Hello! My name is Ms. Gracie and I am a lead K-8 ELA and Math Instructor here at Tip-Top Brain. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas and knew from a young age that I was going to pursue a lifelong career as an educator. Coming from a family of educators, I sought out ways to practice my passion of working with children. During high school, I led a tutoring program at the neighboring elementary school and coordinated a team of high school tutors before and after school, particularly serving students who recently immigrated and needed English language support. I grew a passion for serving students who are multilingual, always viewing language as an asset to the learning process rather than a barrier. I attended the University of Texas at Austin where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Elementary Education (English/Spanish) in 2018.
Following my time at UT Austin, I taught for 6 years as a dual language classroom teacher in Austin ISD and earned numerous accolades for my dedication to teaching including Campus Teacher of the Year, Austin Area Bilingual Teacher of the Year, and Texas Bilingual Teacher of the Year Finalist. Recently I have accomplished one of my professional goals by working towards certification as a National Board Certified Teacher in middle childhood education, a rigorous two year graded portfolio submission that has made me analyze and hone my craft as an educator. Throughout my teaching career, in collaboration with professors from UT Austin as well as the College of William & Mary, I have conducted action-based research on numerous topics including authentic writing workshop to grow student writing identity and utilizing number sense routines to understand students’ mathematical understandings. My colleagues and I have presented at numerous statewide and regional conferences around best practices in dual language classrooms, with topics including “Uplifting Student Voice through Self-Publishing” and “Cultivating Agency with Number String Routines: Engaging with Students’ Computational Strategies towards Shared Mathematical Classroom Knowledge.”
What motivates me in my work is building a relationship with students, partnering with them in their educational goals, and seeing them take pride in their success. Building that rapport and being a guide in the learning process motivates me to be the best educator I can be. My passion for one-on-one and small group instructional support in the classroom has led me to Tip-Top Brain where I partner with students and families to help every child achieve their learning goals. What I love about Tip-Top Brain is being able to create a supportive and rigorous educational community for students to experience academic progress and improved confidence.
Outside of Tip-Top Brain I work as a reading interventionist for elementary students learning English as a new language in Corona. I am honored to be able to work with students with a variety of learning goals and experiences, ensuring to keep my passion for partnering with students and meeting their needs in the forefront. I bring my reading interventionist role to Tip-Top Brain by ensuring all students are being given the individualized support they need and are experiencing academic growth. When I’m not working with students, I love to play soccer, run, and read fiction and suspense novels. I am a passionate traveler and love to travel with my partner to places such as Peru, Australia, and Ecuador.
