Tiffany Liang, a South Hills High School English Language Development teacher, has been recognized by the Disney Imagination Campus as one of 100 teachers from across the country who empower the next generation of creative thinkers.
Liang not only teaches English language skills to students new to the country but also crafts inventive lessons to help them adapt to a new culture and build meaningful relationships.
Liang, whose school is in the Covina Valley Unified School District, was recognized by the Disney Imagination Campus panel for a classroom assignment she uses that has her students conducting personal interviews with classmates and creating a digital book to help them know each other better, inspiring connection and communication.
“I love this assignment because it helps my students break out of their comfort zone, as I usually pair together kids that don’t speak the same language,” Liang said. “By the end of the assignment, my students have a better understanding and appreciation of their classmates, and their classmates’ cultures.”
During her 23 years at South Hills High School, Liang has taught students from more than 34 different countries, building bridges across multiple languages and cultures so that her students connect with each other while they work toward mastery in English.
“It is always amazing to see students from different cultural backgrounds interacting with each other,” Liang said. “I love my students and am always looking for ways to make learning more imaginative, meaningful, and fun for them.”
The Disney Imagination Campus’ mission is to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and leaders through imagination-powered learning.
As part of their recognition of innovative teachers at the Disneyland Resort, Liang attended workshops led by Disney leaders and Imagineers and was celebrated alongside other teachers in a parade down Main Street.
“Our teachers at Covina-Valley Unified go above and beyond to impact student learning by implementing creative and fun assignments into their curriculum every day,” Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Eminhizer said. “Mrs. Liang is an outstanding example of our Covina-Valley teachers who dedicate themselves to helping students develop vital skills that are instrumental to their future success. Her recognition by Disney is so well deserved.”
