Ashley Plaszkony

I have always really loved working with kids. When I was a teenager, I came to Hungary in the summers and fell in love with the country. I figured, why not choose a path that combines both of those things together! It truly has become my passion.

             2. Why did you choose the Brit- Magyar School?

I learned about Brit-Magyar through a friend of mine who taught here for a couple of years before going on maternity leave. When she mentioned that there was an opening, I thought it would be a great opportunity. And it really was!

            3. What does an ideal lesson look like for you?

For me, an ideal lesson is one that challenges the students and gives them a chance to grow and learn themselves. Teachers are there to facilitate the learning, but if a student is challenged to come up with answers and learn on their own, it will stick with them much longer.

              4. What is the most important thing you’d like to pass on to your students?

A sense of who they are both in a group and individually and whoever they are is enough as long as they care about others. They don’t need to be the most popular, the prettiest, the whatever-est, they just need to be who they are, because who they are is the person the world needs.

            5. How do you motivate students to learn?

I motivate my students by first getting to know them and then using that information to carry out lessons that they find interesting. I also motivate them through positive reinforcement and praise. And showing them that even if they aren’t interested in all parts, there is still good that can come from it.

            6. What do you love most about teaching?

I love the connections with the students. Sharing in their successes, hurting when they are hurting while moving past the hurt, seeing them finally understand a concept that they had been struggling with, watching them fix a friendship they thought had been lost. All of these situations make being a teacher worth it.