Golden Apple Award: Diana Bryant, Rio Hondo High School

RIO HONDO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — CBS 4 and ValleyCentral.com are honoring teachers across the Rio Grande Valley who are committed to academic excellence.

For our second November winner, we went to Rio Hondo High School to honor a History teacher. She loves her job so much that even retirement cannot keep her from the classroom.

Diana Bryant has taught students across Cameron County for the last 24 years. Throughout her teaching career, Bryant has helped students through a variety of life challenges by keeping them engaged in the classroom. Because of her constant dedication to her students, Bryant maintains a close relationship with them long after graduation.

Bryant's daughter Logan Bryant wrote to ValleyCentral to nominate her mother for the Golden Apple Award. Logan said seeing her mother's dedication growing up has inspired her now that she's an adult.

"I've seen her work very hard since I was young, and now I'm doing the same thing for my 10-year-old son," Logan said. " She stays in touch with her students throughout college, and she sees them be so successful, and it's definitely because she was a part of their lives."

Bryant spent most of her career at Brownsville Early College High School until she decided to retire. However, Logan said her mother's retirement from teaching did not last long.

"She ended up being retired for a year and went back to work," Logan said. " She came back to Rio Hondo. She's from here originally, so she's happy to be here.”

As CBS 4 surprised Mrs. Bryant in her classroom she told us retirement made her realize her love of teaching was stronger than ever and she wasn't done with her mission of teaching U.S. History just yet.

“I missed my classroom, I literally was depressed without it, so I'm here, and they were nice enough to hire me back," Bryant said. "I think if you're a well-rounded kid that knows about the world, I think you'll be better off in your job, you'll be more productive, you'll understand your rights. That's what I want them to get from this.”

Many of Mrs. Bryant's students told us her dedication to them has made them gain an interest in a subject they struggled with at first.

“I hated Social Studies. I was never good at it. I never really learned from other teachers," said Alexis Villarreal. "Whenever I walked into a class, I felt interested, and I always wanted to learn more, and I really enjoyed taking notes, and hearing her talk about it just made me gain interest in that topic.”

"She was patient with us and compassionate through her teaching," said Daphne Gonzalez. " She just helped me believe that I could pass my STAAR test, and she helped me pass it."

While Bryant does not know when the time for her to leave the classroom will come, she said she is enjoying what she does now and plans to be in the classroom for the foreseeable future.

"I'm never up in the morning saying I don't want to go. When I get up in the morning and say I don't want to go, that's the time to retire, " Bryant said. "You live your dreams and you do what you want to do, and you'll be happy at it.”

CBS 4 will honor two teachers every month until March. Visit ValleyCentral’s Golden Apple Award to nominate your favorite teacher.