Her Story
About Amy
Amy Castillo is a veteran educator and Master Teacher based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 24 years of experience in public education. She currently serves in South San ISD, where she has built a strong record of instructional leadership supporting elementary teachers and improving classroom practice, particularly in mathematics. Recently, she stepped into a new leadership role as an assistant principal at KIPP Esparanza, expanding her impact from instructional coaching into campus-level leadership. Across her career, Amy has served in multiple roles, including classroom teacher, instructional coach, coordinator of professional learning, and MTSS/RTI coordinator before advancing into administration. This progression reflects her deep expertise in teaching and learning systems, as well as her ability to support both students and educators through targeted academic and behavioral interventions. Her experience working across grade levels and instructional frameworks has given her a strong foundation in curriculum implementation, teacher development, and school improvement practices. Amy’s professional approach is grounded in relationship-building, transparency, and consistent support for educators. In her current work as an assistant principal, she continues to prioritize collaboration with teachers, helping them refine instructional strategies and strengthen student outcomes. Her leadership is shaped by a commitment to practical, classroom-centered support that empowers teachers and creates the conditions for student success.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the support and encouragement I've received from my loving boyfriend, my beautiful children, and my amazing family and friends. Their love, constant push, and encouragement really help me to keep going. Having that kind of support system behind me has been instrumental in helping me continue to move forward in my career and tackle the challenges that come my way every day.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to build relationships. I think that's the most important advice I've gotten. In the classroom as a teacher, building relationships was the most important thing, and then once I started supporting teachers themselves, who are kind of like students, I felt that was the most important too. That advice has kept me going and helped me to be more successful throughout my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to stay true to themselves, to what their values are and what they believe in. They should stay true to themselves and keep that in the forefront of their mind with whatever job they're about to tackle, whatever relationship they're in, whether it's in education or outside of it. Just stick with that foundation of who you are and what you believe in.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge we have in education is our low pay. We do a very big job that impacts students and their success in life. Our role as educators has a huge impact, but because we don't always receive the best pay, we don't always attract the best candidates or the best people for the job, because they're in it for different reasons. One of the biggest challenges is that we don't receive a lot of the credit and the pay that we probably should, given the importance of what we do.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are being transparent and consistent. These two principles guide how I approach my relationships with students, teachers, and colleagues, and they're fundamental to how I operate both professionally and personally.
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