May 23, 2019 500 AM
This year, Presidio High School says goodbye to many teachers who played a vital role for the improvement of PHS. It is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to one of the most helpful, kind, and responsible teachers, Adelina Portillo.
Ms. Portillo has been teacher for 45 years. She came to Presidio 12 years ago, not knowing that she would fall in love not only with the job, but with her students as well.
Ms. Portillo is an ESL teacher. The ESL program is a coursework designed to help students who are trying to learn English as their second language. “The ESL program in Presidio is very different from other schools. I like to travel with my students to their classes and know what they are studying. That way I can see how I can help them.” explained Portillo.
In her class, students are in constant contact with the language through activities that involve writing, listening, speaking, and reading. Throughout these twelve years Ms. Portillo has had six groups of newcomers. “What I love the most about my job is seeing my students learning English, and I feel a great satisfaction when they graduate.”
Besides teaching, Ms. Portillo trains other teachers in the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System program (TELPAS). This program measures the progress that students make in learning the English language.
Ms. Portillo’s attention to details has been invaluable. Her willingness to dedicate extra time and effort to help not only her students, but the school as well, has demonstrated a commitment to her job. Two years ago, she started having the feeling that maybe her time in Presidio was coming to an end. However, it wasn’t until this year that she finally decided to leave and go back to Odessa. She felt it was time to go enjoy her grandchildren and be with her family. After leaving Presidio, she is planning to keep working as a teacher because she loves what she does. She says she takes with her many wonderful memories and experiences, but she leaves Presidio with a void in our hearts because her time in Presidio High School was very pleasant. Thank you for everything Ms. Portillo.
