Dr. Maria Carrasco

Dr. Mary E. Carrsco’s Biography

My name is Dr. Mary E. Carrasco and I am a third grade Dual Language teacher at Poteet Elementary School. I have 34 years of teaching experience. I taught bilingual kindergarten for 19 years, then taught regular education kindergarten for 8 years, and my last 7 years I taught first grade dual language. I retired in August of 2017 but missed working with children and colleagues. I am excited to begin my 35th year here at Poteet Elementary.

Education: I graduated from Floresville High school at the age of 16 and went straight to college. I attended San Antonio College (SAC) where I received my associates degree. I then transferred to The University of Texas at San Antonio where I majored in Elementary Education with certifications in Early Childhood Education and Bilingual Education. Later, I attended Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio where I earned my Master’s Degree in Curriculum instruction and a certification as a Master Reading Specialist. In 2016, I earned my Doctoral Degree in Teacher Leadership and Skills from Walden University. I am a member of the Texas Retired Teachers Association. I am a member of the musical club and a member of the Altar Society for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. I am also an active member of the Mighty Tiger Band Boosters.

Some of my accomplishments were working with my previous Dual Language team to coordinate curriculum nights for our dual language parents. We did math nights and reading nights each month. At the end of the year we did a Dual Language showcase to display our students work as well as have our students perform in English and in Spanish to show their growth throughout the year. I was lead kindergarten teacher for 27 years and lead first grade teacher for 7 years. I was in charge of curriculum meetings, field trips, as well as relaying messages from the Principal to my team. I was also an Instructional Facilitator (IF) and my duties included attending IF meetings, data related meetings, and doing 10 observations per 9 weeks. I would go into all the grade levels Pre-K to 5th grade to observe the teacher and students. The goal was to see if the objectives were posted, the teacher was in the teaching zone, and that the students understood what they were doing (could state the objectives in their own words).

My philosophy is to provide a safe and encouraging environment where students are invited to share their ideas, take risks, and are successful. I want them to know that making a mistake is not bad, that making mistakes and learning from them help us grow and become better problem solvers.