Mira Loma High School teacher honored with statewide human rights award

Dr. Phe Bach is a chemistry teacher at Mira Loma High School with a passion for mindfulness, which he teaches to students, educators and staff across California. On March 18, the California Teachers Association (CTA) recognized Bach for his work by awarding him their 2023 Pacific Asian American Human Rights Award. 

At Mira Loma, Bach teaches an elective course dedicated to helping students learn mindfulness practices. The walls of his classroom are decorated with student-made posters, one of which defines mindfulness as “a state of misjudgemental awareness of what’s happening in the present moment including the awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and senses.” 

The school’s mindfulness program is in its first year, and was created in part due to Bach’s own advocacy for mental health awareness.

“In my teaching career, I lost six student to suicide already and I don’t want to lose anymore,” shared Bach. He adds “hopefully, with that mentality, this class will help some of them have the skill set necessary to overcome some of the strong emotion.” 

For Bach, the award from CTA is a small part of a larger goal to promote better mental health through mindfulness. A student survey showed that the majority of students who took the new class enjoyed it and gained value from the experience, and he hopes that this support will translate into more resources for students through similar programs. 

“I hope that there can have more people taking these classes, and more teachers offer these classes as an elective,” Bach said.