Ashleigh Jackson

Ashleigh's passion for teaching ultimately began during her own childhood where she grew up facing a lot of adversity. It was the teachers in her life from K-12 who truly inspired her through their own passions, their teaching styles and their advocacy for their students. Ashleigh's love of school, teachers, and all the summers she spent playing school with her younger sister, trying to pass the time until the next school year, planted the seed that would blossom into her following her own path as an educator.

Ashleigh spent the first 5 years of her career in the early childhood realm exploring various roles from educator, teacher mentor, and family advocate. This experience formed her passion, love, and appreciation for high-quality education and advocacy for children and families in rural areas. It also expanded her knowledge and strengthened her belief in each child's right to a strong sense of belonging through the celebration of individuality, opportunity for connection to nature, and learning through experiences and play. Ashleigh is inspired by FernLeaf and the community that exists from student to teacher to family and she is so excited to start her journey here. Ashleigh has her Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education and is a graduate of Western Carolina University where she gained her Bachelors in Professional Ed. with a B-K licensure.

As an educator, she hopes to spark the same belonging, eagerness, and love for school, learning, and community that she experienced as a child. In her spare time, you can find Ashleigh outdoors with her partner Sadie, hanging out around her animals, spending time with her chosen family, thrifting, or hanging out around a fire.