Ashley Weigel

I was born and raised in a small farming town in Ohio, with a human population less than five thousand. It was here that I learned the importance of family and community and also here that I first experienced damage wrought by ignorance and intolerance. The latter inspired me to seek new surroundings upon graduating high school, and I moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan in the fall of 2006 to attend college at Eastern Michigan University. I am currently residing in Ypsi and am near completion of a degree in Secondary Education Language, Literature, and Writing.

As a future teacher, I hope to foster an environment for my students that fuels their imaginations and encourages them to share their ideas. Having struggled with attention and motivation myself, I understand the importance of making the learning experience both fun and meaningful to students. I believe learning should be authenticated with real-life applications of the material taught, and I believe we need to push for more community-based learning in our schools. I am most inspired by EcoJustice approaches to education and the idea of a local economy. I believe the answers to many of the problems we face today lie in family, community, and love.