Clifton Merchant Magazine - March 2015

Ashworth’s Philosophy: Make it Fun Not The Most Profound Thought, But The Most True

By Irene Jarosewich “When I was just starting out on my road to becoming a teacher,” reflects Kevin Ashworth, English teacher at CHS, “I took a class called ‘Teaching as a Profession.’ The first thing the professor asked was ‘what is your educational philosophy?’ I didn’t have any experience in teaching, and didn’t have an educational philosophy, so I made up something that I thought would sound good.

What I came up with was ‘make it fun.’”

Ashworth quickly realized that “make it fun” was not exactly a deep or profound philosophy. Nonetheless, he has held true to his first instinct. “In order to have children learn, I was determined to From left, Billy Gibson, Mr. Ashworth, and Ashley Parsons. make the learning so much fun that they erature. Clifton High School has a novel-based curricuwould not realize that they’re learning. And now, after lum and Ashworth has discovered “that I absolutely love 13 years of teaching, I still infuse my teaching with this teaching George Orwell’s’ 1984. I find that 1984 gets philosophy daily.” my students to get beyond just reading and to actually A lifelong Totowa resident who lives there now with think.” wife Daniella and children John, Cassy and Ben, Ashworth has also been associated with Clifton his Most Influential entire life. His mother Kathleen (Farrell) graduated Ashley Parsons, CHS Class of ’08, acknowledges CHS Class of ’59, and Ashworth attended Paul VI High Ashworth as one of the most influential people in her School on Valley Rd. before going to William Paterson life.

“I can say comfortably that freshman year of high University. He has been teaching English at CHS since school was the peak of my social awkwardness and, as 2001. a result, I wasn't exactly the most enthusiastic student in “I was hired one week before the 2001-02 school CHS. I was the type that always sat towards the back of year started,” said Ashworth, “and was broken into the classroom so I could finish my work and ‘rest my teaching when a week after my first day, the country eyes’ a bit...until eighth period -- English. experienced the worst attack on US soil since Pearl “However, from the very start of the year,” she conHarbor: 9/11. Now that’s what you call a way to cut tinued, “Mr. Ashworth got a kick out of calling on me. your teeth on a new job.”

I'll be honest, I resented him for it. But as the months Over the years, Ashworth has taught everything in went on, I realized that he didn't enjoy picking on me; the English department from alternative education to he saw that my brain's gears were constantly turning Honors classes. Recently he has taught English IV behind that sleepy face.

College Preparatory classes, which focus on British lit20 March 2015 • Clifton Merchant