Anne-Marie Hilton says that her French students remind her every day to laugh, sing, continue learning, and, of course, always work hard.
“I get to teach my culture and my language to my students, and I like that they get to discover new things about the world and not just San Antonio,” Hilton said.
The Karin Wagner High School teacher just received the EXCEL Award for her excellence in education. The recognition by the district was also accompanied with a $1,000 check, courtesy of Credit Human.
PHOTOS: Anne-Marie Hilton wins EXCEL Award for Judson ISD
Her students say that the reward is well-deserved.
"I thought, ‘Wow, she deserves it.’ In my honest opinion, she is a wonderful teacher, one of the best ones I've had,” senior Rocio Bautista said.
"I was really excited for her,” senior Gaston Martinez said. “She does a lot of work to deserve it. She's very helpful and understanding with the other students, so I think deserves this award."
After living in Quebec, Indonesia, South Korea, and Haiti, Hilton decided to share her love for French in the United State and has been here for the past eight years, hoping to ignite that very same excitement in her students.
"They make me smile and they keep me going, so of course I was excited and touched and very excited to get this award,” she said.