For Mary Ann Carsillo, language has always meant opportunity. From helping others learn English as a child to guiding multilingual students as a teacher, she has built her career around using language to open doors.
“I’ve always known I was going to be a teacher, since I was 7 years old,” Carsillo said. “I was sent to school without knowing English, and my teachers became my lifeline. Later, when I was forgetting my Spanish, I really appreciated the teachers that helped me get my Spanish back.”
As a child, Carsillo left the United States for Mexico every summer, where she would volunteer. During these visits, she created vocabulary lessons for young children.
“I would find out that some of the kids were born in the United States because their parents were field workers,” Carsillo said. “I knew they had a chance at living in the United States someday, so I would make little textbooks when I was eight and teach them English words.”
Before arriving at Oak Park High School in 2023, Carsillo taught at La Reina High School as well as eight other high schools and universities. She holds a Ph.D. in Latin American literature and a teaching credential in second language acquisition.
At OPHS, Carsillo teaches Spanish 1 and serves as the English Language Development Coordinator. She works with students to strengthen their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in both Spanish and English.
“I love talking to the English language learners about cultural comparisons, where they talk about how things are in their country and here,” Carsillo said. “One of my favorite projects is when they have to cook a meal from their own country and talk about it. It leads to a lot of conversations about health and different ingredients and traditions.”
In her Spanish 1 classes, Carsillo immerses students in reading and vocabulary, encouraging them to be “language detectives” and decode unfamiliar words.
“At a special school like Oak Park, where we are lucky enough to have so many students from different parts of the world, it’s important to teach the value of trying to connect with different cultures,” Carsillo said. “I tell my students, language is a key, and nobody wants just a key if it doesn’t open any doors. If you’re learning a language, it has to be with the intent of being able to open the doors to different cultures.”
Principal Mathew McClenahan said Carsillo’s teaching goes above and beyond, helping students engage with Spanish-speaking cultures in meaningful ways.
“Using music, art and poetry, her introduction to the way the Spanish language is used changes students’ understanding from rote learning to internal connection,” McClenahan wrote to the Talon.
As the English Language Development Coordinator, Carsillo helps multilingual learners develop their academic English and confidence in speaking with others.
“Some of them have to take the [English Language Proficiency Assessment for California], and if they don’t score a certain score, they’re required to keep taking English Language Development classes with me,” Carsillo said. “If they do achieve a certain score, they no longer have to take [these] classes, but I monitor their grades and see if they need any extra support, because the classes at Oak Park are pretty rigorous and rich in vocabulary.”
Carsillo is grateful she received recognition as OPUSD’s Employee of the Month.
“I am very honored that I received it,” Carsillo said. “I think that by no means does it mean that I don’t have a lot of growing to do here, because I know there’s still a lot to learn about my position. But I think if anything, the leadership was kind enough to recognize that I’m trying to find as many ways as I can to address the needs of our different language learners.”
Carsillo believes that language learning must be personal and established one-on-one.
“Learning a language is a really important exercise for your mind,” Carsillo said. “It’s a lifelong journey and deciding that it’s too hard and just wanting to take it online really robs you of the wonderful experience of challenging yourself to actually communicate with others in a different language.”
