Ashley Hendrickson, Secondary Teacher of the Year

Ashley Hendrickson, Clark HS

 

Clark High School | AVID Coordinator

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Teaching Philosophy 

My earliest memories are hazy gray shadows streaked through with violent red, each tinged with the bereft feeling that haunts the psyche of those who have, in their formative years, been mishandled and manipulated by a trusted loved one into fractured versions of who they should have become. These shadow memories come with the stark realization that who I am, and so much of who I have become as an educator, stems from terrors that my brain blocked out for my own protection. Yet, as I sit to think about how to best put into words my philosophy of education, I'm transported back to one of the few early memories that comes to me, not in shadow, but in full rainbow colors of acceptance and being SEEN.

My second-grade self, struck introverted by violent nurture, sat silently among her peers and stared at them as they read — books about Dick and Jane, books about cats and hats, books that bore no resemblance to my dark and red-tinted life. And so, silently obstinate, I refused to read — those books spoke nothing to the little girl who, at seven years old, had buried more hurt than most people experience in a lifetime. But Ms. Folk SAW ME — she saw my pain, my sadness, my anger and how all of those big feelings were keeping me from engaging. And in those moments, as an educator, she had a choice. My first-grade teacher cajoled, threw withering glances, called my mom, and finally threw up her hands in defeat, but my second-grade teacher tried a different tactic. Instead of giving up on me, she purchased a trilogy of books, placed them on my desk with a smile, and whispered, "These books are about a little girl that reminds me of you. If you don't like them, we'll try something else." I was blown away by the gesture. Books chosen with care just for me? I started reading that day and never looked back. That teacher gave me an emotionally safe place in her classroom, capturing my trust and showing me a different path forward. Her gift impacted me so much that I excelled in my English classes from then on, eventually earning my master's degree in Literature and taking a job as a dual credit English teacher.

My first year in the classroom, I was a hard-core realist who taught her students the way she'd been taught in college — little room for error or excuses. However, over the course of fourteen years, my philosophy of education has shifted, and working with the amazing humans I teach as a Clark High School AVID teacher, reminds me daily what my second-grade teacher intrinsically knew — that there are boundaries and walls that keep certain students from achieving maximum levels of greatness. As a teacher, it's my sacred task to recognize and help students break down those boundaries and walls within the safety of my classroom. Many of my AVID students come to me with their own skewed, serrated versions of themselves. Their stories often sit heavy on my teacher's heart. One struggles with severe and crippling anxiety and panic attacks. Another fights an eating disorder and the distorted image in the mirror. Another, desperately missing the love of her deceased mom, stops by daily for a hug. I've always adhered to the ideology that education was not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire. Now, however, I realize that some of my AVID students need their fire started with kindling, while others burn brighter with rich lighter pine; some need me to turn a key and crank up the gas, and still others come to the pile soaking wet and need time to dry out before I attempt to strike a match. The buzzword is differentiation, but the heart of the matter is getting to know each and every single student and meeting them where they are each day. I work to build relationships with each student in my room and show them, through my eyes, their worth, strength, and beauty. To make them feel SEEN. For me, the greatest reward in teaching comes from watching each individual human in my classroom discover, in their own time and in their own way, their true self — to break, as my second-grade teacher did for me, any negative preconceived mental images and to encourage them to embrace their own unique needs and abilities.

Each day, I strive to make my classroom a family environment, a safe haven where students remove the masks they put on for others and come to our college-ready space stripped of the meticulously-crafted narratives they spin to harbor themselves from the world. In our safe space, I harness the power of collaborative teaming to encourage students to build friendships with those whom they might have never spoken to if they'd not been in AVID. In addition, I place high value on teaching students how to communicate: with each other, with me, with their teachers and with their parents. I empower my students to be authentic, to reflection their own learning and progress, to set and achieve any number of goals, and to rise above obstacles that threaten to knock them down. On the surface, it may seem as though my students are merely doing career research, or annotating articles in preparation for a Socratic Seminar, or calculating (yet again) their cumulative GPA, but in reality, they're building the life-ready skills to move into their first dorm room, send their first professional email to that unforgiving professor or navigate an overcrowded job market.

I am also acutely aware that AVID has the power to reach far beyond the walls of my own classroom. As AVID Coordinator, I recognize the great responsibility I have to make college and career readiness the culture of our entire building. Here at Clark, AVID and college-readiness are schoolwide initiatives, and I've worked hard to make AVID available, in one way or another, to each student on our campus. Each year, I prioritize hosting multiple school-wide community service events that give back to the Plano community. These events enable all students on our campus the opportunity to thrive as leaders who feed the homeless through a sandwich drive, or to experience the pride that comes from seeing our campus shiny and clean after a City of Plano Community Cleanup. In addition, I've brought college-readiness visually to our entire campus, slowly filling the walls of our hallways with hundreds of donated college pennants and adhering vinyl college stickers to every single stair riser. Now, as they walk, students envision myriad versions of their future college dreams.

Yet even that isn't enough — one of my favorite parts about this incredible leadership role is the opportunity to partner with the amazing teachers on my AVID site team to create and deliver yearly professional development to each teacher on our campus. The greatest impact I can make outside of my own classroom is arming every teacher at Clark with AVID training that combines WICOR and relational capacity, ensuring each student in our building has both their emotional and academic needs met. When I start each year by bringing all new Clark teachers into the AVID space, first asking them to articulate their "why" for teaching and then helping them equate their own story with the why behind AVID, I'm blown away at the power this program has - how it widens the eyes of our amazing staff and shows them all the open doorways and possibilities for students. Ultimately, through AVID, I am embracing the person that my past experiences shaped me into and rising above the shadows to reshape the way my students, and students throughout my campus, view and embrace their forward trajectories.


Dear Teacher of the Year Selection Committee:

It is my sincere honor to recommend Clark High School Avid Coordinator Ashley Hendrickson as the Plano ISD Teacher of the Year. Ms. Hendrickson exemplifies all that is good and right about the teaching profession. She holds herself to the highest standards; she is dedicated to moving the campus forward instructionally; and she is a fierce advocate for all students at Clark High School.

Ms. Hendrickson is a key instructional leader at Clark High School. Teachers and staff look forward to her professional development presentations because they know they will learn and laugh and walk away with strategies they can use immediately. She has been instrumental in leading teachers to incorporate gallery walks, Socratic seminars, Think Pair Share, and more. She has changed the dynamic of the classrooms across Clark High School. This past summer, CHS had more teachers apply for and attend the AVID Summer Institute than in previous years.Teachers want to learn from Ms. Hendrickson and alongside Ms. Hendrickson.

Everything Ms. Hendrickson touches exudes excellence. She has been the driving force behind Clark High School's college and career readiness. The level of awareness she has raised amongst the students is so encouraging. She has ensured that our halls are decorated with college pennants, every adult in the building has a personalized sign of their alma mater, and we recently installed college logos and signs on the risers of every stair. I must admit that I could not visualize how the stair signs might look; however, I knew if Ms. Hendrickson supported it, it would look nice. Wow! Nice is an understatement. I have received more enthusiastic comments about our "stair signs" from students, parents, and Plano ISD staff than I have received about any other change.

Of course, I am appreciative of Ms. Hendrickson's work to develop the staff and the culture of Clark High School, but the number one reason she is a true candidate for Plano ISD's Teacher of the Year is her advocacy for students. As recently as this week, I noticed Ms. Hendrickson in the cafeteria after school with a group of students. She was providing guidance as they completed their Empty Bowls, a service project with North Texas Food Bank. This is a normal occurrence, but what is remarkable is that not only were the AVID students there, but other students asked to join in. She is indeed a "student magnet." Her classroom is open daily before school and during Study Hall for students to study. During Cougar Call, our 8th grade Open House, Ms. Hendrickson's room featured student leaders who she had coached and mentored to be confident presenters.

I would be remiss if I did not at least mention Ms. Hendrickson's creativity. She adds sparkle and flair to everything she does. Students look forward to the student researched "Haunted Universities of the U.S." bulletin board in October and her door decorations throughout the year. The administrative relies on her when we need a unique turn of phrase or alliterative name for our projects. On a regular basis, she can be found sitting cross-legged with students while they complete projects for many classes, offering them glue, markers, or sequins.

I am excited for the Teacher of the Year committee to meet Ashley Hendrickson. She is a top notch teacher who is responsible for the innovative instructional strategies that teachers are using at Clark High School. I am sure the committee will see she is also a warm, fun, student advocate who believes all students can achieve at exceptional levels.

Pamela Clark, Principal

Clark High School