about My Approach
My priorities are the development and well-being of my students. In service to these goals, I see my role as a guide, philosopher, and friend.
As a guide, I provide the lay of the land. I help students understand the many steps involved in applying to college, create a timeline that minimizes stress, and show the way toward getting things done.
As a philosopher, I ask students questions. I encourage introspection, in the belief that a look inward is the first and wisest step before any move outward.
As a friend, I prioritize connection. Being a calm, personable presence in an often-overwhelming time is a commitment I make to every student.
These ideals, described by the educational reformer Charlotte Mason, ring true to me and ground me in my work. When students write to me about what schools they have gained admittance to, I’m always happy for them, and we do a lot of high fives (or the text and email equivalents), but what lands most powerfully is when they share that our time together helped them develop a clearer sense of who they are, and what matters to them.
About Me
As a writer, editor, and a literature teacher, my work has always involved words. I love words in and of themselves (etymology fan, here!) but most of all I love what they can do: clarify our ideas, share insights, inspire a laugh, weave a tale, make meaning.
What drew me to working with teenagers on their college applications was the recognition that so much of what tends to cause students grief on the application is centered in writing difficulties. I started helping one, then two, then many more students from homeschool, public, and private schools clarify their thoughts, values, and aspirations through conversations about their writing. In the process, I became adept at recognizing the ways in which the whole application is an act of story telling, a true story, but a story nevertheless, and one I relish helping students identify and tell well throughout its many parts.
The experiences I have gained over the years eventually led to the development of The Dive, a workshop that aims to empower students with the tools they need to write strong personal essays. It is the result of years of hard-won wisdom gained from my work in this field plus my own experiences writing, and is designed to inspire and foster each student’s authentic voice.
I received my undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature with a concentration in Latin American Studies from Princeton University, and an MFA from Yale School of Art. My book reviews, essays, and humor have been published in The Boston Globe, Real Simple, The Pennsylvania Gazette, The New York Times, and Mutha Magazine.
When not teaching or writing, I’m singing (poorly but passionately), printing photographs in my darkroom, growing tomatoes, reading, or swimming with as many of my three sons as I can rally.
Thanks for visiting!
Ashley