- Special Events
- Teacher of the Year
Imelda Pacheco
Thomas Elementary School - Third-Grade Bilingual Teacher
Teaching Philosophy
Many of my personal feelings and beliefs about teaching started with the experiences I had as a student at Plano ISD. I believe there are two factors a teacher must have to master the art of teaching: building relationships and being an advocate.
An outstanding teacher makes the effort to find opportunities to make their students seen and valued. A teacher must be able to get to know their students and their family. I make my students culturally aware and proud of what they bring with them, my students know they are loved and appreciated. Recently, we had a classroom discussion about what our parents do and what we want to be when we grow up. As a child of immigrant parents, I shared with my students my struggles and successes in education. My students know there might be difficulties, but they know they can overcome anything by not giving up or finding help from others. My students know their culture and language make them valuable and so much more special to their community. I also make a point to build relationships with other educators in and outside the school. I look at building friendships and being a soundboard when needed. I have made many friendships that have lasted years and distance through my career.
Additionally, what makes me an outstanding teacher is advocating for all students and my teacher partners. This skill is learned through years of experience. I listen and take advice when it is given for my students or peers, but I also voice my concerns and request changes which may be needed for their success. I try to think outside the box, but also keep research-based strategies in mind. Advocating for my students is not done alone, mind you. This process demands intense collaboration and unwillingness to settle for the standard responses. Most recently, I worked tirelessly with my co-team member to ensure one of our students was given every opportunity to identify what was impeding her success in class, did she have a language or learning disability? We researched our options, provided tutoring interchangeably and fought hard to ensure she would not fall through the cracks. After two years of working with her and our school resources, we were able to get her the support she needed. Hooray!!
The rewards are endless. Rewards happen when I see a lightbulb turn on in their eyes, or a cry of “I get it!” The rewards come when I chat with their current teacher and they tell me how much they have grown or made it to student council after years of working with them on their anger management. The children look for me, a year later, and tell me how they are doing, how their parents are doing. Still being included in their community and in their conversations, that alone is rewarding for me. Seeing my peers be successful in their classrooms and achieving the same conversations and moments with their students is rewarding. Being an outstanding teacher does not solely rely on the successes of my students, but the successes of my peers and the community. The reward comes when everybody has achieved their goals and found success.
I worked in retail for over ten years prior to teaching. I remember telling my boss, “I want to do something that will give me meaning. When I get older, I want to be able to say I made a difference.” And today, it still stands true. I work tirelessly to ensure my students and peers achieve their goals. I am always reflecting on what I am doing. Can I do better? How can I improve to help them? Recently the Mayor of Dallas, Eric Johnson, gave his commencement speech at SMU and his words hit hard, “No career path is inherently miserable. What is miserable is to not follow your passion and be true to yourself. In that vein, I hope you’ll consider a career in public service and dedicate some of your time to your community. In uncertain times, you may never know exactly what will come next for you. But you’ll never have to regret living a life full of purpose. I pray that you will find your purpose.”
My teaching style is to observe, listen and advocate for my community. My purpose is to teach and lead by example. I believe I have found my purpose.
Principal's Recommendation
Dear Teacher of the Year Committee,
It is my honor and pleasure to recommend to you Imelda Pacheco as the Experienced Teacher of the Year for Plano ISD. Mrs. Pacheco started about five years ago teaching at Thomas Elementary School and is currently a third-grade bilingual teacher. Her excellent command over subjects taught and her ability to address the needs of each student make her an outstanding professional in the field of teaching. She is highly motivated to learn as much as she can and excels as an instructional leader. Not only does she enjoy teaching, but she also enjoys the art of learning herself. Mrs. Pacheco just graduated from SMU with her master’s degree in Bilingual Education. Way to go Mrs. Pacheco!!
She frequently puts in long hours to develop lesson plans, monitor student progress and reflects on her leadership. She is highly organized, has excellent communication skills and a love for her students and fellow teachers. Mrs. Pacheco is one of those teachers constantly looking at the data to inform where her instruction needs to head next. She is one of those teachers that has the natural ability to encourage staff, parents and children to utilize their potential to become empowered learners. Mrs. Pacheco often volunteers to stay for our night events because she cares for the students and their families.
Mrs. Pacheco has developed a wonderful rapport with the students in her class and they have made great strides because of the enthusiastic and nurturing atmosphere she has created. Every student is treated with the utmost respect in a very kind and caring manner. When I walk into her classroom, the students are constantly smiling, laughing and enjoying being educated.
Her fellow teachers say, “She always puts her students first. She has amazing relationships with her students, never loses her cool and goes above and beyond to make sure all her students succeed.” “Imelda is constantly trying to do everything she can to grow her students and make them well-rounded citizens.” “She is a true lifelong learner.” “Imelda inspires her students to proclaim their language stories and encourage them to be bilingual, bi-literate and bi-cultural.” “She supports our teachers, families – a true builder of a great community.” As one can read, Mrs. Pacheco is a shining star and would make us proud if she represented Plano ISD as Teacher of the Year.
School-wide, this teacher has been a mentor to new teachers coming into the district, serves as leader on our Communication and Parent Engagement vertical team, grade-level representative for our CHAMPS program and serves as an ever-present educator many of her peers rely on throughout the year for her stability.
This letter is not the place to tell her story of becoming the woman she is today. If one hears her story of being a first generational learner, one will understand the passion behind her teaching. Based on Mrs. Pacheco’s extraordinary background, knowledge, skills and ability to teach effectively, there is no doubt in my mind she is an outstanding educator I am proud to recommend as Teacher of the Year for the Plano School District.
Sincerely,
Zack Pruett
Principal