"Be somebody who makes everybody
feel like a somebody."
-Kid President
My name is Ashley Findel. I grew up on Long Island. I was never entirely sure of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always wanted to learn a little bit of everything. I loved school as a child, but somewhere along the way, I lost that love of going to school and learning. I found it very difficult and slowly fell behind. It wasn't until I attended Suffolk Community College after graduating high school that that spark and desire to learn returned. I loved being able to delve into a diverse set of courses during my to find what I wanted to pursue. I took a course on child development as a psychology credit, took a step into a kindergarten class for field hours and it was the start of something great. I found what I wanted to do.
Teaching was apart of my identity from that moment on. The 'thing' about teaching that really pulled me in was the moment you see that a student grasps what they have put their mind to. A teacher's job is not only to provide new information, it is much more. It is teaching the little minds that enter your classroom how to be kind and caring and how to manage the world around them. We prepare them for the world around them. Teaching is no walk in the park and it is a profession that can be exhausting, but through my experiences, I have come to see that the progress (no matter how big) always drives the next moment.
Teaching means we never stop learning and I think that's what keeps me most passionate about being a teacher. The learning doesn't stop when you become a teacher. I continue to grow and learn along with my students every day. Teaching takes patience, compassion, enthusiasm, understanding, creativity, and passion - all things I believe are a part of me and who I am.
I have observed, participated, and lead many classes, each one with unforgettable experiences and children who have taught me so much about what it means to be an educator.