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Can you tell us about yourself? 

I am Ashley Lynch and I am the cyber one foundation's teacher here at Franklin County middle school in Mayville, Mississippi. This is my first year teaching here at Mayville, even though I've been in education for about eight years now.

Why did you start a career in education?

I started my career in education because I needed from an early age that I wanted to be a teacher from birthdays and Christmases. The only thing I ever asked for were school supplies, teacher supplies. And even one year for Christmas, my parents bought me an overhead projector and that just set it off for me. Like I just fell in love with it, and I knew what I wanted to do.

If you could have any other job what would it be and why?

Personally, I cannot see myself being anything else, but a teacher. Um, but I guess if I had to choose one profession, other than teaching that I would want to do, um, I would say would be a nurse that way I could help people and be there for them maybe in a time of need, where they just needed that, um, person to talk to that person to be there for them. 

How are kids different now than 30 years ago?

Kids are very different now than they were 30 years ago. And you think get us down to the home. The raising of children is different now than it was 30 years ago. Kids are much more advanced than engaged in technology than they were 30 years ago. 

How is teaching different now than 30 years ago?

Teaching is very different in the classroom to students too, because most schools now are one-to-one schools, which means, you know, each student has their own computer laptop, iPad, whatever. So that's very different. That was not the case. 30 years ago. Most of the time it was, there was one or two per classroom. We now have more of its technologies in the classrooms that can enhance our teaching as teachers. We are able to have those. It is a nice thing to have in our classrooms. 

What would you tell someone who wants to become a teacher?

If I was to talk to someone that was wanting to become a teacher, I would tell them that right now, especially in this pandemic, you're going to face challenges, but teaching is the most rewarding gift and the most rewarding profession that there ever is.

There's so much war that comes out of being a teacher that it's just, it's one of those things that the benefits outweigh, the challenges that you may face as being a teacher. During this time, most schools like ours, we have some that are virtual, some that do come to school and just to make education better.

What would you change to help kids learn better?

I just wish the puppet pandemic would go away. Just because of something about being in the classroom that makes education and learning so much better, they kids get more out of it when they're actually in the classroom, having that hands-on, um, learning experience than just sitting there and watching teachers teach and basically doing it on their own and not having that hands-on experience like in the classroom.