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The Power
Is In You

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An in-demand speaker at education conferences, Carlton Ashby inspires "Edu-carers" everywhere to capitalize on the "power in you" to make a difference in students' lives by focusing on the three keys to student success: relationships, relationships, relationships.

Doing More With a Lot Less
I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Kenya each year to work with teachers there. I go there to teach teachers, but I return to my classroom inspired by how they make do with so much less than I can imagine, and hoping to model the lessons they have taught me.

They Are All Our Children
Any impact I have had on the lives of kids I visit in juvenile detention centers is overshadowed by the impact they have had on mine. Those visits are reminders that it is my job to be an advocate for all children -- from those in kindergarten to those incarcerated.

Transforming Boys Into Men of VALOR
A few years ago, my colleagues discussed ways in which we might improve behavior, academics, and retention rates for the boys we taught. That discussion led to a mentorship program called Men of VALOR (which is an acronym for the life skills we hoped to develop).

Making the Most of Parent-Teacher-Student Conference Time
A recent conference has Carlton Ashby reflecting again on the importance of relationships -- in this case, the parent-teacher relationship. Parent-teacher conferences are an ideal opportunity to reinforce these relationships that are key to helping students achieve.

We Can Be the "Miracles" in Our Students' Lives
A Whitney Houston video and a couple events from this week at school have me thinking about how many times we teachers go the extra mile for our students. We are empowered to make a difference in their lives in so many ways because that is part of the "calling" we feel.

It Can Be Done
Last weekend I attended a benefit breakfast at a community center. The director took time to introduce the recent college grads in the crowd. As they stood, I noticed a disturbing reality: Why are so few of our African-American boys completing high school and going on to college?

Meet
Carlton Ashby

Carlton Ashby is a kindergarten teacher at Tarrant Elementary School, a Title I school in Hampton, Virginia. He frequently shares his 30 years of teaching experience at workshops focused on developing classroom instruction, discipline strategies, and mentorship programs. He has presented workshops -- including How to Build Internal Motivation In K-12 Students and Effective Strategies for Helping African American Males to Succeed -- in numerous school districts, at many state conferences, and at the national conventions of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).

Ashby holds degrees in Early Childhood Education (B.S., Hampton University) and Counseling (M.S., College of William & Mary). He has received numerous awards for classroom teaching. Outside the classroom, Ashby serves on the board of education of the Newport News (Virginia) Public Schools and as an ordained deacon at the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple in Hampton, Virgina.

To learn more about Carlton Ashby and his workshops, email him.

A Small Pair of Eyeglasses Can Make a Big Difference
I first met Hillary Tavelli when I was a guidance counselor at Briarfield Elementary School. Hillary was straight out of college and was assigned to teach fifth grade. Our school was Hillary's first stop in her teaching career, and I knew she had her work cut out for her.

Making Connections Is Key
At our school, we spend a great deal of time "speaking life" to our children by expressing life's possibilities through positive thoughts, words, and relationships. We strive every day to create an environment that enables students to think big and dream big.

Three Keys to Student Success:
Relationships, Relationships, Relationships

Every day, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to teach at a school where teachers are committed to building relationships. All of us care deeply about building relationships with our students, their parents, our colleagues, and our community.

Carlton Ashby is one of Education World's Administrator's Desk columnists.
Click to meet the rest of our Administrators Desk columnist team.
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