A kindhearted Texas teacher has adopted her former student after the two formed a special bond in class.
Anthony Berry, 16, entered Bennie Berry’s English class at Pathways Learning Center in Beaumont last year, and by January 2017, Anthony had already asked Berry to adopt him.
“Kids in my class period were talking about adoption and I brought it up. I was like, ‘You can actually adopt me. I am a foster kid’ and stuff like that and we started talking," Anthony said. "That’s how we bonded."
Anthony had been in foster care since the age of 9 and wasn’t sure if he’d ever be adopted. Anthony showed Berry a website that explained how she could actually go about filing the paperwork to make him her son.
“I saw him [on the site] and I was like, 'Oh OK, well I can [possibly] do this, we’ll talk about it,'" Berry said. "At that time I told Anthony he had to be good. I couldn’t have a kid that was in trouble."
Anthony heeded Berry’s instructions.
“He was already an ideal student, but he put forth what looked like an extra effort,” Berry said.
Earlier this year, when Anthony’s foster mom told the state she would no longer care for him, Berry knew that was the moment she needed to step in.
By March, Anthony had moved into her home.
And just last week, mom and son became official as Berry legally adopted Anthony.
“It’s been a process, but it’s been good,” Berry said.
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