Brownwood ISD issued the following press release Monday afternoon

This month’s spotlight teacher is Rachel Smiley. Ms. Smiley is a first grade teacher at East Elementary. She is a state certified elementary education teacher and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary and Special Education from Western Governors University. Ms. Smiley joined Brownwood ISD as a Special Education aide in 2016 and the following year transferred to East Elementary as a kindergarten aide before moving into her current teaching position in 2019.

Ms. Smiley is a rock star teacher. She is an excellent mentor and somebody you can always count on for anything. She goes above and beyond to support her team members, helping them overcome obstacles and more. At one point during the pandemic she was the only one out of four first grade teachers who wasn’t a substitute. She worked with the substitutes on their lesson plans, explained classroom management, curriculum delivery, made copies, and essentially handled the work of four teachers. Ms. Smiley cares for her students, and always put in the time needed to ensure they are learning.

We are thankful to have dedicated teachers like Ms. Smiley, who go the extra mile for the success of our teachers, staff, and students.

Our staff spotlight honoree for the month is Brec Espinoza. Ms. Espinoza is an Education Diagnostician and Lead Dyslexia Specialist. She is a Brownwood High School graduate and holds a Bachelors of Multidisciplinary Studies degree from Texas Tech University, and a Masters of Education in Special Education from Midwestern State University. She is state certified for Special Education (PK-12) and General Education (1-8). Ms. Espinoza first worked for Brownwood ISD as a third grade inclusion teacher at Northwest Elementary in 2007. She returned to Brownwood ISD in 2013 and worked as a special education and dyslexia teacher before moving into her current role.

Ms. Espinoza’s expertise and the combination of her positions is groundbreaking and allows for BISD to streamline processes and focus on the identification and support for these students. She has not only been a leader for the dyslexia team, but also has taken on the responsibility of facilitating the dyslexia screener process and supporting our other diagnosticians.

We are grateful for Ms. Espinoza and are blessed to have such knowledgeable and professional staff

who work diligently to provide the best support for our students.