MAGNOLIA, Texas — Cheryl Shrader has worked as a kindergarten teacher for more than 30 years, and says there is nothing else she would rather do.
"I just feel so blessed to spend my day with 5 and 6 year olds," Shrader said.
So, it was no surprise when the Decker Prairie Elementary School teacher stepped up for one of her students who needed help outside of school hours.
Troy and Tonya Miller said their daughter, Kendall, had to have spine surgery in October 2023 to fix a form of scoliosis.
"Her spine wasn't just turning - it was twisting at the same time," Tonya said. "We had a certain window where we would have to fix it, because it was definitely not going away."
Five-year-old Kendall was in a body cast for weeks and couldn't return to class for months, but it was Shrader's efforts that helped Kendall feel like she was always part of the action.
"We were all sitting in a room talking about who was going to come visit Kendall and help her, and Ms. Shrader just put her hand up and said 'Oh, I'm doing this!'" Tonya Miller said.
During her time off, Shrader went to the Millers home three times a week to make sure Kendall stayed on track.
But Tonya said, she did more than that.
"She came over with so many extra activities and things for Kendall to do," Tonya said. "It really helped Kendall feel included in everything that was happening in class."
After winter break, Kendall was cleared to come back to class. Her parents said her transition was seamless, thanks to Shrader's efforts.
"I really didn’t think there were people like that anymore to be honest with you," Tonya said.