Sonia De Anda, a 20-year teacher at Nelson Elementary School, has been named Los Nietos School District’s 2017 Teacher of the Year for implementing new classroom technology and boosting English learner achievement. Mrs. De Anda, who was named Teacher of the Year during a May 30th District teacher luncheon, was commended for her helpful attitude, her students’ exemplary state test scores and her round-the- clock dedication to her third-grade class – often working nights and weekends to come up with ways to provide additional support to her students.
Nelson Elementary Principal Marla Duncan said one of Mrs. De Anda’s notable achievements is that she uses new technology, such as a website she built to provide additional learning opportunities for her students. Mrs. De Anda’s website provides students with fun ways to practice coursework with applications that include XtraMath, a library of eBooks, Whooo’s Reading for tracking reading-level progress and IXL for math and language arts help.
“Sonia shows amazing consistency in the classroom and she is always open for introducing new ways for improving instruction,” Duncan said. “It’s those characteristics that make her a very effective educator –she’s always willing to adjust to support her students and to help them learn.”
Princiapl Duncan also praised Mrs. De Anda for supporting her English learner students by holding group study sessions to identify and solve their individual problems. Mrs. De Anda draws on her experience as a native Spanish speaker to focus on her English learner students' needs and present in-depth explanations that would otherwise not be possible from a native English speaker.
“Sonia once told me about how she was an English learner and her parents only spoke Spanish, so they could not help her much with her homework,” Duncan said. “So when she came to the District she decided she was going to do provide all the extra help she wished her teachers could have given to her.”
De Anda’s efforts have translated into improved language arts and math state test scores for her classes in the last eight years, earning her several commendations from Duncan and other District officials. De Anda started her Nelson Elementary career as a second-grade teacher in 1997. She taught second-and third-grade combination classes for four years before settling into her current role as a third-grade teacher. She has also taught fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade summer school classes.
Mrs. De Anda said being named Teacher of the Year is an honor, but more importantly it shows that her work with English learners and providing online math and language arts help is both fun and beneficial to her students.
“This award shows that what I’m doing in the classroom is working because my work benefits students and they’re actually learning” De Anda said. “That’s my greatest satisfaction – knowing that the students are learning.”
Mrs. De Anda is now in the running to become one of Los Angeles County’s Teachers of the Year, who will be announced during a banquet ceremony at the Hilton Universal City on Sept. 29. “Sonia De Anda is an all-around exceptional educator,” LNSD Superintendent Jonathan Vasquez said. “We are proud to have her represent our District as Teacher of the Year because she exudes an amazing level of enthusiasm for education and shows a strong willingness to adjust to the needs of her students.”