“Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.” – Chinese Proverb

I am Mrs. Pruneda, and I am proud to be with Madden for yet another year. This is my 3^rd year as a dyslexia teacher, 6^th year as a special education teacher, and 25^th year in education (most of which I spent as a high school English teacher). I have an AA in Accounting, a BA in English, a BS in Psychology, and an MA in teaching secondary education. I’m working on my Educational (Bilingual) Diagnostician certification at Sam Houston State (Go, Bearkats!). I am certified in Core Subjects, ELAR, Special Education, ESL, and GT. Before education, I worked in accounting (yes, I know!), in media (Spanish radio and television), and in promotions. I am the daughter of Mexican immigrants who valued education, ethics, and a sense of pride in good work. I am fluent in Spanish and can speak conversational Arabic (along with reading and writing basics). Over the years, I have learned so much about what it takes to be a lifelong learner, and I hope to instill this in the Huskies I am blessed to work with.

I am an avid reader, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I am hopelessly addicted to the written word (I want to be Belle when Beast gifts her his library in the original animated film a thousand years ago). In short, I love languages. Other not-as-important-but-equally-relevant quirks about me include my dislike of all things sweet (I have absolutely NO sweet tooth), my absolute and debilitating addiction to coffee (and caffeine fixes that include Dr. Pepper), and my recent induction into the club of lovers of all things feline (I have three cats I’d leave my inheritance to: Lola, Pulgüita, and Luna). I have also amassed a collection of books numbering in the thousands, which, much to my husband’s dismay, continues to grow.

Above all, I’ve learned that compassion for others and respectful collaboration on a shared goal can build trust and help ensure the work and goal are worthwhile. All the training and certifications in the world would not be enough to do this job. Compassion and collaboration are key, so thank you in advance for partnering with us in helping our future grow. I look forward to a wonderful year of learning.