NAME: Rosemary Abila

DEPARTMENT/CAMPUS: 5th Grade Teacher/ Dyess Elementary

YEARS WITH AISD: 27 years

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? WHAT SCHOOL DID YOU ATTEND? Pecos, Texas. Pecos High School. Graduated from McMurry College. Master’s from Lamar University on Dec. 16.

TELLS US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY: Five brothers and no sisters. Husband: Elias Abila, retired Air Force. Daughter, Kristina Saucedo; Son: Michael Abila. Five grandchildren: Aaron Saucedo, Olivia Saucedo, Adrian Saucedo, Jared Saucedo. Elli Abila.

TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOURSELF: I grew up in a small town in West Texas and married my high school sweetheart who joined the Air Force to see the world. He actually saw the world, but I only traveled to Japan and Korea. I had the opportunity to catch a military hop to play volleyball for the military team against the Korean team. That was quite an experience!  I taught two years in Japan at a Department of Defense school and learned about the Japanese customs and culture. The extent of my military journey was San Antonio, Abilene, Japan and back to Abilene. Coincidentally, my educational career has kept me in close contact with the military world as I teach on a campus of mostly military families. My military experiences have helped me understand and relate to students and families from all over the world, especially through times of deployment.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB?  The students!! My favorite part of my job is working with the students and challenging their thinking skills as I watch them blossom. I enjoy their excitement when they get to explore in science. I enjoy their enthusiasm when they learn something new. I take their frustrations and their challenges and exchange them for successes. It is through their interactions and collaboration where I gain insight of their understandings and interests which in turn guide my lessons. It’s amazing to see how much growth they make in one year. I enjoy the creative portion of education and researching curriculum to find best practices that will help my students learn. It’s all about them!!

WHAT HER BOSS SAYS ABOUT HER: Being a teacher on a campus that serves military children, Rosemary’s experience as a military spouse gives her the ability to relate to the parents and students who are new to Abilene with a compassionate and understanding heart.  She is a master teacher and accomplished educator who strives to assist both the struggling student as well as pushing the high achieving student to greater learning. Mrs. Abila spends her summers in research and study to improve her craft. She is currently working on her master’s in education and serving as the Lesson Study teacher for Region 14.  Mrs. Abila’s duties as a fifth grade teacher and instructional technology liaison keep her extremely busy throughout the day.  She is a leader among staff and serves as a mentor to our new to the profession teachers.  Rosemary’s students are always the center of her focus as she pushes her class to be the best.” Michael Newton, Principal, Dyess Elementary School