Rosa Parks Elementary – Ashley Brown, Langyage Arts/Reading Specialist

Reading specialist and language arts teachers Ashley Brown has been named the 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year for Rosa Parks Elementary School.

:I was inspired to become a classroom teacher from my second grade teacher,” Brown said. “She always took the extra steps to help me succeed. I wanted to have the opportunity to do this for students. The older I got, and the more I grew in my understanding of the role of a teacher, I decided I wanted to help families that came from diverse and challenging backgrounds. I wanted to help students who face learning challenges feel successful and see themselves as learners, despite their struggles.”

Brown is a reading specialist and she took on the role of virtual reading specialist for this school year.

“There are a lot of resources and tools to teach virtually, but I have found myself going back to my pedagogy, and what I believe is best practice to support student’s success in reading. When we look at what is best for students learning we can then implement the virtual tools to make that learning visible. This school year has challenged me to reinvent my teaching by implementing new teaching strategies through a variety of online resources (Zoom, Google Jamboard, RAZ Plus, Seesaw), find new ways to organize and collect data (through Teams), have more interactions with families (through Remind), and support teachers in their virtual teaching, and virtual assessments.”

Brown started her career at Union in the year of 2013 at Rosa Parks Elementary, “and it has been home ever since!”

Educational background:

• 2007-2008-Tulsa Technology Center- Early Childhood Education
• 2008-2010- Tulsa Community College Associates in Science
• 2010-2012- University of Oklahoma- Bachelors of Science in Education
• 2012-2015- Oklahoma State University- Masters of Science in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

Certifications-

• Teaching Certificate
• Early Childhood Pk-3
• Reading Specialists PK-12