Sonya Romero, a kindergarten teacher at Lew Wallace Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sonya Romero: A Teacher Goes Above And Beyond For Students In Need

Teachers are known to be our second parents. But some teachers go the extra mile to help their students, especially the ones in need. Like what the kindergarten teacher from Lew Wallace Elementary in Albuquerque, New Mexico did.

Meet Sonya Romero a kindergarten teacher, who is adored by countless students at Lew Wallace Elementary. Her mission is to help kids, and it had gone even further when she got a call from a social worker -- that her two former students needed a temporary home.

Sonya and her son

Sonya said that having a teacher relationship with them is one thing, but having them live with her is different. Sonya has a biological son, Blaine, and after speaking to her son, she decided to invite the students into her home. Would you believe what was supposed to be a 48-hour stay turned into a year?  Sonia said she wouldn't change a thing and encourages others to consider becoming foster parents.

She also said that there are so many children that need homes and so many situations that are far more complicated. It's the best experience if you have space in your heart and your home.

Sonya at The Ellen DeGeneres show.

Sonya was featured in Washington Post and KOB-TV’s “Pay it Forward” came to Lew Wallace Elementary School, where she received $400 -- a "thank you" token for helping make New Mexico a better place to live.

But Sonya's hard work still doesn't end there. The real surprise came when she was invited to the Ellen DeGeneres Show,  to whom she was known as the "teacher with a big heart." The show heard about her actions, as well as her relationship with her students.

Hero Teacher Sonya Romero Gives So Much And Gets Rewarded By Ellen

She was called upstage, and tears started flowing when Ellen played the Lew Wallace video showing her students and co-workers thanking her for all that she did. One of her students said that she wanted to be like Sonya when she grows up.

Ellen then surprised Sonya again when she handed her with two checks $10,000 each from Target. The first check was for herself, and the other one was for Lew Wallace Elementary School.

Romero and her students.

Sonia was very thankful and grateful for all the help that she received. She said that her 15 minutes of fame had afforded her the opportunity to share her story -- a story that is similar to so many other teachers. The schools and educators who were not being provided the resources to educate the growing population of low-income students.

Thank you, Sonya, for your kind and loving heart. You are not only an excellent and devoted teacher but a real hero who doesn't ask anything in return!

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

 - Henry Adams