- Special Events
- Teacher of the Year
Christine Pao
Carlisle Elementary School - Third-Grade Teacher
Teaching Philosophy
A student once told me, “Thank you for believing in me.” During my first year of teaching, this student was struggling throughout the year due to a tough home life. The struggles of keeping up with academics wasn’t an easy feat for her. All I can remember is how I made her feel. Regardless of her situation, I didn’t want her to give up. I told her scores didn’t matter as long as she tried her best, and on the last day of school she came to me with those exact words. “Thank you for believing in me.” I cried with tears of joy knowing how she truly felt. She succeeded, and I was proud of her. If there is one way to describe what makes me an outstanding teacher, it’s that I “BELIEVE” in all children.
My beliefs about teaching have been with me since the beginning of my career. Any student can achieve success with the right balance of love and dedication. The rules and procedures are set on the first day of school. When I meet my students, I can gauge quickly where they are socially, emotionally and academically. This allows me to establish high expectations immediately for a chance at a successful school year. My expectations aren’t met right away. When times get tough and my students fail, they would learn from it. When they succeed, we all celebrate with pride. I treat every student that walks through my door consistent and fair. Their success is my success. I passionately focus on social emotional learning in my classroom. For me personally, it’s all about how you make a child feel.
Academics are important and we focus on data such as MAP and STAAR. However, scores are not the most crucial aspect of teaching. I intend to inspire my students to become more. I want my students to love coming to school and feel safe when they stay with me. I value establishing strong connections with every single child. I initiated an activity called, “Thoughtful Thursday” for students to engage in bonding time within the class community. On Thursdays, each student has an opportunity to stand in front of the classroom. All other students are allowed to write words of kindness around the student without them seeing who wrote it. The words written start as a few phrases, sentences and eventually paragraphs. The kindness they feel from their own peers become priceless. You start to notice and see a change when students are able to connect with you and their peers on a social and emotional level. The level of respect is always there but most importantly there is love and trust.
As a team leader, I’ve learned to collaborate and build positive relationships with the community and its stakeholders. I’ve started initiatives to continue a working partnership among the school community. I gave a demonstration to colleagues on how teachers can use evidence of learning by showing exemplar assessments and charting data through the Leadership Development Academy. I’ve assisted teachers at Carlisle using Google spreadsheets to monitor data and achieve campus goals. I won a grant to purchase readers theater books for the Carlisle campus to help encourage a love for reading. I’m the head coach of our LEGO robotics team. Our motto is “Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork”. I started this initiative to improve collaboration and promote teamwork among students and teachers. I’m a part of my School Based Improvement Committee (SBIC) discussing campus goals and what further initiatives can be implemented to help our campus improve through partnerships with different stakeholders.
The rewards are infinite being an educator. Making a difference in a child’s future is all I can hope for. Achieving your dreams isn’t something that can be accomplished individually. I can’t be the teacher I am today without the collective teamwork of my community. My kids motivate and inspire me to become a terrific teacher. The love and support from my family and colleagues encourages me to keep moving forward and not stay stagnant. I don’t always know the answers, but I’ll never stop finding a solution. For me, the biggest reward is for my students to always remember to take ownership of their learning, believe in themselves and never give up.
Principal's Recommendation
Dear Committee Members:
It is my distinct honor to write this letter of recommendation for Christine Pao, Teacher of the Year nominee from Carlisle Elementary School. This marks Christine’s ninth year teaching in Plano ISD. Although I have only worked with Christine for two years, I am keenly aware of her excellence. Christine tackles each day with a passion. She is a dedicated professional that we so desperately need in education today.
I love to visit Christine’s classroom and watch her interact with the students. She is firm yet loving, structured yet creative. She is an outstanding master teacher who puts the welfare of children first. She believes that every child can and will learn and sets the stage for each to do so.
Christine is an extremely professional, conscientious, organized, intelligent and insightful staff member. As a third-grade teacher and team leader, Christine is an advocate for holding high expectations for students, herself and her team. She is a problem-solver, a motivator and she doesn’t mind standing up for what is right for kids. She makes decisions on what is best for students, even when it means that it is not always the easiest for adults. Christine has led the way with increasing technology use amongst her teammates, with her students and within our school. She has helped to increase the use of data to guide instruction and challenges the status quo within her team and within our building with regard to student engagement and the social/emotional well being of children. She is a Plano ISD Education Foundation Grant winner, Lego Robotics team captain and a Leadership Development Academy participant. I have only touched on a few things that Christine has done to truly make an impact here on our campus and within the district at large.
Mrs. Pao is the kind of teacher that a principal needs to have on her campus. A strong supporter, a “walk the talk” type mentality, a knowledgeable resource and a role model for her colleagues. Christine has a wealth of experience and she is truly an asset. It is for these reasons, and many more, I support her nomination for Teacher of the Year for Plano ISD. I truly believe that she will represent our district well.
Sincerely,
Linda Patrick
Principal