From English Learner To Nationwide Bilingual Instructor Of The 12 months


Credit score: Joshua Curry Images, Courtesy of Sonia Águila

Sonia Águila teaches second grade at Canalino Faculty in Carpinteria.

When Sonia Águila was in highschool, her faculty counselor instructed her she didn’t assume faculty was for her, as a result of she was not fluent in English. It will be higher, the counselor mentioned, if she discovered a job to assist her dad and mom.

“I cried for just a few days,” Águila mentioned, “after which I signed up for school.”

Águila attended group faculty, then UC Santa Barbara, and finally obtained a educating credential and a grasp’s diploma in training.

She was simply named the Nationwide Bilingual Instructor of the 12 months by the Nationwide Affiliation for Bilingual Training. Final fall, she was named instructor of the 12 months by the California Affiliation for Bilingual Training.

Águila teaches second grade in a dual-language immersion program at Canalino Faculty in Carpinteria, a city in Santa Barbara County, on California’s central coast. That is her twenty fifth 12 months educating.

“A whole lot of youngsters end highschool and don’t go to varsity as a result of they assume it’s costly, they will’t afford it. I went at no cost. That’s my objective now, to encourage folks and hopefully they will observe their dream and go to varsity,” Águila mentioned.

Ever since Águila was very younger, she needed to be a instructor. She remembers lining up her dolls on the sofa when she was 5 years outdated and pretending to show them. Born in Santa Barbara, Águila moved to Mexico along with her dad and mom when she was 5 as a result of her grandfather was sick.

When she returned at 11, she mentioned the extent of her English was figuring out the way to rely to 10.

Throughout a baking lesson in dwelling economics class, Águila mentioned a instructor instructed her to scrub the dishes fairly than bake with different college students as a result of she didn’t communicate English.

Nonetheless, Águila persevered, going to the library daily to learn as a lot as she may and study English. In highschool, she turned salutatorian and gave her commencement speech in English and Spanish.

Six years in the past, Águila helped her district, Carpinteria Unified, begin a twin language immersion program, the place she teaches now. Twin language immersion applications train all college students in English and one other language, on this case, Spanish. The objective is for all college students to have the ability to communicate, learn and write in two languages.

“It doesn’t really feel like I’m working,” Águila mentioned. “I’m singing in Spanish and singing in English and making arroz con leche.”

Águila mentioned she strives to indicate her college students that “it’s great to be bilingual, bicultural, biliterate.”

“It’s great once I see their eyes gentle up they usually inform me, ‘Oh I get it! I do know what which means’ or once I hear them translating for his or her friends,” Águila mentioned.

Águila mentioned one pupil used to throw issues and run out of her classroom, saying he hated faculty. She started to ask him to have lunch along with her. Realizing he preferred dinosaurs, she introduced dinosaur coloring books for him. She realized that he couldn’t learn or write.

“Little by little he began coming round. After we turned mates, he began to study. That was a giant reminder that it’s worthwhile to have a powerful relationship with college students. That comes first earlier than studying. As a brand new instructor, that was exhausting for me to swallow. I needed youngsters to take a seat down and pay attention and end their work,” Águila mentioned.

The principal of Canalino Faculty, Jamie Persoon, mentioned that Águila is an “distinctive” chief with “very efficient instruction” for all college students, together with college students who’re struggling and people who are excelling.

From English learner to National Bilingual Teacher of the Year

Photograph courtesy of Sonia Águila

Águila’s college students recite this poem each morning.

“She has a fairly substantial group of scholars who’ve exceeded requirements, so she’s supplied loads of enrichment and development in giving them further assignments that reach their studying. I actually admire her efforts,” Persoon mentioned.

Águila’s concentrate on social-emotional studying additionally stands out for Persoon.

“They do a mantra in Spanish each morning about believing in your self, that they’ve a superpower being bilingual, that they’re sensible and valued and cherished,” Persoon mentioned. “The scholars actually consider in themselves, and it will increase their shallowness and their sense of self-worth. That actually helps them transfer alongside.”

Lorena Esparza mentioned her daughter Génesis has made loads of progress in Águila’s class.

“She was very shy at first. She began the 12 months talking principally in Spanish, and the instructor mentioned, ‘Don’t fear, in a few months, she’s going to begin studying in English.’ And now she’s fluent in each languages,” Esparza mentioned.

Águila additionally hosts a bilingual radio present for kids known as “Pageant Infantil.” She performs youngsters’s songs, reads tales, does multiplication video games and provides parenting recommendations on air.

She is constant her training now, with a web-based doctoral program by means of the Nationwide Autonomous College of Mexico, or UNAM.

Águila mentioned changing into nationwide bilingual instructor of the 12 months is a “dream come true.”

“That 5-year-old me who used to play along with her dolls can be very, very proud. It’s been wonderful,” Águila mentioned.

Águila additionally serves as a mentor instructor for college students engaged on their educating credentials by means of UC Santa Barbara. She mentioned she has seen many new lecturers really feel discouraged, particularly after the pandemic, and she or he tries to encourage them.

“They’re making a distinction. I need them to see that and really feel valued, particularly in the event that they communicate two languages,” Águila mentioned. “Being bilingual, that’s a superpower.”

 

To get extra studies like this one, click here to join EdSource’s no-cost day by day e mail on newest developments in training.

From English learner to National Bilingual Teacher of the Year



Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Articles