Ashlei Echols

Tell us why you became a teacher

My bachelors is in criminal justice and I worked in juvenile corrections for three years prior to joining education. My love for teaching grew as I encountered many adjudicated youth who were illiterate.The program I was assisting with was for Job club however, without those basic skills the opportunities were minimal. I knew that I needed to teach them how to read and that I didn’t want any other children to suffer and be failed by the school system and their toxic home life.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

One of my most memorable moments is hard to pin point. There are so many things that happen that are rewarding. Breakthroughs in curriculum to seeing students from diverse background's and special needs integrating seamlessly. I would have to say the most rewarding was having the fire department come visit my school and read to my class for fire safety month.Exposure is everything and a student that struggled with behavior was inspired to become a firefighter.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would actually enjoy my breaks instead of worrying about financial responsibilities. I would purchase a year supply worth of snacks, supplies and update my calming corner and get a nice new rug. I would pay off some of my student loan debt as well as pay for the completion of my certificate with the funding. I took a non traditional route and studied online teachers of tomorrow program. As a Long term substitute I was able to come in help, structure and save students from falling behind.