Monroe High School teacher Isela Lieber will throw a ceremonial first pitch before Monday evening’s Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants game at Dodger Stadium on Teacher Appreciation Night.
Lieber was among five teachers selected in October as 2017 California Teachers of the Year. She was honored for teaching English, English as a Second Language and ESL science to ninth and 10th graders and for founding SUCCEED, a club that provides support to first-generation high school students interested in going to college.
Lieber immigrated from Ecuador with a seventh-grade education and very little knowledge of the English language and was an a English language learner as a student.
Lieber has been teaching for 10 years. She began her career at Sepulveda Middle School and has taught for years at Monroe High School. Both schools are in North Hills. She also worked six years as a specialist, training other educators in bilingual education.
“I want to make a difference in the students I serve,” Lieber said. “I tell them that I studied hard and I worked hard and I have been able to achieve something, and that I believe they can do the same thing.”
Monroe Principal Chris Rosas said Lieber’s “example to our students is living proof of a strong commitment to student achievement.”
“As an immigrant herself, English learner and first-generation college student, she makes a daily commitment to serve by leading by example,” Rosas said.
