Blog
Free Response
Reflections on Teaching from a Lifelong Learner
Welcome to Ashlie’s personal blog, Free Response. On this page, she shares her experience on the rewards of the teaching profession, pedagogical trends and needs for today’s learners as well as insights on current educational advocacy and policy work.
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The Path to our More Perfect Union
A Reflection from the 2025 National Teacher of the Year Last spring, as I began my NTOY tenure, I was overwhelmed by…
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To the Architects of Architects: A post for Teacher Appreciation Week
Every May, teachers are enveloped in a wave of gratitude. It comes in the form of hand-made trinkets from students, heartfelt notes…
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Read (Watch, Listen) Across America
For 15 years, my reading list has been anchored by the novels on my syllabus. This year, however, as I traded my…
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There and back again…
This week, I return to California to join the 2026 State Teachers of the Year cohort for their program orientation. I have…
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The Space Between How It Started and How It’s Going
Year-end summaries bombard our December social media. Wrapped playlists and monthly photo collages and publications’ announcements of their Person of the Year……