If you watch the Thursday morning carpool line at Denver bilingual school Escuela de Guadalupe, you’ll spot Miriam O’Connor right away. She’s the one opening doors with a ready smile as kids practically launch out of their seats to wrap her in a hug. Parents lean in for a quick word—an update, a reassurance, a thank-you—before the line inches forward. It’s the kind of daily moment that says everything about why Miss Miriam is beloved here: she meets students and families with warmth, and then asks them to aim higher than they ever thought possible.
Before Escuela, Miriam worked at a daycare and heard about Escuela de Guadalupe from a family she knew. The first time she saw the school and experienced the community, she felt it: “I loved it, and I said, this place is for me. I felt very safe, very protected,” she recalls.
She introduced herself to then-President David Card, who connected her with Principal Dr. Vernita Vallez.
“She was very kind. She gave me a huge opportunity. I started as a tutor for first and second grade.”
Not long afterward, a bigger opportunity arrived: a teaching role in 4th and 5th grade Spanish. It must have been a perfect fit, because she has been in that role for the last 17 of her 19 years at Escuela de Guadalupe.
A calling shaped in Durango—and in third grade
Miriam grew up in Durango, Mexico, where she “always wanted to be a teacher.” She earned her degree in Mexico—ultimately in computer science—but the seed of education had been planted early.
She still lights up describing her third-grade teacher.
“She had patience. Her dedication to her career was incredible. She made us feel safe in the classroom, but at the same time she was like a mom to the students.”
That example drives Miriam’s own philosophy today.
“I want to be a role model… that they think of me—‘Ah, Miss Miriam. I remember what she taught me, how she made us feel in the classroom.’ Above all, I want to remind them that they have to work hard, with effort, with dedication to achieve their goals.”
Why 4th and 5th?
Escuela de Guadalupe is one of the best dual-language schools in Denver, immersing students in both English and Spanish. At the 4th and 5th grade levels, the students switch every 6 weeks, taking every subject in one language or the other. Miss Miriam and Miss Julia Cogan share teaching duties, with Miss Miriam leading in Spanish and Miss Julia leading in English.
Teaching two grades sounds like it could make a teacher a bit schizophrenic, but Miriam has adapted and thrived.
“It’s very enriching to work in two grades. It has helped me a lot with my organization, my time management, and my responsibilities. It has also taught me to set goals and keep working until I achieve them.”
She loves these ages in particular because the students “value the teacher and give affection and respect.”
She also sees a clear arc from one year to the next: the “curiosity and enthusiasm” of 4th grade grows into the “critical thinking” of 5th, when students “participate more in debates… challenge their beliefs, their thoughts, and are ready to grow their own personality.”
That developmental leap is where her high expectations come in. Students feel her belief in them—and they match it. In Miriam’s classroom, care and challenge are nonnegotiables; one without the other wouldn’t be Escuela.
“I want the children to remember from me that they can achieve any goal they set for themselves… with dedication and perseverance,” she says.
Language, belonging, and the joy of showing what you know
Ask Miriam why she’s stayed at Escuela de Guadalupe nearly two decades, and she’ll start with people and language.
“I love the connection we have with everyone. One, because we can speak the language that we feel most comfortable in,” she says, adding, “Also, we celebrate the languages, traditions, and cultures of everyone in our community. We respect each other, and I feel like there’s a lot of unity.”
That sense of belonging shows up in the work students do, too—especially in public celebrations of learning. Miriam lights up talking about the bilingual Wax Museum, where students present the lives of figures they’ve researched.
“They feel proud when their parents come and they present to them,” she says.
The pride isn’t the point, exactly—it’s the proof. The Wax Museum shows students that with curiosity, language, and effort, they can stand tall and share their voices.
The everyday magic that lasts
Nineteen years into her vocation at Escuela de Guadalupe, Miriam is still moved by the ordinary: a hug in the carpool line, a student who dares to raise a hand and argue a point, a moment when a child realizes they can do hard things.
“What is most rewarding is seeing these students grow and mature,” she says. “My hope is that they remember how they felt in our classroom—and know they can achieve their biggest goals.”
