Hello!  My name is Tori Baxley and I am the ESL Specialist at Coder Elementary.  I attended East Texas Baptist University with a degree in Behavioral Sciences.  Shortly after I started a family and was teaching in my church's preschool, I realized I had a true love of teaching children. I then completed the Region XI Teaching Certification program and accepted my first teaching job, Kindergarten at Coder Elementary.  During my 4 years in Kindergarten, I realized I had a strong passion for helping my English language learners grow academically as well as in their language acquisition. It was then that I was asked to step into the role of ESL Specialist.  I have 21 years of teaching experience, all at Coder, with 17 years being devoted to English language students.  One of the joys of teaching ESL is that I get to have my students for many years, which allows me to build strong relationships with students and their families.  I truly have the best students in the world!

A few of my biggest goals in teaching are to give my students a love of learning, teaching them to advocate for themselves in their learning process, and for them to leave my class feeling truly cared about.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with family, volunteering for church events, reading, and traveling with my husband. We are now "Empty Nesters", but have 3 adult boys, and 2 granddaughters that we especially enjoy being with whenever possible.  I'm excited to be a part of Aledo ISD and look forward to another year of helping our young learners grow in their English skills.