National Teacher Appreciation Week: PfISD teacher honored by her alma mater

Name: PfISD teacher honored by college
Uploaded: 2026-05-06T14:28:19-05:00
Description: A Pflugerville ISD elementary school teacher and Western Governors University alumna was honored this week by her alma mater during Teacher Appreciation Week. FOX 7 Austin's Jessica Rivera has more in this Report Card.

PfISD teacher honored by college

A Pflugerville ISD elementary school teacher and Western Governors University alumna was honored this week by her alma mater during Teacher Appreciation Week. FOX 7 Austin's Jessica Rivera has more in this Report Card.

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - It's National Teacher Appreciation Week, and one Pflugerville ISD elementary school teacher was recognized by her alma mater for all she does for her students.

What they're saying:

It's been a busy year in Karina Saquiche's classroom as students get ready for the summer. Saquiche teaches kindergarten at Copperfield Elementary School in Pflugerville ISD.

"We go from learning letters, letter sounds, to two-letter pairings, like diagraphs, where they make a different sound. And so they do a lot of sounds. And eventually at this point, I have friends reading, writing. So it's a lot of fast pace," Saquiche said.

She says no matter how demanding her job gets, she wouldn't change it for the world. She even used to attend the very same elementary she now teaches at.

"I always would come back to this time at this elementary school where it felt like home. And even coming back when I came back to teach here, it felt I was at home," Saquiche said.

She says the impact she makes in the classroom is something she hopes students will have forever.

"I try to make it enjoyable for them because it is a lot of work and, you know, they're little, they are five, five, six years old. So I try to keep it as engaging as possible," Saquiche said.

During Teacher Appreciation Week, her alma mater, Western Governors University, surprised her class with some WGU swag and resources she can use next school year, including:

A colorful butterfly seating system for the classroom
Various books for the classroom and elementary library
Gift basket and cooler for her and Principal Arenaz
Pens, pom poms, cookies, and T-shirts for the kindergarten class

"It's nice to have those extra supplies to be like, you know, you're just like everybody else. You know, we're all here together. We're all here to learn and you don't have to feel left out because, you know, somebody or a company has supplied that for them," said Saquiche.

Copperfield Elementary serves primarily Hispanic/Latino students, with nearly all students attending being economically disadvantaged. Saquiche says this donation will help students for years to come.

"This school is a Title I school, so not all families can provide the things that most other schools can, as far as supplies. So it's nice that next year, I won't have to worry about these things," Saquiche said.

Dig deeper:

National Education Association president Becky Pringle says there are other ways you can show teachers your appreciation.

"It is really important that teachers know that they are surrounded with support, that our parents and neighbors and the students themselves are going to take action. And part of the action we need is that we elect policymakers who care about our kids, who care about our colleagues, who care about their communities and our country," Pringle said.