Arlington Special Education Teacher Awarded $5,000 For Classroom On National Teacher Appreciation Day

ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Tuesday, May 4 is National Teacher Appreciation Day and North Texas Honda teamed up with a local school to give them a surprise of the year.

Applauding third grade special education teacher, Candice Keller was the focus of the day at John Webb Elementary in Arlington ISD.

She won the Honda Helping Hands Award— a recognition teachers are given for going above and beyond for their students.

"I don't know how I'm going to stop smiling and focus on the rest of the day," Keller said. "I Have a lot of stuff that I can't wait to share with the rest of my colleagues and expose my students to you."

Keller was awarded $5,000 worth of toys and supplies tailored for her students.

Principal Elena Lopez, who nominated Keller for the award, says there was no one more deserving.

"She doesn't ask for anything in return. She works countless hours in this building. If I did not tell her to go home, she wouldn't go home," said Lopez. "She's this burst of energy in the building and the mascot. She also spent countless hours doing research."

Lopez also says John Webb Elementary plans to continue recognizing their teachers throughout the year.