From Resident to Leader—How Tatiana Amaya Puglio is Engineering Joy in First Grade

When Tatiana Amaya Puglio walks down the hallways of E.L. Haynes, she wears a sweatshirt that reads: Own Your Learning. It wasn’t a standard-issue staff giveaway. It was earned—a recognition from her peers and school leadership that she embodies the very core value she instills in her students every day.

Tatiana’s journey at Haynes is a masterclass in what happens when a school treats teacher professional development not as a luxury, but as a legacy pipeline. Three years ago, she arrived on campus as a resident through the City Teaching Alliance program. Today, she is a first-grade teacher and the First Grade Team Lead.

“What drew me to Haynes was how they look at you holistically as a person,” Tatiana reflects. “Not only as a teacher, but who you are professionally in the wider world. There is a genuine opportunity to grow within this space.”

Where High Standards Meet Student Agency

For Tatiana, “owning your learning” is the foundation of equity in early childhood education.

“I hold very high standards for my kids,” she says. “The idea of teaching them at such a young age that they have a lot of power, and that their voice is valuable in the classroom space, really holds true to me.”

First grade at Haynes is an environment of pure, structured energy. It’s a space where higher-level math and literacy concepts take center stage, and where traditional lessons morph into vibrant, kinesthetic experiences. Take their deep dive into Cinderella stories across various cultures—it’s a unit designed to push critical thinking while tapping into the students’ natural creativity.

And as E.L. Haynes dynamically transitions into a fully integrated STEAM school, Tatiana is already engineering the next evolution of her classroom.

“With the expansion of STEAM into the school, the opportunities for experimenting with different types of utensils and materials will expand,” Tatiana shares enthusiastically. “Kinesthetic learning won’t just be an activity; it will take place across all content areas of our blocks, allowing kids to dive deep into their interests as they find their independence.”

Dismantling the Hierarchy: The Investment Pipeline

For early-career educators, the fear of being placed “on an island” is real. At Haynes, that isolation is intentionally dismantled. Through systems like the New Staff Institute, incoming educators are enveloped into the culture, building community before students even take their seats.

The school’s leadership philosophy rejects traditional administrative barriers. “Our Principal, Brittany, is completely accessible,” Tatiana notes. “There isn’t a hierarchy barrier. It’s more like: we’re all in this together, and we all have an equal share in how the school functions.“

That collective investment is felt in real-time. When Tatiana stepped into the Team Lead role this year, leadership didn’t just hand her a title; they actively coached her through the craft of management, providing precise feedback on meeting facilitation and team dynamics during biweekly check-ins. This culture of mentorship extends nationwide—whether it’s sending Tatiana to a multi-day Responsive Classroom training in Chicago to master inclusive pedagogies, or backing a teacher’s unique professional goals, Haynes funds the growth of its people.

As Tatiana points out, thriving here requires a specific mindset: “You have to be flexible, punctual, and willing to grow from feedback. The feedback you get isn’t critique—it’s an investment to make your practice better and set students up for the next grade level.”

A Daily Commitment to Joy

When asked what advice she would whisper to herself on day one, Tatiana’s answer is immediate, authentic, and rigorously optimistic: Choose joy.

“The first day of school can be hectic,” she smiles. “You’re meeting families, and there might be a lot of tears, especially in first grade. But choosing joy in the little moments makes it memorable—not only for yourself, but for your students.”

Three years in, that philosophy remains unchanged. Tatiana Amaya Puglio didn’t just join E.L. Haynes; she became a cornerstone of its community. And that is worth far more than a sweatshirt.