Rosalind Ascharya

Washington Elementary School, Belvidere, IL
Kindergarten

B.S. | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
EdM | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Rosalind Ascharya knows she is the first teacher her kindergartners will have, and she wants their first school experience to be a positive one, full of “the ritual of celebration” as they master new tasks. "The praise and encouragement that they receive are like deep breaths blowing onto a fire of knowledge," says Ascharya. 

Ascharya also has high expectations for her students, who come to her with widely varying abilities, often requiring individualized help. A struggling student might receive more of her time, one-on-one, while an excelling student might be sent to an upper-grade classroom for extra instruction.

“Even though she has 24 antsy, attention-needing five-year-olds at her heels all day, she manages to work out a plan for each and every one of them,” says Kelli Knaup, whose son is one of Ascharya’s students.

Ascharya is only in her sixth year of teaching, but already has become a leader at Washington School, says Principal Jack Neil. She co-chairs the 1,500-student school’s improvement committee, mentors other teachers, and is studying for an ESL certificate to further help her Spanish-speaking students.

Writes second-grader Andreå Boyd: “Ms. Ascharya is very special to me because she was my very first teacher, and she helped me learn to love school.”