Pasadena immersion teacher wins 2012 Teacher of the Year Award

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) teacher Tina Chan won the 2012 Teacher of the Year Award at the National Two-Way Immersion Education Conference held in Newport Beach June 27, district officials announced today.

The award is conferred annually by Two-Way CABE, an association affiliated with the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) whose primary mission is to provide professional development and technical assistance to Two-Way Bilingual Immersion and Dual Language programs across the nation. The Teacher of the Year Award recognizes Chan as representative of the new era of dual language educators and the national movement toward world languages. Herhard work, diligence and unequalled enthusiasm for the language and culture have ensured that the PUSD Mandarin Dual Language Immersion program is growing in student population and popularity.

“I am very honored and grateful for this award. I am very thankful to my principal Ana Maria Apodaca for her support and nomination,” said Chan. “This award does not only belong to me; it belongs to the entire hard-working Chinese Dual Language Immersion team at Field Elementary School.”

Chan is a kindergarten teacher in the district’s Mandarin Dual Language Immersion program located at PUSD’s Field Elementary School. With the program since the program’s inception in 2009, she has translated curriculum for students, participated in professional development both locally and abroad and worked collaboratively with faculty, parents and community members. The program has grown from 28 to 190 students since 2009.

Please read more here.