Feeling the Love

Teacher Appreciation Week! It was a week filled with sporadic messages and tokens of appreciation from students, families, and colleagues. With how things have been, it definitely wasn't the typical Teacher Appreciation Week (is anything really going to be typical anymore?), but there were still several signs of thankfulness.
The week started off with a nice note and gift card from my mom--she's thoughtful like that (I love you, Mom!). Then came a video message of thanks from a wide variety of individuals and families from around the district, along with free lunch, compliments of the school district. I'm going to have to find some time to take a drive to Sheboygan and get it!
As the week went by I received several emails from students with messages of thanks for all the help they've received this year. Today brought a few surprises in the form of more cards and gifts, plus a nice visit! One card I received in the mail was from my mother-in-law (she's thoughtful like that too--thanks Laura!). I also got a card from a student along with a very thoughtful gift card. The icing on the cake for today was my doorbell ringing after dinner and a visit from one of my students and his parents. They decided to deliver a VERY nice gift basket with some treats and a game to help my family pass the time! It was so nice to visit with them and hear how things have been (at an appropriate distance, of course).
In addition to the in-person visit with my student, I also had the opportunity to have some online visits. I have had regularly scheduled Google Meets with my homeroom class on Mondays and Wednesdays these past few weeks. We share news of what we've been up to, I give a few reminders about things for school, and eventually, it turns into a pet show. However, this week I had a couple of good one-on-one video chats. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have "office hours" for science class. I send out a Google Meet where the students can "stop by" and ask questions about science. Apparently, my assignments weren't very hard this week because I didn't have anyone visit me with questions. However, on both days, I ended up visiting with two different students for the entire hour. Now, anyone who really knows me is aware of the fact that I'm not much of a "small talker." However, it felt really good to connect with these students. I could tell that they really just wanted someone to visit with. If there's one thing that has come out of being at home, it's that there is time to connect. If we had been at school, I can't say for sure that I would have an uninterrupted hour to just talk to a student one on one. It was nice. And needed.
To all the teachers who are reading this, thank you!

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