Dr. Maria Porras Monroy is a fourth grade teacher and team leader at Pineloch Elementary School. She has been an elementary teacher for 15 years. Dr. Porras Monroy earned a doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction, from the University of Central Florida, where she also earned her master’s degree in K-8 Mathematics and Science Education and bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She is a proud Triple Knight. Her dissertation, Impacts of Professional Development on Elementary Mathematics Teachers’ Implementation of Cognitively Demanding Tasks, examined how her created professional development impacted teachers’ identification and implementation of cognitively demanding tasks. She also explored the aspects of the professional development that benefited the participants’ understanding of cognitively demanding tasks. She has presented on building conceptual understanding with manipulatives at national and state conferences, as well as presented her dissertation during a national webinar. She has also partnered with MathKind to lead a group of U.S. educators in collaborating with teachers in Guatemala, with a focus on strengthening mathematics instruction.
At the local level, Dr. Porras Monroy is currently leading Pineloch Pioneers, a group of teacher leaders with a shared goal of making positive impacts schoolwide. Some of Dr. Porras Monroy’s other accomplishments include Team Lead, Math Lead, Saturday School Coordinator, Panther of the Week, Panther of the Month, and Teacher Mentor. She enjoys working with Go Full STEAM on the district’s mathematics competition. Dr. Porras Monroy continues to seek ways to grow as a teacher leader while also building a community of support for her school and beyond.