EB Primary & Elementary Featured Presenters

Ana Aldrufeu-Madrazo, certified bilingual education teacher with an MA in Teacher Leadership, is a bilingual instructional specialist at Stehlik Elementary and a presenter for the Teaching and Learning Department to support bilingual & ESL teachers on second language acquisition, as well as, a TABE and NABE presenter. She has twelve years of experience as an ELA bilingual teacher and five years as an ELA and Math skills. She has been an Accelerated Language Instruction (ALI) Coordinator at her campus for the last five years. Ana is a passionate advocate for bilingual, bicultural and bilateral education, and loves supporting the district by presenting and modeling to teachers effective strategies to use in the classroom to support Emergent Bilinguals and English Language Learners.

Born in Puebla, Mexico, Griselda moved to Houston at the age of 2. She attended Spring Branch ISD schools and experienced firsthand the benefits of an ESL education. Griselda matriculated to University of Houston Downtown where she earned her B.A. in interdisciplinary Studies with a certification in EC-4 Bilingual.

Inspired by her personal educational journey, Griselda began her career in education as a paraprofessional with HISD and SBISD. Her time in the classroom sparked her passion for Early Childhood Education. Her teaching career as a bilingual and mainstream Kinder and Pre-kindergarten classroom teacher has spanned the course of over 16 years, earning Campus Teacher of the Year in 2017.

In her current role as a Bilingual Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 Instructional Coach, Griselda has written project approach inspired curriculum for Pre-K3 and has co-written literacy and mathematics curriculum for Pre-K4. In addition, Griselda facilitates professional development, and guides teachers as they implement best practices in the classroom.

A lifelong learner, Griselda is a graduate of the First Early Literacy Leadership Academy cohort through Rice School Literacy and Culture. She enjoys sharing her expertise as a bilingual educator and love for storytelling as an SLC mentor and presenter.

When she is not busy reading educational mentor text or collecting children’s bilingual picture books, she is enjoying time with her eight-year-old son Justin, and husband Francisco by attending Houston’s vibrant Farmer’s Market community and enjoying a good superhero film at the cinema.

Heather Burleson graduated from the University of Florida and is a Teach For America alumna (Houston ’09). She has over 13 years of experience in Headstart – 2^nd grade classrooms as a teacher and an instructional coach. Additionally, she has many years of experience training new teachers through Teach For America’s Summer Institute as a coach, lead facilitator, and curriculum coordinator. In 2015, she helped develop and implement the first national TFA summer training specific to Early Childhood Education and continued this programming in 2016. She earned her M.A.T. with distinction from Relay Graduate School of Education in 2015 and was the adjunct professor of ECE from 2017-2020. Heather is a graduate of the Rice University School Literacy and Culture ELLA 4 cohort and has been a Mentor Teacher and part of the Advanced Leadership Seminar since 2017. Currently, Heather is the District Early Childhood Specialist for Promise Community Schools (Baker Ripley).

Rolando Cajina is a Math Instructional Specialist for 1st-2nd in Aldine ISD. He has been in education for 9 years. He has served in multiple roles such as bilingual Math and Science teacher for 1st, 2nd, and 5th grade.

Lucy is an experienced educator, coach and professional development presenter specializing in bilingual, dual language and language acquisition programs. She is a language learner herself, former bilingual teacher, and district-level biliteracy coach. She has worked with administrators, educators and community members for over 20 years to build, implement and refine the language acquisition programs in a high needs district. Her experience and passion for learning drives her to serve the school communities she works with every day..

Rachel Clarke is currently a bilingual Social Studies and Language Arts teacher at Orange Grove Elementary. She is also a STEMScopes Curriculum Writer, collaborator on the Social Studies Spanish curriculum for Aldine ISD, and has served for the last three years on the Texas Education Agency Teacher Feedback Committee for Writing and Reading STAAR exams in both English and Spanish. Last summer, she was one of 20 elementary teachers from across the state to receive training in new STAAR item types as well as afforded the opportunity to write practice items to allow students opportunities and exposure to new question types in the upcoming Elementary Language Arts STAAR. Most recently, she joined Dr. Y’s Consulting as a Senior Language Acquisition Consultant. She is also a proud parent of an Aldine scholar with a total of 23 years in public education, all of which is in working with Emergent Bilingual students.

Janeth Cornejo-Ortiz, a certified bilingual/ESL teacher with an M.Ed in counseling, is an ELAR District Literacy Coach for middle school and a presenter for the Teaching and Learning Department. Presentations include working with ELs, supporting new arrival students, and supporting students in the reading/writing process, which she has presented at the TABE, NABE and TCTELA conferences. She has 15 years of experience working with students and teachers in grades 5 to 8. Janeth is an advocate for equity for all students and believes that every student deserves an opportunity to see themselves in the books that they read.

Sabrina Cochran has been in education for 20 years. She is passionate about literacy and working to ensure students develop foundational skills. She is excited to ignite the love for literacy in others. She hopes to provide you with tools and the knowledge to be a more effective leader in literacy.

Shareena Daniels is originally from Portland, OR where she received her BA in Education and MA in Educational Studies from the University of Oregon. She has worked as a District Literacy Coach in Aldine ISD for the past 5 years but has been serving in many roles in Aldine for 14 years. Shareena truly enjoys working with students and helping them become lifelong learners.

Dr. Flores has over 15 years of experience working with Bilingual classrooms under various programs including Dual Language, Montessori, ESL, early exit and late exit models ranging from Primary grades to Middle school. She has served as teacher, a skills specialist and is currently a District Bilingual Literacy Coach. Dr. Flores is a recent graduate of the University of Houston where she completed her doctorate in Educational Leadership with a focus on Special Populations. She is very passionate about advocating for best practices in bilingual education, in efforts of maximizing students’ opportunities.

Mr. Gross is a 18 year veteran who has actually spent every single day of his career in Second Grade and the same campus, Oleson! He is the son of a college professor who grew up in a household where learning was highly prized and being a lifelong learner was always expected. As a child, he received the kind of education most people can only dream about.

His most fervent desire is for my students to win in life and love learning as much as he does. Having been blessed with the education he received as a child, he wants to say thank you and the only way he can do that is to pay it forward by investing in my students.

Dr. Valentina Hardin is a bilingual educational consultant specializing in Bilingual Education, ESL (English as a Second Language), and LOTE (Languages Other Than English). She has been a professor, researcher, teacher, coach, presenter, and author.

Her 25+ years of experience in this field include working as a Bilingual/ESL/LOTE Education Specialist at Region 4 Education Service Center, where she conducted training and coaching for bilingual/ESL in-service teachers in school districts. Dr. Hardin has been an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston - Downtown and prepared bilingual/ESL pre-service teachers. Previously, she was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Main Campus, in charge of developing the initial Intervention Activities Guide for the Tejas LEE Diagnostic. She taught at the elementary level in Bilingual/Dual Language Programs in Houston Independent School District (HISD). As an author and researcher, Dr. Hardin has published curricular materials in Spanish and English and many articles based on her research conducted at the University of Houston.

Dr. Hardin’s academic background, training, and philosophy have always focused on promoting critical literacy and academic achievement for Emergent Bilinguals (EBs). More specifically, her career interests have involved biliteracy, effective instructional methods for EBs, development of multicultural materials for bilingual children, and teacher training and coaching. These goals continue to drive her present career and professional commitments.

Vicente Hernández graduated from ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México) where he earned a bachelor’s degree as a Public Accountant and worked as an auditor for the IRS in Mexico for 4 years. He moved to Houston Texas in 2003 and received alternative certification through Region IV and the University of St. Thomas to work as a bilingual teacher. Vicente has participated in sessions as a presenter during the annual Early Literacy Summits at Rice University and collaborated on creating an online session related to literacy in bilingual education. Vicente is a graduate of the Rice University School Literacy & Culture ELLA 4 cohort and has been a Mentor Teacher for Classroom Storytelling. Vicente is a bilingual teacher and has 18 years of experience working at The Bear Blvd School, a Pre-K center in Spring Branch ISD.

My name is Rebecca Jahr and I am the Elementary Math Program Director for Aldine ISD. I love being in classrooms and seeing students engage in math by justifying and explaining their thinking. Implementing Eureka Math throughout Aldine has provided many of these opportunities for our students and I am so thankful and proud to be able to be a part of Aldine and the direction that we are moving to better support students!

Dr. Monica Loas is currently an Information Literacy Specialist (school librarian) at Escamilla Elementary. Dr. Loas served multiple roles prior to becoming an ILS, including as a Special Education teacher, Instructional Technology Specialist, testing coordinator, and skills specialist. Dr. Loas' current passions are promoting diversity in literature to her students and enhancing the school library's space to be accessible, including having a maker space to grow creativity. She is honored to be presenting at Aldine ISD's SEED conference!

Xuan Mai taught 3rd grade inclusion, ESL and SEI (Structured English Immersion) for 8 years. She is currently a 1st & 2nd grade Vietnamese Bilingual Teacher and a district presenter In Aldine. She believes in helping students bring out their full potential and encourages them to go above and beyond by implementing SIOP strategies where students are engaged and enthusiastic about learning.

Charlotte Marsh-Jiles, M.Ed., has been privileged to work with students and teachers in a variety of K-5 instructional settings. She has served as a classroom teacher, a Title 1 Reading teacher, an ESL teacher, a curriculum writer, and a district presenter. She currently serves as a district literacy coach in Aldine ISD with a commitment to ensuring that teachers have the materials, resources, and training they need to design an equitable classroom.

Mrs. Chavarria is currently working with bilingual students and teachers in grades 1-5 with 10 years of experience in the educational field. She taught 3rd grade, but by supporting her non-readers, she soon discovered her passion for phonemic awareness and moved to teach 1st grade as well. She received her bachelors from The University of Texas at Austin. She has also worked with TEA as part of their ELPS Review Group.

Adriana Patino graduated from Lone Star College with an Associates in Science and Texas Tech with a Bachelor's in Education. She has taught 2nd and 4th grade in all content areas. She enjoys spreading love and knowledge one student at a time. She believes that all are different in unique ways and strives to make sure each one of her students can be successful. She takes advantage of her personal experience in order to implement her teaching methods.

Leadership, creativity, and professional integrity are the cornerstones of a diverse 25-year background working as an educator, trainer, administrator, executive coach, and consultant. Life experiences and advanced studies have given her the tools and skills necessary to select the pedagogical methodologies and strategies to create an equitable environment to develop each learner's cognitive and leadership skills.

In her different roles, Carolina has developed processes and systems at a campus and district level for data management to drive differentiation in classroom instruction, professional development as well as other topics that support continuous improvement in education.

Carolina has also worked in organizational development, implementing talent management and succession planning tools and processes. She has consulted at management and executive levels in the areas of leadership development, competency assessments, team building, and organizational development.

Her unique experiences as an educator in the K-16 and corporate world have given her a distinctive perspective of how knowledge, integrity, and transformation; her dream is to find ways to create a more equitable world.

Judith Reyes is currently a 3rd grade ELA/SLA teacher. She loves to travel and read books. She is excited for the opportunity to get to know all of the SEED participants and share engaging strategies for our students.

Meirha Bridges Roberts graduated from Sam Houston State University in December 2013 with her Bachelor's of Science in Biology. She began her teaching career in Aldine ISD in August 2014 as a third grade self contained teacher at Kujawa Elementary School. She was inspired to grow in education and is currently earning her Masters of Education in Educational Administration with Lamar University. Her current role as a fifth grade ESL English Language Arts teacher gives her fulfillment as she continues to watch her young English learners grow daily. She believes that every student has the ability to learn and grow and strives to present them with numerous opportunities to do so through her daily lessons. As a lifelong learner, Meirha is always excited to learn new things that can always be brought to her students as they continue their academic career.

Carol Salva is an award winning educator with proven success working with unschooled/under-schooled, multilingual learners classified as SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) or ELD (English Language Development) students. She is a key Seidlitz Education consultant for training, coaching, modeling, and supporting program leaders.

Dr. Eunetra Simpson, Principal of Anderson Montessori STEAM Academy, has been involved in education in Aldine ISD for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, Master of Education in Education Administration, and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Prairie View A&M University. Her philosophy of education is based on her uncompromising faith in the belief that despite adversity, all students can learn if provided with a positive and nurturing learning environment. Her passion for innovative curriculum is evident as she has worked on four magnet campuses and continues to advocate for incorporating performing and fine arts across content areas. She has presented within the local and national arenas and is a published author and creative contributor to Afrovibes Radio and Television. Most importantly, she is a native and advocate of Acres Homes and Garden City.

Emy Tomita has been a bilingual educator for the past 11 years. She taught 4^th grade bilingual teacher in a transitional program and dual language program (one-way, two-way, 50/50 & 80/20 model) for 7 years. She was also a librarian and 5^th & 6^th language arts resource teacher. In Aldine ISD, Mrs.Tomita has been a bilingual literacy coach in the elementary level. She graduated from University of Houston - Main Campus with a master's in Bilingual Education. She has a certificate in Bilingual Special Education and Library Science.

Dr. Laurie Weaver is a Professor of Bilingual and Multicultural Education at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She has a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Bilingual Education, and a master’s degree in Preschool Education with an emphasis on Bilingual Education. Prior to completing her doctorate, Dr. Weaver taught in bilingual education and ESL settings for 13 years. Currently, she teaches courses that are required for bilingual and ESL certification. Dr. Weaver is fluent in English and Spanish. In addition, as part of a partnership between the university and a local district, she serves as the Instructional Supervisor at a local elementary school where she collaborates with students, teachers and families. Dr. Weaver served as the co-chair of the committee that planned and implemented the one- and two-way dual language programs in the district and has had an active role in providing professional development supporting the programs’ implementation. She also has assisted other districts with the implementation of their dual language programs. Through consulting with districts, Dr. Weaver provides support in several areas including, dual language implementation, biliteracy development, and sheltered instruction, scaffolding English development via literacy-based ELD and modified guided reading. Dr. Laurie Weaver is one of the senior consultants for Dr. Yacovodonato Educational Consulting LLC.