PALMDALE — Palmdale teacher Nancy Alatorre won the 2017 “Teacher of the Year” award presented by the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE).
Alatorre, a fifth-grade Spanish teacher at Los Amigos Dual Immersion School, is the fifth educator from the Palmdale School District to take home the award.
She was nominated by Los Amigos Principal Sonia Salcedo for consistently going above and beyond her scope of work.
“Ms. Alatorre is a perfect example of how we are taking advantage of the strengths and cultures of our educators and students,” said Palmdale School District Superintendent Raul Maldonado. “Our educators, like Ms. Alatorre, play a big role in our Palmdale Promise to lower the achievement gap and help our students reach academic success.”
Alatorre joined the Palmdale School District in 2007 as a teacher at Mesquite Elementary School. She later applied to teach at Los Amigos Dual Immersion School to educate students on her native language. As an English learner herself, Alatorre has first hand experience in learning a new language.
“As a child, I faced many challenges being an English learner and new to this country,” Alatorre said. “Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have some wonderful teachers that helped me on my journey and took the time to make sure that my needs were met”
Alatorre will be recognized at the annual CABE conference in March.
The California Association for Bilingual Education is a non-profit organization that promotes bilingual education and quality educational experiences for all students in California. Each year the CABE Teacher of the Year Award is given to an individual who contributes to bilingual education and English learners beyond the normal scope of their assigned responsibilities.
[Information via news release from the Palmdale School District.]
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Hooray Los Amigos! says
Congratulations Mrs. Alatorre! My child enjoys your class and teaching style very much. Thank you for teaching him that “¡Dos idiomas es mejor!”, you are truly appreciated!