Program Perspective: Jacqueline Ashby, Center for Learning in Practice

Jacqueline-Ashby

Jacqueline Ashby“We are all learners who share similar goals despite our cultural, geographical and experiential differences. Regardless of where our students come from, they all want safety and respect.”
Jacqueline Ashby, Center for Learning in Practice

Jacqueline Ashby is the Coordinator of Educational Services at Journey’s End Refugee Services in Buffalo, N.Y. She manages the education department at a refugee resettlement agency where she serves the needs of students from all over the world, many of whom have experienced trauma. Over the summer she participated in an online course designed for educators working with Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) through CLiP’s Refugee Educator Academy. “Participating in the summer SLIFE course re-inspired my daily work,” she said. “As an administrator, it is easy to get bogged down in grant requirements, program management and other administrative tasks. The course re-focused my attention on the student experience at our school and the ways that I can support our teachers in their daily work. It also reminded me to think about our educational programs from the perspective of the student rather than as an administrator.”

Jackie sees the Refugee Educator Academy as having a huge impact on the field of education by sharing best practices from educators around the world. At her own agency, she is working to implement some of these practices, including a peer observation model.

By finding herself in the role of student instead of teacher or administrator, she was reminded how much she loves learning and is now researching opportunities to continue her own education, perhaps in a PhD program focused on refugee or global education.