Canalino Elementary School teacher wins California Bilingual Teacher of the Year

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – A Carpinteria elementary school teacher was recently awarded statewide Teacher of the Year by the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE).

Sonia Águila-González has been a teacher at Canalino Elementary School for over 23 years and has taught in all of the elementary grades, according to CABE. She currently leads the school's Dual Language Immersion program.

"Her classrooms are filled with love and joy, and students eagerly read, write, research, and solve math problems in both English and Spanish," CABE said. "Each student knows that she cares deeply for their well-being and academic success."

Águila-González was born in Santa Barbara but moved to Mexico when she was five. She returned to the United States when she was 11, only knowing how to count to 10 in English, according to CABE.

She was inspired by her English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher who used visuals, songs, and cognates to help her learn the English language, CABE said.

Águila-González went on to attend a local community college and transferred to UC Santa Barbara on a full scholarship, where she got her Elementary Teaching Credential with an emphasis in Spanish.

She also obtained a master's degree at the age of 21.