Memorial Parkway Elementary School - Katy ISD · 2013. 8. 16. · Memorial Parkway Elementary School Troy Kemp, Principal Maria G6mez-Rocque, Assistant Principal K Katy Independent

Memorial Parkway Elementary School

Troy Kemp, PrincipalMaria G6mez-Rocque, Assistant Principal

KKaty Independent School District

March 22, 2013

To whom it' may concern,

It is with enormous pride and pleasure that I announce Memorial Parkway Elementary's 2012 - 2013 Teacher of the Year,

Maria Llopiz. Mrs. Llopiz has been a valuable part of MPE serving in various teaching roles within our campus serving as a bilingual

teacher on multiple grade levels. Within each role she has displayed the actions of a model teacher who works with her colleagues

to enhance not only her classroom instruction, but the classroom instruction for all students on her team. She has a passion and

commitment to the profession that s both commendable and difficult to matchÿ In every aspect of the job, she strives to be the best

she can be, model for the students those expectations and encourage her coVeagues to reach for greatness as well.Her dedication to be the best she can be is evidenced in her constant drive to learn and implement as much as she can. To

say she is an active ÿ;taff developer and incorporates her learning, just doesn't capture her level of commitment to this part Of her

practice. She strives for true understandings to all the "whys" and "hows" of what she is learning and internalizes the impact it will

make on her students as she implements the new learnings and reflects on-the process and progress as she goes. The term best

practices gets thrown out quite a bit these days, but Mrs. Llopiz, lives that methodology and it is both refreshing and reassuring to

encounter that integrity. ÿInherit in the belief that she should strive to be the best, she sees strong value in being the model of that very idea for her

students. She knows that one of the Stl:ongest aspects of her teaching is what she DOES. She knows the best way to teachthem

how to approach life is by showing them every day how she approaches herselfÿ Mrs. Llopiz is takes her "Carpe Diem" approach to

life/education and displays it, expresses it and encourages it for all her students. I always find her students to be thriving in%

motivation and enthusiasm each and every year.In her commitment to education to make a lifelong impact on ALL students, she knows it is merely not enough for her to

hold to these standards, but that this level of commitmentis needed from all educators. She works collaboratively and collectively

with all her teammates and colleagues to see that they all enhance, encourage and challenge each other to13e their very best. She is

the kind of teammate you want and even need on your team. No matter the time, whether it is the beginning of the year, mid-

testing months or coming quickly to the end, she approaches each and every collaboration with the same level of commitment and

enthusiasm while holding herself and her team to a high standard of achievement.Another area of great strength fQr Maria is her understanding and usage of innovative technology to enhance the learning

Opportunities for her students. She has been a pioneer and great promoter of key technological tools such as; Animoto, Flip

cameras, YouTube story creations and more. She is always eager to Share out with our staff the great things she and her children are

doing. More importantly, she is willing to take the time to share and educate other staff members how to do this with their kids.

She is a leader for the digital learning age. ' -,I cannot help but feel our staff recognized Maria for this honor because she obviously stands out among her peers for this

dedication to her profession, her willingness to go the extra mile for her craft and her passion about educating our future. She has

been nominated every year for the past three years. An impressive feat alone; however I must also mention that she has received

multiple nominations from herpeers each and every one of those three years. In addition, she has been recognized by her peers as

a Panther of the Month and by the district for the Digital Star Award. I take great pleasure in my campus' choice and am proud to

have her as the representative of this honor from Memorial Parkway Elementary.Thank you for the opportunity to share with you my observations and beliefs about an outstanding educator we have in

Katy ISD.

Sinceÿ

• National Blue Ribbofi School 1998-1999 " ÿrincipal

21603 Parlÿ Tree Lane " Katy, Texas 77450 . 281-237-5850 ° Fax: 281-644-1560

2012-2013 Campus Teacher of the Year ApplicationMaria Isabel Llopiz

Memorial Parkway Elementary, KISD

II. ESSAY QUESTIONS

A. My source of inspiration in the classroom is my commitment with the future, my

son's future. It might sound abstract, but if you think about how our founding fathers

were dedicated to shape a robust nation, so every American could have the privilege

of enjoying democracy, it will be easier to see how taking a job seriously today, can

bring greater benefits in the upcoming years. I am witnessing a new generation of

leaders that exhibit positive cross cultural attitudes. Is not that the world in which our

kids will live in? Is not globalization a reality?

B. Teaching is rewarding for me because I enjoy facilitating the acquisition of new

knowledge, and inspiring students and teachers to use that power to their advantage.

Seeing my old students happy for being accepted in all Pre-AP classes, and

witnessing how they kept their Spanish language healthy and alive, encourage me to

continue this mission. Those are, with no doubt, enormously gratifying experiences

that are making the world a better place to live in.

C. My most significant teaching accomplishments are my vision of the learning process

always tied to technology, the ability to think digitally, and communicate digitally

with my students and colleagues when teaching a generation that was born in the

iPhone era. The second accomplishment is to model the correct use of Spanish as a

language of equal value as English. It is a crucial matter for bilingual students

having a positive role model to validate their culture and to achieve academically in

both languages on or above the level of their monolingual colleagues.



III. EDUCATIONAL HISTORY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

* 1988-1993 BADramatic Arts,InstitutoSuperior deArte Havana,Cuba,

• 2008 TexasTeacherCertificationtrough ACP

• 2019 -2015MEd Bilingualand DualEducationUniversity of StThomasHouston, TX,

• 2007-2008 KISDSubstituteTeacher

• 2008-2009 MPE2nd Grade OneWay DualLanguageTeacher

• 2009-2013 MPE3rd Grade OneWay DualLanguageTeacher

• Becky KoesehThe ReadingWorkshop

• The Next Stepin GuidedReading

• CraftingNonfiction

• NonfictionReading Powers

• Singapore Math• Math

Workshops• Criss Training• Kagan

CooperativeLearningGroups

• Love and Logic

• 2010 2013Mantaning aWikf

• 2011Structured thetraditions ofPoetry Cafesand TheatherFestivals inThird Grade

• 2012Structured thetradition ofTheaterFestivals inThird Grade

• 2012 Onlinewith my kids,morning oneon one sessionswith parents

• 2012 2013TOY

• November 2012KISD Digital StarTeacher

• 2010o2013Nominated forTOY

• 2010Nominated forHEB Excelencein EducationAward

• February2010MPE Panther ofthe Month

When I think about my education the word "rich" seems to be the best way to describe it.

It all started in my young years in Cuba, where the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, awarded

me with the Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts, in 1993. Shortly after that I emigrated to

United States of American looking for freedom and started to pave the way to reach one of my

Childhood Dreams: be a teacher. An Alternative Certification Program offered by Texas

Teachers in 2007 was the perfect opportunity to obtain a Teacher Certificate to Teach Bilingual

students in grades Kindergarten through Fourth. At the present time I am pursuing the Master in

Bilingual and Dual Language Education with the University of Saint Thomas in Houston.

On the other hand the teaching history has been all about KISD, where I started in 2007

as a Substitute Teacher, having the opportunity to being hired as 2nd Grade Dual Language

Teacher in 2008 by Memorial Parkway Elementary, and continued in the same school until today

as Third Grade Dual Language One Way Teacher.



The record of significant trainings attended during these five years of service will be

documented next. The Becky Koesel approach to teach Reading Workshops has been without

any doubts, the one that has enriched my every day practice the most. Also the sessions that

Gloria Stewart has provided such as Guided Reading and Writing, book studies about The Next

Step in Guided Reading, by Jan Richardson, the Nonfiction Reading Powers, by Adrienne

Gear, Units of Study for Primary Writing by Lucy Calldns, The Comprehension Toolkit, by

Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis. Soleil Roper has coordinated a great deal of trainings that

allowed me to focus on Singapore Math, Problem Solving Strategies, Math Workshops and

Marzano's Six-Step Process for Teaching Vocabulary. Moreover, MPE has been the scenario

for important trainings given by colleagues like Jessica Estes emphasizing the use of Love and

Logic and Kagan's Cooperative Learning Strategies.

Technology should be mentioned as an ongoing leadership activity that has inspired most

of my colleagues to enhance their everyday teaching. My evidence is the existence of a Wiki to

exchange information and shared teacher created resources with my colleagues, as well as the

informal morning sessions called "Online with my kid" that I started this school year to help

bilingual parents be up-to-date with technology resources acquired by our district. In addition I

lead the initiation of two important traditions in our grade level: Poetry Cafes and Festivals of

Theater.

Important recognitions received are KISD Digital Star in November 2012, MPE

Panther of the Month in February 2010 and the nomination for HEB Excellence in Education

Award in 2010, as well as the nominations for TOY three years in a row.



IV. PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

= Family

JH lping.... J....

my Son

:10

DreamJob as aKid

History

Could you ever imagine doing every day those activities that you used to dream about

when you were a kid? I am fortunate enough to do so. My grandma, Josefa used to ask me: "Is

there anything else that you would like to play with? Those poor dolls already know that two

times four equals eight", but I got never exhausted when it was about chalk, boards, lessons and

reprimands. However, a conscious motivation came when my husband started to teach. Along

with my different jobs in the Broadcasting Industry from 1984 to 2004: Radio Producer, Traffic

and Accountant, we started collaborating and having fun preparing creative lessons to teach

Spanish, first in Havana and then in Miami. Discovering the characteristics of each audience and

adapting the plans to meet their needs was a fascinating experience. And the final decision for

the teaching profession came with the birth of our son Leonardo. The good old lessons taught to

my dolls, came alive with a new decision: talking to Leo in two languages or one? I started to

learn the ropes of a new school system with him, very different from the one we learned in Cuba,

4



and achieved in 2008 Texas Bilingual Teacher Certification with the help of an ACP Program.

I felt the urge of helping other bilingual families in the same situation. My findings and concerns

about educating a child in a multicultural environment, and the passion for enlightening

myself and others will keep me in the right path.

There are two significant contributions to education noticed by teachers around me. One

of them is my vision of the learning process always tied to technology, the ability to thiN(

digitally, and communicate digitally with my students and colleagues. It is a vital issue when

teaching a generation of students that were born in the iPhone era.

The second contribution is also a natural attitude: I am proud to know two languages, and

feel blessed specially when modeling the correct use of Spanish as a language of equal value

as English. Later I learned that it was an important matter for bilingual students having a

positive role model to validate their culture and to achieve academically in both languages on or

above the level of their monolingual colleagues.



V. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Community involvement is a flexible concept that could be analyzed by participation in

traditional activities already established by school, or by the creation of new ones. First, I will

explain my involvement in group activities. I am a proud member of our PTA, and will take

turns with my colleagues to actively participate in their meetings. In addition to that, I motivated

the creation of two activities that gather students, parents and teachers: Poetry Cafes and Theater

Festival. I coordinate the annual celebration in Third Grade, from planning to setting the stage.

During these two years it has been a joy seeing the students performing in front of their families,

teachers, and other grade levels. Second, I would like to mention my volunteer activities

instructing parents on how to help their kids online, with my morning sessions, "Online with my

kids". Finally, I will mention my civic role modeling digital citizenship for students and parents,

as well as showing respect for the status of the Spanish as a language of equal value as the

English.



VI. PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING

Personal Feelings and Beliefs

about Teaching

Reflect and Change

Manage Stress to !get things done

Exhibit PositiveCross Cultural

Attitude

Show "lCompassion

Be Flexible t

Reflect and change is in the essence of my philosophy as a teacher at the same level of

my compassion. When we reflect, we plan for a change. However the "perfect plan" will always

face challenges. Compassion will bring that plan down to earth, will humanize our relationships.

I have often thought about teachers like two persons, one in front of the students and

another one in front of the reports, meetings and abundant paperwork. To survive the duality of a

demanding profession teacher needs techniques to manage stress. When anxiety is manageable

we can adopt flexible attitudes and adapt to new situations. An important part of that flexibility

is the positive cross cultural attitude needed to interact with a changing demography. One must

keep in mind that we are modeling delicate clay every day. We work with emotions, thoughts

and opinions. The effectiveness of our interaction with students, parents and partners in

education will result in a precious piece of art. When that is achieved, a better tomorrow was

shaped out of the clay.



VII. EDUCATION ISSUES AND TRENDS

We all agree in differentiating our instruction, we lcnow a multitude of techniques that

goes from the kinesthetic learner to small group instruction, flexible grouping and cooperative

groups. They all work. These are the best practices tO reach our students and challenge them to

achieve more in their lives. However, all that assertiveness in reaching every mind in the

classroom ends by being evaluated on a unique test. This standardized assessment does not

distinguish the student that needs to build a product, create a poem, talk with partners to find a

solution or walk around the room to think about an answer. The truth is that when we think about

standardized test, we stop teaching and start getting ready for the Olympic Games. That is, in

my opinion, the biggest issue in our public education system today. How can we deal with that?

Should we suppress the test? Shall we change ourselves?



The solution is not in a piece of paper, we already have grading systems in place for that.

We have teacher evaluation process that is comprehensive and trustworthy.

Should not that be enough evidence to measure the effectiveness of our teaching?

AccoUntability Measuredthrough Teacher

Appraisal system and: Student Grades

Accountability MeasuredThrough Standarized

Test

In conclusion, we should ask ourselves this fundamental question: "Are standardized test

contributing to form better students?" If the answer is no, we should go for the elimination of

standardized tests, at least in elementary grades. In my opinion, standardized tests are expensive

tools we do not need. It contradicts and interferes with the dynamic of differentiated instruction.

Moreover, student grades and teacher evaluations are enough to assess the effectiveness of the

education.



VIII. THE TEACHING PROFESSION

To Strenghten thei Teaching Profession

To strengthen the teaching profession we need to be attentive to four pillars: stay tuned

with the most current trends in education, interact with other professionals, reflect, and

ehange. By staying active about those pedestals we ensure a robust profession. One that is not

behind the reality, but immersed in it. When I write about trainings and education I do not mean

to adopt every piece of new learning in my room, but to interact with the new thinldng and other

professionals, not only teachers. We must get closer to action research as an active approach to

our career, to adjust how our teaching really is impacting the real world, the demographic

groups we are working with. As result of that education, interaction, and reflection, a

collaborative productive change becomes a continuum. This is the chain that keeps the teaching

profession energized and connected to the real world.

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Documents

Memorial Parkway Elementary School - Katy ISD · 2013. 8. 16. · Memorial Parkway Elementary School Troy Kemp, Principal Maria G6mez-Rocque, Assistant Principal K Katy Independent