Alma Flor Ada
The first thing that I would hope every teacher does is to recognize their heroes. They have embraced a profession that is not getting the recognition that it deserves in any way, shape or form. And yet they are willing to do this, and they're doing it for who they are inside because they want to better reality, because they love children and young people and want them to have opportunities.
Dr. Alma Flor Ada is Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, where she has been a Distinguished Professor and Director of Doctoral Studies in Multicultural Education. She has devoted her life to promoting a pedagogy oriented to personal realization and social justice, a mission now carried on by her former students in their own positions as teacher educators. The founder and first editor-in-chief of NABE, the journal of the National Association of Bilingual Education, Dr. Ada has long been a visionary in the field of bilingual/dual language education. A former Radcliffe Scholar at Harvard University and Fulbright Research Scholar, she is an internationally renowned speaker.
With a Ph.D. in literature and a lifelong love of stories, Alma Flor Ada is the author of more than 200 children’s books of poetry, narrative, plays, and nonfiction. Her books have received many prestigious awards, including the Christopher Medal, the Pura Belpré Medal, and the NCSS-CBC Notable Book Award. In 2012, she received the very prestigious Virginia Hamilton Award. Dr. Ada’s A Magical Encounter: Latino Children's Literature in the Classroom is one of her many pedagogical publications. She has received numerous recognitions for her contributions to education, including the American Education Research Association (AERA) Hispanic Issues Award for Research in Elementary, Secondary, and Postsecondary Education, 2008; the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008; the California Council for Higher Education 2011 Award; and the American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education Literary Award, 2012.
Dra. Alma Flor Ada es Profesora Emérita de la Universidad de San Francisco, donde ha sido Profesora Distinguida y Directora de Estudios de Doctorado en Educación Multicultural. Ha dedicado su vida a promover una pedagogía orientada hacia la realización personal y la justicia social, una misión que ahora llevan adelante sus antiguos alumnos en sus propios puestos como formadores de docentes. Fundadora y primera editora en jefe de NABE, la revista de la Asociación Nacional de Educación Bilingüe, Dra. Ada ha sido durante mucho tiempo una visionaria en el campo de la educación bilingüe y en dos idiomas. Exbecaria Radcliffe de la Universidad de Harvard y becaria de investigación Fulbright, es una oradora de renombre internacional.
Con un doctorado en literatura y una pasión de toda la vida por las historias, Alma Flor Ada es autora de más de 200 libros infantiles de poesía, narrativa, teatro y no ficción. Sus libros han recibido numerosos premios prestigiosos, entre ellos la Medalla Christopher, la Medalla Pura Belpré y el Premio al Libro Destacado de la NCSS-CBC. En 2012, recibió el prestigioso Premio Virginia Hamilton. A Magical Encounter: Latino Children's Literature in the Classroom de Dra. Ada es una de sus muchas publicaciones pedagógicas. Ha recibido numerosos reconocimientos por sus contribuciones a la educación, entre ellos el Premio de Asuntos Hispanos de la Asociación Estadounidense de Investigación Educativa (AERA) por Investigación en Educación Primaria, Secundaria y Postsecundaria (2008); el Premio a la Trayectoria de la Asociación de California para la Educación Bilingüe (CABE) (2008); el Premio del Consejo de Educación Superior de California (2011); y el Premio Literario de la Asociación Estadounidense de Hispanos en la Educación Superior (2012).