FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — As teachers and students adjust to remote learning, some educators are finding creative ways to show their students they're thinking about them.
“Most educators out there were just heartbroken once we found out our schools were closing for the rest of the school year," said Michelle Yang, a third grade teacher at Centreville Elementary.
The Fairfax County Public Schools teacher decided to write and hand-deliver letters and treats to all 25 of her students Sunday to let them know she's missing them.
“Each of them pretty much said something along the lines of: I miss them so much, and although we can’t be together physically, we’ll see each other soon virtually, and here’s an air hug and fruit snack for now," Yang said.
Yang said she notified parents ahead of time that she would be stopping by. She said she hoped to see each student, but she completely respected their decision to keep kids inside if necessary.
The teacher said she also made sure to practice social distancing when delivering the gifts.
"So, I would go drop it off, knock or ring the doorbell with gloves or sleeves on and then run back to the car and wait a little bit, and then most of them came out to say hi, and I took a picture," she said.
Yang said she used an app that helped her plan out the best route. The trip to 25 students' houses ended up taking two hours.
Teacher practices social distancing when delivering letters
Yang said some students even left gifts for her, which came as a complete surprise.
"A lot of the parents emailed and reached out to me saying, 'This is so awesome, just something that brightened up my kids days,'" she said. "But, I don’t think they realized it was probably 10 times more effective in the way it made me feel.”
The seven-year teaching veteran said her kids are her life, so to be apart from them has been really challenging. She said she lives by the mantra "memories not memorization", so she hopes this was a happy memory for her students.
Yang said if the coronavirus-related self-isolation has taught her anything, it's to appreciate the little things.
“I think even just the simplest gesture of me taking a few hours a day to visit my kids and dropping off one little note was just possibly a pivotal moment during this sad time," she said.
FCPS students started spring break Monday, April 6. Remote learning officially begins on April 14.
