SAN ANTONIO — The sacrifice of leaving it all behind for a better life is a story many in the San Antonio community know firsthand.
That includes Denise Robertson, a Medina Valley ISD teacher who has drawn on her experience as inspiration to help her students, teaching them that education is the key to their futures. She's the winner of this week's KENS 5 EXCEL Award, and was surprised with a $1,000 check from our partners at Credit Human.
“ My older sister with my parents crossed over,” said Denise Robertson, as she tried to hold back tears. “My mom was holding my sister while crossing the Rio Grande."
It was a desperate move that would shape Robertson's destiny. That crossing would lead the family to San Antonio, where Robertson was born.
But even on U.S. soil, her parents battled to survive.
“My parents only had up to 2nd grade elementary education in Mexico, and after that they always told us that they had to work. “
They worked multiple jobs to make end's meet and ensure their five children received a good education, something the parents did not have growing up.
Robertson says it came at the cost of losing precious time with her parents, who were always working. But she understood their sacrifice, and it fueled her passion to help other children, leading her on the path of becoming a bilingual teacher.
“This is why education was so important, because something that you can't get back is time but at the same sense, you can keep education forever,” Robertson said.
Robertson's family, who are also mostly educators, beamed with pride as they joined students and staff at LaCoste Elementary to watch her be surprised with the EXCEL Award.
It’s a testament to their parents' sweat and tears, Robertson said.
“Especially now, after my dad's passing,” an emotional Robertson added. "It's just something that he always said to us: 'Always together.' And so anything that we do, we always do it together."
Her father’s words echo in her 2nd grade classroom every day.
“Same mentality with my students: Anything that we do, we're going to do it together. “
Together they learn subjects like writing, reading, math, science, social studies—and in two languages, English and Spanish.
"A little over half of my class is primarily Spanish-speaking, and I have seven that are primarily English," Robertson said.
Robertson splits her day in half. First, she gives her instructions in one language, then switches to the other.
The task involves a lot more planning and extra hours working from home, but she says it’s all worth it.
“Just the responsibility that I feel for my kiddos, because I understand that a lot of their parents work a lot too and so (I'm) just making them feel at home and loved."
She gives that same love and attention to her special education students. Robertson's 26-year-old autistic brother has been her motivation.
"Towards high school, we started noticing that there were big challenges with him, socially being able to express. There were big gaps in the learning."
Her personal experiences drive Robertson’s mission to ensure every child in her classroom has a fair chance at a good education, regardless of what they may be facing at home.
“They want to learn. They're excited to learn, just like I was as a little girl at a young age. I knew it was important,” Robertson said. “I want them to be proud.”
>TRENDING ON KENS 5 YOUTUBE: