PrepNow Tutor - Ash O.
Ashley is a passionate educator with a deeply empathetic approach to teaching. She holds two degrees from Middle Georgia State University: a BA in history and an MAT in secondary education (6-12) with a focus in history and social studies. Ashley is a certified teacher in Georgia with a gifted and talented endorsement. She worked as a substitute teacher while earning her master’s degree and then spent six years teaching at a middle school before transitioning to a virtual school, where she now leads the social studies department for over five hundred students. Ashley also currently serves as the junior advisor and supports their path to graduation through the academic team, parent coaching, test prep, and more.
Ashley’s personal struggles in school were her inspiration to start teaching. “I decided to pursue education to help students who were like me and lacked the necessary love, empathy, and support to shine,” she shares. Throughout her career, Ashley has taught social studies, American government, world history, US history, and economics. She’s also tutored psychology, sociology, and test prep for the SAT, ACT, Georgia state tests, and more. “I love the personalized learning aspect of tutoring,” Ashley says. “Students are not data points in presentations or parts on an assembly line. I love tutoring because I get to know the amazing human who makes up the scholar. I get to tailor my pedagogy to what they need to be the most successful.”
When asked about her tutoring style, Ashley says, “I like to be more empathetic and connect with students. I always want them to see me as a person rather than someone who just dumps info on them.” Ashley believes that building relationships is fundamental to driving student motivation and that students who care are students who grow and truly master their content. “As someone who has come from a difficult background, I've made it my goal to help students with a variety of learning needs succeed to the best of their ability,” Ashley says. Ashley was recently awarded the STAR teacher award.
As a student, Ashley was involved in drama, book club, and writers club. She likes reading and writing and loves going to the gym and healthy eating. “I was late diagnosed with Autism when I was twenty-two years old, seven years after they diagnosed me with ADHD,” Ashley says. “I've spent many years growing and learning how to be my best self, and I attribute a lot of that part of me to being able to better address and empathize with complex and higher need students.”
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