Carmen Porras brings business skills and bilingual teaching to preschool classrooms

Carmen Porras, a lead preschool teacher at Geneva Day School in Potomac, Maryland, is being featured by Influential Women for her work in early childhood education. Her path from corporate affairs in Costa Rica to preschool teaching highlights a second career built on leadership, bilingual instruction, and care for young children.

Why it matters: - Carmen Porras shows how professional experience outside education can strengthen early childhood teaching. - Her work combines classroom leadership, bilingual instruction, and family engagement in a formative stage of child development. - Her story highlights a second-career path for women who return to school and move into purpose-driven work.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Carmen Porras for her work as a Lead Preschool Teacher at Geneva Day School in Potomac, Maryland. - Porras also teaches Spanish on Saturdays at Escuela Argentina for preschool-aged children. - Her profile emphasizes more than eight years of experience in early childhood education. - She speaks Spanish and English.

The details: - Porras previously worked in corporate affairs, external relations, and community relations at Procter & Gamble in Costa Rica. - She later paused her career to raise her children and care for her aging parents. - She returned to higher education and shifted into early childhood education. - Porras holds an MBA from the Tecnológico de Costa Rica. - She also earned a licentiate degree in marketing from Universidad Fidélitas. - She earned a degree in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from Montgomery College. - Her classroom approach uses structure, communication, and organization shaped by her business background. - Porras specializes in preschool education, early childhood education, bilingual education, and Spanish language instruction. - At Escuela Argentina, she uses bilingual lessons that focus on creativity, confidence, and cultural appreciation.

Between the lines: - Porras links teaching quality to emotional safety and trust. - She views children’s behavior as communication, especially when young students do not yet have full verbal skills. - Her emphasis on empathy and consistency suggests a classroom model built around relationships as much as instruction. - Her volunteer work with Girls on the Run of Montgomery County fits that same focus on confidence and resilience. - Her involvement with the IDB Family Association extends that community-oriented pattern beyond the classroom.

What's next: - Porras says young women entering early childhood education should trust their abilities, keep learning, and build professional networks. - She believes confidence grows with experience and that every classroom year adds skill and understanding. - Her ongoing teaching and volunteer work point to a career centered on children’s development and belonging.

The bottom line: - Carmen Porras’ career shows how leadership experience, cultural fluency, and empathy can translate into meaningful work in early childhood education. - Her profile presents teaching as both a profession and a long-term commitment to children’s growth.