Anyone who has ever met a teacher or who is a teacher themselves knows that a teacher’s job doesn’t begin and end in the classroom. Teachers do much more than greeting our children in the morning, singing songs to them and putting them to bed for mid-day naps.
In fact, when you are a teacher, your whole life revolves around your students and how you can bring out the best of them.
Education is one of the sectors that has been greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and both children and teachers can agree on that.
While many schools have implemented online teaching during the lockdown, seeing your classmates, teachers, students is not enough for either students or teachers. There is nothing like the physical presence in the same room with the people you used to spend more than half of your day with.
And although the above is true for all levels of education, it is even more obvious in kindergarten and elementary school, where teachers and students share a special bond and a relationship that cannot be reflected on a daily zoom session.
That’s what Dawn Thompson, an elementary school teacher, thought some time ago, and decided to do something about it.
“One morning after [online class] with them, I’m like ‘this is not enough. I need to see them. I need to let them know that I’ll always be here,'” she said. “They’re so used to seeing their friends every day and seeing me every day and getting hugs, and now they’re confined.”
So, Thompson came up with an idea. First, she called her students’ families to let them know of her plan and make sure they were comfortable with it. And when all she got was positive comments, there was nothing that could stop her from putting her plan into action.
“Here is our address! Please come! The kids will love to see you! We would love to see you!” parents told her.
So the young teacher made a sign that read “I’ll always be here”, took her speakers with her and drove to each and every one of her 21 students’ homes to perform the “Ain’t no mountain high enough” song outside their homes.
Thompson teaches at Elijah G. Stroud Elementary school in Brooklyn, New York, and when part of her performance was captured on video and posted online, she was featured in New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily coronavirus newsletter.
How did the children react? Although they were shocked at first to see their teacher outside the classroom, when they realized what she was doing there, they were excited and danced to the song enthusiastically. Like Ruby, a 4-year-old student of Thomson’s.
“I think in some kids’ minds, they don’t imagine their teachers living outside of school,” said Camille Hunt, Ruby’s mom. “But then [Ruby] started listening to the lyrics and got what was going on, it was really sweet.”
Since that first attempt, Thompson has made a habit out of visiting her student’s homes just to make sure they know how much she cares.
This teacher is such an amazing example for her students, showing them that when you really want something, nothing is impossible. We wish she keeps up the great job!
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