Mary Barrera
Pflugerville,TX
Summary
I excel in creating engaging, inclusive learning environments, leveraging my expertise in curriculum design and emotional intelligence to foster academic and social growth. My collaborative efforts and innovative project-based learning strategies significantly enhance student engagement and achievement, showcasing my commitment to educational excellence and student success.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Teacher, Grade 1
Austin Achieve Public Schools
07.2022 - Current
- I demonstrated the passion and desire to meet the needs of my scholars, especially scholars who are at risk (stemming from personal experience)
- Increased parent involvement through regular communication channels such as newsletters, conferences, and volunteer opportunities within the classroom.
- Supported students in developing social skills through structured activities and positive reinforcement techniques.
- Organized class field trips that enriched the curriculum, allowing students to make connections between classroom content and real-world experiences.
- Enhanced classroom management, establishing a positive learning environment with clear expectations and consistent consequences.
- Implemented behavior modification strategies, resulting in improved self-regulation and classroom participation among students.
- Met with parents to review Individualized Education Plans for at-risk students.
- Provided warm, supportive environment for developing academic, social, and emotional growth.
- Reinforced positive behavior by encouraging efforts through affirmation statements and praising accomplishments.
- Maintained student portfolios to monitor learning progress and completion of work required for promotion to next grade level.
- Established open communication and positive relationships with students, parents, peers, and administrative staff.
- Collaborated with colleagues for curriculum development, sharing best practices and creating interdisciplinary units.
- Incorporated social-emotional learning into daily lessons, promoting empathy, self-awareness, and responsible decision-making among students.
- Developed strong relationships with parents, maintaining open communication to support student success both inside and outside the classroom.
- Collaborated with teachers, resource, and Special Education to develop individualized educational plans for each student, ensuring optimal progress.
Teacher Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Graham Elementary School
08.2017 - 05.2022
- Led after-school tutoring sessions for struggling students, providing targeted instruction to boost academic achievement.
- Developed strong relationships with students, parents, and colleagues by maintaining open lines of communication and fostering a supportive learning environment.
- Worked cooperatively with other teachers, administrators, and parents to help students reach learning objectives.
- Managed classroom behavior effectively by establishing clear expectations, modeling appropriate conduct, and consistently enforcing established rules and consequences.
- Assisted in creating a safe and nurturing classroom environment that promoted emotional well-being and academic growth for all students.
- Enhanced classroom engagement through the use of interactive teaching methods, such as group projects and hands-on activities.
- Supported student physical, mental, and social development using classroom games and activities.
- Incorporated multiple types of teaching strategies into classroom. Using Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures and Creative Learning Initiative.
- Maintained accurate records of student progress, attendance, and behavior to facilitate ongoing communication with parents about their child''s educational journey.
- Differentiated instruction to accommodate diverse learning needs, ensuring each student had an equal opportunity for success.
- Incorporated multiple types of teaching strategies into classroom using Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences in my Lesson Planning.
- Communicated frequently with parents, students, and faculty to provide feedback and discuss instructional strategies.
- Supported students in developing social skills through structured activities and positive reinforcement techniques.
- Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies.
- Graded and evaluated student assignments, papers, and course work.
- Assessed student performance regularly using both formative and summative assessments to inform future lesson planning.
- Provided one-on-one support for students with learning disabilities, enabling them to excel in their coursework.
- Incorporated exciting and engaging activities to achieve student participation and hands-on learning.
- Participated in parent teacher conference to discuss developments of students and increase support.
- Planned and implemented integrated lessons to meet national standards.
- Continuously pursued professional development opportunities such as workshops or conferences to stay current in educational trends.
- Supported student teachers by mentoring on classroom management, lesson planning, and activity organization.
- Organized extracurricular activities such as clubs or field trips that enriched students'' learning experiences outside the traditional classroom setting.
- Integrated cultural awareness into lessons by incorporating diverse perspectives and materials into the curriculum.
- Created and developed lesson plans to meet students' academic needs.
- Helped students explore concepts with engaging, learning-focused activities.
- Met with students, parents and administrators to address and resolve students' behavioral and academic issues.
- Shifted between formal and informal methods of teaching to keep students engaged.
- Fostered student curiosity and interest through creative hands-on activities.
- Scheduled conferences with parents to discuss students' progress and classroom behavior.
- Boosted cultural awareness by incorporating children's literature from world cultures.
Bilingual Summer School Teacher
Austin Independent School District
06.2008 - 07.2020
- Managed classroom behavior effectively using positive reinforcement strategies, cultivating an inclusive and respectful learning community.
- Implemented reading and writing workshops to increase student literacy and support school reading programs.
- Provided individualized support for students, resulting in improved academic performance and increased confidence.
- Supported students in developing social skills through structured activities and positive reinforcement techniques.
- Catered to needs of students with learning disabilities by providing extra assistance.
- Created and implemented curriculum and lesson plans to cover required material.
- Assisted in creating a safe and nurturing classroom environment that promoted emotional well-being and academic growth for all students.
- Enhanced student engagement by incorporating hands-on activities and group projects into lesson plans.
- Collaborated with fellow teachers to develop interdisciplinary lessons, fostering connections between course subjects.
- Participated in ongoing professional development opportunities to stay current on best teaching practices and incorporate innovative techniques into daily instruction.
- Communicated frequently with parents, students, and faculty to provide feedback and discuss instructional strategies.
- Served as a mentor for new teachers, offering guidance on effective instructional practices and classroom management techniques.
Bilingual Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd Grade Teacher
Zavala Elementary
08.2007 - 05.2017
- Led after-school tutoring sessions for struggling students, providing targeted instruction to boost academic achievement.
- Obtained a permanent substitute teaching position.
- Assisted in creating a safe and nurturing classroom environment that promoted emotional well-being and academic growth for all students.
- Delivered structured lessons on readiness skills by emphasizing phonics, language skills, literature, and handwriting.
- Supported students in developing social skills through structured activities and positive reinforcement techniques.
- Arranged parent-teacher conferences to address student progress and collaboratively set goals for areas of improvement.
- Collaborated in planning, organizing and implementing instructional programs to facilitate academic, intellectual and social development.
- Played games with students to increase understanding of subjects.
- Provided one-on-one support for students with learning disabilities, enabling them to excel in their coursework.
- Encouraged and prepared students to become independent readers through systematic, multi-sensory instruction in phonemic awareness and decoding skills.
- Implemented behavior modification strategies, resulting in improved self-regulation and classroom participation among students.
- Integrated outdoor education into lesson plans.
- Applied evidence-based practices for classroom management to enhance learning results.
- Delegated tasks to teacher assistants and school volunteers.
- Implemented hands-on activities to encourage active learning, enhancing the understanding of complex concepts among young learners.
- Enhanced student language proficiency by implementing bilingual instruction and immersion techniques.
- Participated in professional development opportunities to stay updated on best practices in bilingual education and early childhood pedagogy.
- Increased parent-teacher communication by providing regular updates on student progress in both languages.
- Developed culturally-sensitive lesson plans to foster an inclusive learning environment for all students.
- Provided constructive feedback to students, promoting self-reflection and continuous improvement of skills and knowledge.
- Established clear expectations and maintained consistent discipline, fostering a respectful and productive learning environment.
- Utilized a variety of teaching materials such as visual aids, manipulatives, and multimedia resources for diverse learning styles.
- Promoted a positive classroom atmosphere, resulting in improved student behavior and engagement.
- Built positive relationships with students and families for safe, trusted learning support.
- Delivered lesson plans, implemented school curriculum and used data to create, monitor, and establish personalized learning plan for each student.
- Recognized children's physical, emotional and social needs for personalized support.
- Reported to parents and administration about student progress.
- Monitored and evaluated student progress through regular assessments and observations.
- Exercised good classroom management focused on positive behavior support by clearly articulating fair and consistent expectations along with appropriate natural consequences.
- Collaborated with other faculty and staff to promote rigorous learning opportunities, general well-being of school and collective interest of staff and student body.
- Developed and implemented individualized educational plans for special needs children.
- Teamed with other professionals to enhance student learning experiences.
- Incorporated art, music and physical activity into curriculum for well-rounded education.
- Created and supervised variety of hands-on learning activities for fun and engagement.
- Kept accurate documents about student progress for school and parent records.
- Promoted social and emotional learning by creating social activities and clubs.
- Inspired students to take ownership of learning and become autonomous thinkers.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Interdisciplinary Studies- EC-4 Generalist
Huston-Tillotson University
Austin, TX12.2021
Master of Arts - Master of Education Curriculum And Instruction
Concordia University At Austin
Austin, TX07.2011
Skills
- Classroom Organization to develop a comprehensive approach to classroom management that balances authority with warmth and encourages positive behavior and learning
- *Establish Clear Expectations: Set high expectations for behavior, rules, and routines
Communicate these expectations clearly to students and parents - Project-based learning: foster curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of environmental concepts
- Curriculum Design: design curriculum, by identifying what will be done, who will do it, and what schedule to follow
- Collaborative learning: resources and skills learned from each other
- Special Needs Support: pre-teach vocabulary, establishing routines, using a behavior intervention plan, using what scholar is interested in to encourage learning Using alternative assignments
- Student Engagement: encouraging scholar engagement
- Instructional Materials: using manipulatives or games to understand concepts in a new way
- Visual Aids Creation: anchor charts created to encourage using resources
- Peer Mentoring: encouraging and challenging each other to create higher rigorous learning
- Lesson Planning: specifies objective, materials, assessments and differentiation
- Relationship Building for Administration, Parents and Staff for Emotional intelligence: perceive, express, and regulate emotions
- Active listening: fostering friendship, connection, and belonging
- Networking: Building professional relationships on campus
- Teamwork: Collaborating with Team, Administrators and Staff members
- Verbal and nonverbal communication: Treating people with respect and being welcoming and kind
- Parent-Teacher Communication: parents can both listen and receive information, as well as speak and be heard, is crucial It ensures a healthy exchange of ideas
Timeline
Teacher, Grade 1
Austin Achieve Public Schools
07.2022 - Current
Teacher Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Graham Elementary School
08.2017 - 05.2022
Bilingual Summer School Teacher
Austin Independent School District
06.2008 - 07.2020
Bilingual Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd Grade Teacher
Zavala Elementary
08.2007 - 05.2017
Bachelor of Arts - Interdisciplinary Studies- EC-4 Generalist
Huston-Tillotson University
Master of Arts - Master of Education Curriculum And Instruction
Concordia University At Austin
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