The January Momma of the Month Ashley Sparks is passionate about education and family. That passion has not gone unrecognized. Sparks was recently named as Teacher of the Year at Brock’s Gap Intermediate School where she teaches sixth grade.
Tell me about yourself.
My name is Ashley Sparks. I am the only child of Anthony and Rosalind Smith. I am an Army brat and have lived all over, but I spent most of my adolescent years in the small town of Hazel Green (right outside of Huntsville, Alabama). I have been married to Anthony Sparks for six years. We met and dated 13 years ago at the University of North Alabama in Florence. We have a busy four-year-old son named Aidan. I am a sixth-grade teacher at Brock’s Gap Intermediate School in Hoover, Alabama. This is my ninth school year teaching.
What are the best and worst things about living in Birmingham?
The best thing about living in Birmingham is all of the family we have in town! We are blessed to have family all over this city. The support and love that we have from our family is immeasurable. I love how someone can be having a game, play, or some type of recognition and they look out into the audience to see one of their family members there supporting them. It just makes me happy! A complete family reunion can happen at any moment any day of the week.
If you could change one thing about Birmingham, what would it be and why?
If I could change anything about Birmingham, I would make downtown cleaner, safer, and more entertaining. I love the feel of Nashville’s downtown area. Each weekend there is something going on, and it is really clean and bright. They even block off streets for people to walk down free of traffic. Birmingham has really improved the downtown area with Uptown, but I would love to see more done.
What is your proudest mom moment?
There have been many proud moments I have had over these past four years. My proudest mom moment happened at my brother- and sister-in-law’s wedding. Aidan had the task of walking down the aisle before the bride entered the church holding a sign that said, “Here Comes My TT.” I was so nervous for him as I know that he is completely uncomfortable having all eyes on him as he does something. Anthony and I were in the wedding, so before Aidan was to walk down the aisle, we were already standing in our positions at the front of the church. I was so nervous for him. I felt like he needed one last pep talk from me to prepare him. The doors opened, my heart raced, and my handsome son walked down the aisle without any hesitation. I know it is so simple, but I was a proud momma.
What is your proudest wife moment?
Can I just start off by saying that my hubby is awesome.! A few years ago, Anthony wrote a book titled #BETTER: 7 Keys to Living a Life of Progression, Not Perfection. He worked diligently to advertise his book on social media. He even sent out copies to high-ranking officials. I was so proud of the success he had with his first book. He had a dream, and he followed it through to the end; not enough people follow their dreams. I am so happy that he did. This proud wife moment was matched later when he wrote and published his second book, RelationTIPS, I am so inspired by all that he has done to fulfill his true passions in life. I can’t wait to see what he does next, and I thank God for him daily. Check him out at www.anthonydsparks.com.
What’s next for Ashley Sparks?
What’s next for me? Only time will tell. I am looking forward to growing our family in the future. I cannot see myself retiring as a teacher, but I would love to continue working for schools. I am passionate about education, and in the future I may have to go back to school to pursue another classification or degree. Whatever comes next, I am excited and looking forward to the adventure.
