“Mr. Nava, you’ve seen the writer in me. Pushed me to be the best. You’ve been a GREAT GREAT BEST (don’t tell anyone) teacher! You’ve helped me have patience and been a really good teacher. I hope you have a good summer.”
A little bit (or a lot) about myself...
I graduated from Del Valle High School in 2006 and matriculated at Wabash College during the Fall 2006 semester. While in college, I was captain of the Parliamentary Union (speech and debate team), held officer positions in the organizations College Mentors for Kids and Unidos por sangre (Latino culture organization), and served as Grand Procurator to the Kappa Sigma fraternity. I graduated from Wabash College in the spring of 2010 with a B.A. degree in Rhetoric with a minor in Spanish and area of concentration in Secondary Education.
After Wabash, I spent a year working for both John P. Ojeda Middle School and Smith Elementary School (both in the Del Valle Independent School District) as an after-school instructor and mathematics tutor (respectively). After working with elementary level students, I applied to and was accepted into the Texas Teaching Fellows - Austin Cohort. There, I received my EC - 6 Bilingual certification and began the search for a full-time bilingual teaching position in the Summer of 2011.
I currently serve as a fourth grade bilingual instructor in reading and social studies at Creedmoor Elementary School (also located within the Del Valle Independent School District). I have had the privilege of working on this amazing campus since graduating from Texas Teaching Fellows. While at Creedmoor, I have held leadership positions such as chair of the school’s science committee, served as representative to the Campus Advisory Team, selected as the school’s 2015 Teacher of the Year, and served as grade-level leader for fourth grade.
In previous years, I have been selected to assist the Curriculum and Instruction department to develop fourth grade district curricula in mathematics, science, and language arts. On my campus, I have also lobbied for the creation of a vertical planning committee focused on developing best practices in grammar, handwriting, and the writing process. This summer, I plan to begin a deep study of Texas' fourth grade social studies standards and develop practices that effectively integrate social studies into the reading content area (as well as attempt to become an expert in fourth grade-level Texas history, geography, economics, and civics).
Just some of the AWESOME fourth grade teachers at Creedmoor having fun at recess. More pictures to come! :)
EDUCATION
Wabash College (Crawfordsville, Indiana)
B.A. Rhetoric
Texas Teaching Fellows (Austin, Texas)
Texas Educator Certificate
CERTIFICATIONS
Bilingual Generalist - Spanish (EC-6)
EMPLOYMENT
Creedmoor Elementary School, Del Valle, TX (Fall 2011 - present)
Smith Elementary School, Del Valle, TX (Spring 2011)
John P. Ojeda Middle School, Del Valle, TX (Fall 2010)
Summer Institute for the Gifted, Austin, TX and Berkeley, CA (Summer 2008 - Summer 2012)
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Tribute to Teachers Grant (recipient), Senator Judith Zaffirini and Carlos Zaffirini Jr., Del Valle, TX (2019)
Teacher of the Year, Creedmoor Elementary School, Del Valle, TX (2015)
Hometown Hero, Del Valle Independent School District, Del Valle, TX (2013)
LEADERSHIP ROLES
Curriculum Writer (Fourth Grade Social Studies), Del Valle Independent School District (summer 2021)
Curriculum Writer (Fourth Grade Social Studies), Del Valle Independent School District (summer 2018)
Team Leader (Fourth Grade), Creedmoor Elementary (2015 - 2016)
Curriculum Writer (Fourth Grade Science), Del Valle Independent School District (summer 2014)
Curriculum Writer (Fourth Grade English Language Arts and Reading), Del Valle Independent School District (summer 2014)
Curriculum Writer (Fourth Grade Science), Del Valle Independent School District (summer 2013)
Curriculum Writer (Fourth Grade Mathematics), Del Valle Independent School District (summer 2013)
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Content Writing for Understanding: An introduction to using DBQ and primary/secondary sources in the classroom, Del Valle University, Del Valle, TX, October 17, 2022
Teaching Grammar Through Mentor Texts: An integration of language arts, reading, and social studies curricula at Creedmoor Elementary School, ¡Adelante! Conference for Bilingual and Dual Language Educators, Austin, TX, April 2, 2022
English Language Literacy Development in Math (co-presenter with Laura De Leon), ¡Adelante! Conference for Bilingual and Dual Language Educators, Austin, TX, April 2, 2022
From One Mind to Another: Utilizing mentor texts in the elementary language arts classroom, DVISD Teacher Mini Conference, Del Valle, TX, February 17, 2020
Bringing Theatre into the Classroom: Oral Language Enrichment and Literacy Development for ELLs, National Association for Bilingual Education, Dallas, TX, February 23-25, 2017
One Square at a Time: Using graphic organizers to comprehend fiction, poetry, and dramatic literature, Title III Symposium, Austin, TX, July 26 - 27, 2016
Explaining Expository: Lessons in Composition Writing for English Language Learners, ¡Adelante! Conference for Bilingual & Dual Language Educators, Austin, TX, April 22 - 23, 2016
Writing Matters: Lessons in grammar, punctuation, and composition writing for English Language Learners (ELLs), Texas Association for Bilingual Education, El Paso, TX, October 14 - 17, 2015
Writing Matters: Lessons in grammar, punctuation, and composition writing for English Language Learners (ELLs), Title III Symposium, Austin, TX, July 28 - 29, 2015
The Art of Science: Using the works of master artists to express science content to English Language Learners (ELLs), Title III Symposium, Austin, TX, July 29 - 30, 2014
INSTRUCTIONAL CONSULTANT
Del Valle Independent School District, Teaching Grammar Through Mentor Texts, digital presentation to district primary language arts and reading teachers, December 2, 2020
Del Valle Independent School District, 4th grade STAAR writing practices (revising and editing), presentation to district secondary language arts and reading teachers, co-presenter Melissa Foggo, March 11, 2020
Del Valle Independent School District, Teaching Grammar Through Mentor Texts, presentation to district elementary, secondary, and curriculum administrators, co-presenters Laura De Leon and Melissa Foggo, March 5, 2020
Del Valle Independent School District, Whole Brain Teaching: Developing a system of classroom management and brain-based learning, beginning-of-year presentation to faculty at Creedmoor Elementary School, August 22, 2018