Third-grade teacher Carmen Carfello was laser-focused on a reading aloud lesson with her students when Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan surprised her as the district’s Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for March.
“Words cannot describe how deserving this recognition is for Ms. Carfello,” Principal Jeff Amerson said. “She is always bringing the ELAR TEKS to life by using a mixture of real-world experiences, hands-on learning and Socratic discussions.”
Last school year, Carfello’s students passed with an 80 percent on the STAAR Reading with 50 percent reaching Masters-level, while 90 percent of her students passed STAAR Math and 60 percent reaching the Masters-level.
“Each year, Ms. Carfello takes in some of the hardest to reach students and finds the spark to motivate and turn their learning completely around,” Amerson said. “She is clearly an outstanding teacher excelling in meeting the needs of all children.”
With Spring Break approaching, Carfello will get to enjoy a luxurious ride to Galveston’s Seawall in a fully loaded 2020 Lexus RX 350, courtesy of Sterling McCall Lexus.
Known to her peers as the “Child Whisperer,” she also serves as the Campus Induction Coach and heads the campus’ House Committee ensuring the Harry Potter and Ron Clark Academy-like houses are integrated into the IB framework. She has also led the initiative for one-third of Poe’s teachers to visit the Ron Clark Academy.
“I cannot express how appreciative I am to be recognized today,” Carfello said. “Each day, I’m focused on finding ways how I can enrich my students and peers. I’m truly thankful to the district and Dr. Lathan for being honored today for those efforts.”
As part of the Teacher of the Month program, HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan and district leaders will surprise a teacher along with a rep from Sterling McCall VIP Services. Each month, the teacher will be presented with an award, a gift basket of promotional items, a $150 gift card, and a luxury loaner vehicle.
Each of the seven HISD Area Superintendents will be responsible for selecting a teacher from their region to be honored from October 2019 to May 2020. Principals who would like to nominate a teacher on their campus should contact their school support officer or area superintendent directly.