Teaching Inside The Box — No Wright Way

No Wright Way: Introduce yourself to the people.

Ashley Cromwell: I have a BS in early childhood education and a MA in Reading Instruction and Second Language Studies. I was working while I got my Masters. I taught for 5 years; 4 years for kindergarten and 1 year for 3rd grade. My son Jaxon is 3yrs old. I have been married to Deon for 5 years as of May 23rd. We have 2 kids, Jackson (3years old) and Noni (9 months old).

NWW: How did your business start?

AC: I took this year off to be with my daughter Noni (9 months old now). She was born in August so didn't want to miss the beginning of the school year and then come back at the end of year because it's hard to create a bond when you miss the majority of the school year. While I was off people asked me for private tutoring. Since the demand was high for this, I started Creative Ways Multisensory. I also began developing resources to use to teach children following the Orton-Gillingham focus which is a multisensory structured language approach. It especially helps kids that have dyslexia and kids who struggle with numbers and letters but is a good approach for everyone. A lot of teachers wanted to use these resources for one-on-one tutoring in their classroom but don't know how to scale it for a large class and keep learning fun and effective. A part of my business will focus on instructing teachers on how to use my resources in their classroom. I will be returning to teaching because I miss the school family and all of the students. It will also help build my experience and resources using the approach with my own classroom.

NWW: Why did you want to become a teacher?

AC: My 4th grade teacher inspired me to become a teacher. She is African American and made such a huge impact on me. I didn't like her at first because she would push me to do more. She helped me improve my writing and reading. She even showed up to my games because she cared so much. Later on she came to my high school graduation, wedding, and baby shower. She always cared about students and build relationships. I wanted to do that for other students and have the same impact too.

NWW: How has COVID-19 affected your business?

AC: It has changed the way I tutor. I have not had face to face sessions in a while. Virtual tutoring is new for me. Learning zoom was a roadblock that initially slowed me down. There was additional research needed to translate the touch style learning into digital resources. I am in the process of making Pre-K to K tubs with all resources (paper, objects, etc) available for parents. Many parents are worrying about how to start teaching their toddlers with COVID-19 and sheltering in place.

NWW: What does your self care routine look like?

AC: I wake up early in morning to do devotions around 6am. When I have time to myself, I'm a better me for the day. Reading a book, drinking coffee and tea, taking time getting ready-not rushed. Without my morning time, I am rattled and overwhelmed. My oldest son, Jackson, gets up at 9am, which gives me 3 hours to do what I need to do.

NWW: How do you balance being a wife, mom, friend, etc?

AC: I schedule different parts or “hats” throughout the day. My “me time” is first thing, then business tasks, and light cleaning before kids get up. During the day I focus on the kids- playtime, learning activities, etc. In the evening after the kids' bedtime, we have marriage time. My hubby and I will watch tv, talk, do devotion together, and/or date nights.

NWW: What is your favorite activity to do with kids?

AC: I like to draw with my oldest. I like playing with 9 month old and being in the moment

NWW: What's your no right way of parenting or odd way of parenting?

AC: I let him make choices and he is involved in his discipline. I use conscious discipline to help learn their emotions and then they decide what consequences. He learns about what emotion drives the action and what can we do better the next time. I feel like parents get judgy when I let him decide his punishment.

You can purchase her teaching resources through her instagram bio:

www.instagram.com/creativewaysmultisensory