a quality college-preparatory education.

 I love learning!

 Teaching is my calling. It is in my blood. It provides me with a sense of purpose and enables me to

express my creativity.

 I believe in innovation. I believe in challenging educational paradigms. Teaching is an adventure that

resonates with my personal quest to embed adventure in my life.

 Together we can build a community that supports creativity, self-expression, growth and excellence,
where students and teachers care about each other, and where I am inspired on a daily basis by my
colleagues and my students.

Ashley’s Teaching Goals for 2018-2019

Big Picture Goals The Nitty Gritty Goals

 Engage students in authentic collaboration beyond
Animas to solve real world problems
 Intentionally create a sustainable class community
 Help students track their own writing growth and
support them in achieving their writing development
goals
 Challenge assumptions (mine and students) to help
us think more critically and evaluate the root of our
beliefs.