Ashley Hager, Cunningham Elementary

Position: 2nd grade teacher

Years Teaching: 6 years

Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy being creative and crafting. I love to be outside with my family. Anything with my family is my favorite!

What do you enjoy most about teaching? The thing I love most about teaching is building relationships with students and their families and making lifelong impacts.

What do you find most challenging about teaching? The hardest part of teaching for me is to remember not to stretch myself too thin. Knowing I can’t do EVERYTHING by myself is often hard for me to remember. Although they say teachers are superheros, I often put unrealistic expectations upon myself to reach every single student… and sometimes I just can’t do that by myself. I have been working on reaching out to other supports before I overwhelm myself.

Best tip for new teachers: Find your balance. You will obviously need to bring work home some nights, but don’t do that every night. You might need to come into work an hour early here and there, but don’t do it every day of the week. Make time for yourself and your interests you have outside of school. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so don’t let yourself get to “E”!

Best tip for career teachers: Never forget why you feel in love with teaching. Write it down and look at it daily as a reminder.

Favorite piece of advice for students: Your education is the ONE thing someone can’t take away from you. No one can steal the knowledge that is in your brain. Take ownership of your learning!

What being a Gold Star Teacher means to you: Being a Gold Star Teacher means I am recognized as being one of the best of the best. It means my efforts and my dedication to my career have been appreciated and felt by those around me. Being named a Gold Star Teacher is a reminder I am doing exactly what I was put on this earth to do… impact the lives of children. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in teaching for 25+ years or 6 years; it doesn’t take long for children to see that you love and care about them.

Watch Ashley’s video here!