The 2022-23 school year marks social studies teach Ashley Bryant’s first year in DC’s public school system. Travel all the way to the B wing and her bright personality will be hard to miss.

Bryant grew up in Boston and attended Bates College, majoring in anthropology and minoring in educational studies, graduating in 2016.

In 2017, Bryant stayed in Brazil under a government grant following her newfound passion for teaching. “I taught mostly college students and a range of courses. Because it was free to go to college, I had some students who were like 18, 19 years old and some of my students were like 45 years old. It was really cool.”

During her time in Brazil, she mainly taught English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in public and private universities alike. After teaching in Brazil, Bryant returned to the states and worked at an education-related desk job for a DC-based nonprofit for two and a half years. Soon enough, Bryant realized she needed a change and began the switch to become a teacher. “It just didn’t fit my personality, so I decided to make the transition to teach in DC.” 

Bryant fell in love with DC by exploring the city on her bike and hiking the surrounding area with her partner in their free time. 

In May 2022, Bryant completed her educational sciences masters degree at the University of Pennsylvania where she simultaneously taught full-time at a public magnet high school in Philadelphia. 

Bryant knew she wanted to be in DC and work in the public school system. “I very much feel passionate about having great teachers at public schools. I wanted to come to DCPS and shoot my shot at being a teacher here.” 

Drawn to the community, Bryant chose Jackson-Reed because she got “the best vibe from the department and the other teachers I talked to.” Bryant has been embraced by the Jackson-Reed staff and student body, adding she “feels very lucky [to] have a good support system.”

Bryant has often found herself comparing the environment of over 2,000 students to that of her alma mater, Bates. “Jackson-Reed [has a] student population bigger than my college. Teaching here feels like sometimes I’m on a college campus.”
All in all, Bryant hopes to “give students tools to not only be critical thinkers and great writers, but also everyday people, navigating the difficulties of life.” Inspired by personal experiences as an everyday person, she wishes to eventually teach financial literacy and life skills within the curriculum.

In her first year at Jackon-Reed, Bryant remains determined to serve her students as much as she possibly can. As she occasionally jokes, she is “a CEO to 160 employees.”

Bryant reflects on what she would tell someone in her shoes, starting a new teaching gig, saying, “You are doing the best you can with a lot of stuff being thrown at you.” She continued, “Trust your gut that you are doing the best for your kids, trust your gut that you are doing the best for yourself, taking care of your mental health, and trust that if you need support, find those teachers and that community that can [do that]. And always befriend the front office staff!” •