Mrs. Mary Pritchard

My name is Mary Pritchard, and I'm a displaced Californian who found herself in San Antonio, Texas after her husband's job transfer over 20 years ago. I have been in education, both classroom teaching and administration, at the high school, college and university level for 37 years.

This year, I'm happy to be a part of introducing dedicated English dual credit classes at Reagan High School. My one junior class, enrolled in the first half of Freshman Composition this fall, is focusing on the American Dream. Next semester, they will focus on fascism using science fiction for the second half of Freshman Composition. My British Literature seniors have all completed their freshman composition requirements, and are completing coursework at the college sophomore level, studying early British Literature this semester, and later voices in Britain and post-colonial Britain in the spring.

My AP English 4 GT classes are focused on learning how to write and think about literature, and also how to negotiate a classroom that resembles more closely their college experience next year, with focuses on presentation, paneling, and discussion boards. They do prepare for the exam, but that focus is secondary, because the intentional work we do leading up to the Exam creates students who are confident writers and thinkers willing to take risks in response. The AP scores we post every year support this unconventional yet extremely effective pathway to success.

Senior year can be a tough one, filled with big decisions, transitions, and uncertainties. I try to help my students negotiate these challenges with authentic academic support, honest talk, and sometimes a little bit of motherly advice. My juniors, I just remind them what magical thinkers they truly are. At this point, they just need to love books and write well.

On a personal note, I have been widowed for many years, but despite that, I managed as a single mother to raise a remarkable daughter, Samantha Pritchard (Johnson HS c/o '20), who has graduated St. Edward's University in Austin in the winter of 2023 with a degree in history. She is currently studying to be a teacher at UTSA post-baccalaureate and hopes to enter teaching next fall. She is a substitute teacher for NEISD, and is frequently on the Reagan campus as the other Ms. Pritchard.

Finally, I am owned by two bad cats, Pip and Olive June.