Additional settings for Safari Browser.
Literacy, Watkins & Hagen
Literacy Support
At DeSoto Trail, our Literacy Support team provides coordinated, research-based support to help every student become a confident reader and communicator. We coach teachers, deliver targeted interventions, and partner with families to accelerate literacy growth.
Readers are Trailblazers: every book opens a new path to discovery, imagination, and endless possibilities.
Mary Watkins, Literacy Coach
Hi, I’m Mary Watkins! I’ve been with Leon County Schools for 24 years, and this is my 14th year as DeSoto Trail’s Literacy Coach. Growing up in an Army family, I finally put down roots in Tallahassee when I came to FSU over 30 years ago. I hold both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Special Education, with certifications in Elementary Education (K–6), Exceptional Student Education (K–12), and a Reading Endorsement.
I began my career as an ESE teacher at Riley and Gilchrist Elementary, later serving as a reading interventionist and coach. After nine years as a stay-at-home mom, I returned to DeSoto Trail in 2012, and I’m grateful to call it home.
As Literacy Coach, I partner with teachers through professional development, literacy program support, and evidence-based strategies to strengthen reading instruction. Every so often, I work one-on-one with our students — always a highlight of my job!
Outside of school, I love family time, taking walks with our sweet golden retriever, Lacey, diving into a good book, and bargain shopping. My husband Todd and I are proud parents of two daughters: Natalie, a senior at FSU, and Lindsey, a freshman at TSC.
If you ever have questions about your child’s reading, I’m happy to help. Today a reader, tomorrow a leader!
Teri Hagen, Reading Interventionist
Hey Trailblazers! I’m the Reading Intervention teacher and my office is in the library!
I have been practicing teaching since my grandma gave me a desk to keep in my garage—those stuffed animals were GREAT listeners! I attended Leon County Schools as a kid and graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2010. I have had the opportunity to teach many grade levels, but have spent much of my career in the first-grade classroom.
Teaching reading and how to read has always been my favorite part of teaching and I’m excited to have the opportunity to read with Trailblazers across the school this year!
When I’m not at school, I enjoy exploring parks, cooking, and listening to music with my husband and daughters, Harper and Hadley.
Looking forward to a great year!
Downloadable Resources
To strengthen the partnership between school and home, we’ve gathered several tools to support early literacy. This section includes the district’s Read-at-Home Plan, the New Worlds Reading program flyer, and the UFLI Home Support Guide. Together, these resources provide practical activities, online tools, and strategies families can use to help children grow as readers.
Many of the recommended activities incorporate multisensory approaches that engage multiple senses like listening, speaking, and touching to make learning interactive and effective. Our goal is to walk alongside families as we work together to develop lifelong readers and learners.