The South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) has named Mrs. Ashton Pavlischek a Master Teacher. The Master Teacher program recognizes teachers who exhibit best practices in the classroom and a willingness to share and collaborate with other educators. Master Teachers must inspire excellence in the classroom, among colleagues and, especially, among students.
Mrs. Pavlischek teaches reading and language arts to our fifth and sixth graders. Says Mrs. Pavlischek, “My primary goal as the fifth and sixth grade language arts instructor is to instill a lifelong love of the written word in my students. One great achievement for students at Mason Prep is to make the Accelerated Reader Wall of Fame for reading independently and completing online assessments on these books. I challenge my students to achieve the Wall of Fame, and I myself achieve the Wall of Fame each year. Every week, I add novels to our classroom library and give short book talks to increase students’ interest in these novels.”
In his letter of recommendation for Mrs. Pavlischek, Mason Prep’s Head of School, Mr. Erik Kreutner, wrote, “Our school is one that places a strong emphasis and high value on reading, and Ashton takes that to a new level with her students. Whether she is checking out young adult books from the Charleston County Library to include in her classroom collection, thoroughly discussing each nominee for the South Carolina Junior Book Awards in her reading classes, or encouraging our fifth and sixth graders to participate in YALLFest, Mrs. Pavlischek inspires in her students a voracious desire to read.”
Mrs. Pavlischek also collaborates with teachers of other curriculum areas. She says, “This ensures that students will make authentic connections between each subject’s content area and their lives outside of school.” For example, she worked closely with the intermediate school science teacher, computer teacher, art teacher, and student news show faculty sponsor on the sixth grade Service Learning Project focusing on plastic pollution. Students researched plastic pollution, produced written and visual tools to increase community awareness of the issue (e.g., flyers, petitions, and door hangers), and wrote scripts and captured video footage to produce a film summarizing the Service Learning Project.
Parents and students recognize the passion Mrs. Pavlischek has for teaching. Says Kelly Ragucci, mother of two of Mrs. Pavlischek’s students, “Not only does Ashton demonstrate the ability to motivate students to learn the topic at hand but, more importantly, she increases the student’s motivation and ability to continue learning after leaving the classroom.” One of her current students, Meredith Finley, said, “My teacher stands out from all of the other teachers at Mason Preparatory School for many reasons, but one of them is how she always asks me how I’m doing, what I’m reading at the moment, and how my day is going every day. I have heard almost every one of my classmates say, ‘I love Mrs. Pavlischek!’”
Mrs. Pavlischek joins eight current Mason Prep teachers who have received this honor.
Mason Preparatory School is an independent school for grades K-8 located in downtown Charleston, SC. Mason Prep is committed to the education of the whole child in preparation for secondary education, to the development of the child into a productive citizen, and to the cultivation of respect, integrity, and personal responsibility. masonprep.org
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