Teacher Tuesday Week 8: Meet Asha Canady

Ms. Canady chants the Michigan fight song with her 6th graders after morning circle. 

Meet Asha Canady, the 6th grade founding ELA teacher and grade level lead at ChangeMakers Academy.  Her classroom is rigorous, focused, and a place where students can be themselves to learn at their maximum potential.  She is loved across the entire ChangeMakers community! 

Learn more about Asha here:
I am originally from Sacramento, Ca where I returned after college to teach high school as a Teach for America corps member at my alma mater! After TFA, I moved to Athens, Greece to teach Middle School English as a Fulbright scholar. Next, I moved to Michigan for a Master's degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Being a grad student made me realize how much I missed the classroom. So, I applied to schools all over the country and was really impressed with the work that teachers and families were doing here at Caliber. Long story short, I decided to make the move back to Northern California. I have not been disappointed and I'm really excited that I'll be back in one place for a while here at ChangeMakers.

A recent interview with Asha: 
What is your favorite thing about teaching 6th grade ELA? 
My students are my favorite part of being a sixth grade English teacher. They are working so hard and growing so much that it's a pleasure being part of that!

What was your favorite subject growing up? 
English and History

Did you always think you were going to become a teacher? 
I have always loved English and I knew I wanted a job where I could be immersed in books and writing everyday. I didn't know that I wanted to be a teacher exactly, but it definitely fits.

Favorite candy bar or sweet treat?
I love Reese's peanut butter cups! :)

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go?  
I love to travel! At the moment, I would love to travel through Asia. In every country that I visit, I try to take a cooking class and I think Asia would be awesome for that. I'd also like to take some surf lessons.

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically about Vallejo!)? 
The Bay Area is so dynamic! I love that it's an intellectual, culinary and cultural hub! I also feel really lucky to be living in Vallejo right now. I'm really excited about the the revitalization that's going on in this city! It's an exciting time to be here.

What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you? 
I have a twin sister, named Asia, and she teaches 4th grade in Harlem​.

I recently asked a student about Ms. Canady. Here is what 6th grade ChangeMaker Cassandra had to say:
"I like Ms. Canady as a teacher because she has a good sense of humor. She helps you when you need help. She's basically just a great teacher... 

She's different from other teachers because most teachers just make you do your work --- and they don't necessarily get to know you. But Ms. Canady really gets to know you. One thing I really like that she does every single day is after our temp check, she will tell us a way that we can help others to make them feel better if they are feeling down."