Hello! My name is Ashley Barefoot (like no shoes). I teach 4th & 5th grade gifted students. I have taught 5th grade math, science, and social studies; 2nd and 4th grade EXCEL at the Oak Grove Gifted Education Center; and now 4th and 5th grade EXCEL at OG Longleaf Elementary. I have degrees from USM and William Carey, and l am a National Board Certified Teacher, a National Geographic Certified Educator, and a Google Level 1 Certified Educator.

I love music, reading, and animals, especially my cat Mojo. My favorite food is dark chocolate and I am a vegetarian. Every summer I try to travel. In previous summers, I visited Boston and studied the famous author and scientist Henry David Thoreau; I studied archaeology and American Indian culture in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado; I explored the concept of wilderness in the Adirondack Mountains; I learned about the civil rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi; and I researched environmental history in Boulder, Colorado. I have also gone on an Earthwatch expedition to Costa Rica to study sustainable coffee farming practices and I backpacked for 30 days in the Olympic Mountains of Washington state with the National Outdoor Leadership School. In college I spent a year studying in England. I loved it so much I returned the next two summers to backpack across Europe!

I'm looking forward to a great school year!