TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Margaret Gallego has been a teacher for 47 years. 42 of those years she's spent at Robison Elementary in midtown.
When the conversation about who to name the the school's library after began, Gallego came up time and time again — in letters from colleagues, bosses and former students; some of whom are now educators, inspired by Mrs. Gallego.
Just last month, the Tucson Unified School District board approved the motion that would make her the namesake of Robison library, a space in the school she's advocated for in other years.
The ceremony will happen in the next few months.
"It was just beautiful," she said. "Honestly, I thought about my husband's family because that's the Gallego family. I thought about him and how proud he would have been."
Gallego attended TUSD schools as a child and has sent her children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews through the district as well.
She stays to remain connected with her former students.
“I’ve attended weddings, I’ve attended birthdays, christenings of my students and their families,” Gallego said.
She also knows of a few families in other districts who have switched their second-grade children to Robison for a single year just so they would be taught by her.
Beatrice Spillers, now in fourth grade, had Mrs. Gallego two years ago, but still chats with her regularly for Student Council and other school-wide programs.
Spillers said she's deserving of the library namesake because "she's a different type of teacher."
"She doesn’t just teach in her classroom. She is all around campus, right? And she helps other grades too," she said. "And when, maybe, I had a rough morning. She can make me feel a bit better about it.”
Gallego said she feels honored to be recognized for her decades of loyalty to Robison.
“It’s one of the greatest things to be a teacher, and to be a product of TUSD," she said. "It’s hands-on, you work daily with children, individualized or in groups. And you do, you make a difference. This is where you make the difference — in a classroom.”
Mikenzie Hammel joined the KGUN 9 team as a multimedia journalist in the summer of 2023. She graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism with her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. With her passion for human connection and visual storytelling, Mikenzie is honored to share the stories of Tucson and southeastern Arizona. Share your story ideas and important issues with Mikenzie by emailing mikenzie.hammel@kgun9.com.
