Teacher Appreciation Week

Today marks the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week, and in the world of virtual education, recognizing our teachers can sometimes be a challenge. Without a physical lounge to decorate or in-person moments to gather and celebrate, we have to get a little more creative—but that doesn't mean our appreciation is any less heartfelt.

I'm often asked if virtual teaching is harder. My answer? The benefits far outweigh the challenges.

Our teachers get to spend nearly all their time doing what they love most—teaching. There are no transitions to specials, recess, or lunch to cut into instruction. No bus duty, no interruptions to manage hallway behavior. Instead, we start our day at 8:15 with live lessons and jump right into meaningful work. There are no late buses holding us back, just eager learners logging in from all across the state.

And the relationships? They're real. They're deep. They're personal. Each day is like a mini home visit—we get to see our students' rooms, backyards, windows, and pets. Siblings drop in. Babies coo in the background. Our classrooms may be virtual, but they are filled with life and connection. The kids love to share their world with us, and in doing so, we become a part of it.

But like all great things, there's another side.

When the day is hard, we can't just leave the building, drive home, and decompress. We live where we work. That line between our jobs and our families can blur. And the closeness we feel to our students means we also carry their pain. When they struggle, we feel it deeply. We see their world—and sometimes, that comes with heartbreak.

That's why this Teacher Appreciation Week meant so much. Our teachers deserved to be celebrated. 

We invited students to contribute to special word art creations filled with words that describe their teachers. We used their expressions of gratitude to create personalized songs for each teacher. But I think the most touching piece was our week-long Padlet, where students wrote heartfelt notes directly to their teachers.

This one hit me hard because I wasn't expecting a shout-out. I am not teaching this year. I am just the person who plans our virtual field trips, school events, and runs our morning news show. My job is to give students the same rich experiences their in-person peers enjoy, so it meant everything to see a student give me a shout-out for being inclusive. It reminded me why we do what we do.

Virtual doesn't mean distant. If anything, it means closer.

So today, as Teacher Appreciation Week comes to a close, I just want to say to every teacher in our elementary program: You are seen. You are valued. You are appreciated more than you know.