Ashli Clements

Hawthorne Middle School, Pocatello

Ms. Ashli Clements teaches 8th-grade English Language Arts at Hawthorne Middle School in Pocatello, where she lives with her 3-year old son. This is her 6th year teaching. She graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Going into her career as a teacher, Ashli knew that she wanted to use her knowledge from both of these degrees to help her students apply what they were learning in the classroom to the world around them. Ashli fully believes that every story contributes to a deeper understanding of being human. In her classroom, she consistently uses stories (fictional and non-fictional) to help students build empathy, question injustice, and understand the diverse experiences that shape the world around them. She helped to create an annual fundraiser for the global water crisis that partners with the text A Long Walk to Water. This year marked the 5th year of this fundraiser. This fundraiser allows students to move from learning about a problem to becoming part of the solution.