COSTA Rican educator LizbethAlfaro won a new car and the chance tohelp immigrant children go to collegewhen she was named Teacher of theYear in North Carolina earlier thismonth.Alfaro, who teaches English as a secondlanguage, told the daily newspaper AlDía she will use her new distinction topromote a law that would permit undocumentedimmigrant students to study in thestate’s public universities.Similar laws have already been passedin Texas and California, giving studentsthe right to study at the university afterpassing four years and graduating highschool.“The idea is to view these children asa resource, not as a problem,” she told AlDía.Alfaro will spend the next year outsideof her classroom, giving workshopsand attending conferences, particularlyfocusing on her experience teaching nonnativeEnglish speakers.She was awarded a 2004 Mazda car,laptop computer, technological equipmentfor the classroom and $7,500.
