It’s hard to believe that we’ve made it to the end of this school year! Wow, thank Hashem! It’s been a little over a year since our lives were turned upside down because of COVID and there is so much to be said, but I would like to take the time to acknowledge, praise and thank all of the teachers. The heroic efforts we have seen from our children’s teachers from the start of this pandemic until now need to be acknowledged.

The teachers had a day or two’s notice to learn all the ins and outs of Zoom as they transitioned to online teaching. They had to figure out how to manage a Zoom, teach through a computer and learn a whole new schedule and style of teaching. I was home while my kids were Zooming and was able to hear and see how the teachers continued their curriculum. I saw how even through Zoom, the teachers were able to see who was feeling down. I heard teachers ask certain kids if they were ok and gave positive words of encouragement. I saw teachers adapt their curricula because they could no longer teach in person and I even saw teachers discipline kids when they were out of line.

The relationships they developed with the students made it possible to still teach and connect with their students even through the computer. And the most impressive part was that the teachers were doing all of this while their own children were in Zooms. I can’t even imagine the balance and juggling it took to set up their own kids for Zooms while trying to teach their classes. The troubleshooting and questions and wi-fi issues of their own children had to be put on hold while the teachers were teaching their classes. But the teachers took it all in stride. My children range in age from preschool to elementary, middle and high school and throughout the months in quarantine, almost every one of my kids’ teachers and rebbeim showed up at our house, some more than once. They brought treats, goodie bags, parsha booklets and more. Some teachers even made packages of the children’s work or projects that they could work on at home. There were goodies delivered for class siyums, treats for Shabbat parties and packages to keep our kids busy while they were in quarantine.

The dedication of our teachers is exemplary. They were presented with the constant challenge of balancing in-person teaching with kids on Zoom all while wearing a mask and shields. They’ve had different kids out at different times due to quarantines and positive COVID tests. Often, there were just as many kids in person as on Zoom. Our teachers have had to instruct and help our children without getting too close, and they have learned to communicate through layers of masks, shields and plexiglass. This process has not been without major challenges, whether it be health issues with corona or emotional ups and downs. There have been stressful times, like trying to manage everyone’s schedule of classes, who is using what devices, spotty wi-fi and, of course, the class work itself. But there have been plenty of light moments as well, like when a student became the host as the rebbe got dropped from a Zoom, or the funny names the children wrote as their Zoom names, or how the kids still managed to talk during class on chats. Throughout it all, the teachers have been supportive, encouraging and continued to forge ahead with a positive attitude. The teachers have taught us and our children so much more than lessons in math, Chumash, reading and kriya. They have shown us dedication, care, perseverance and love for our children.

We appreciate all of our children’s teachers and all the teachers out there. We want to express deep gratitude and hakarat hatov for all that our teachers have done and continue to do during this challenging time. We hope that Hashem continues to bring a refuah to all who need it, and we hope and continue to daven for the ultimate geulah.

I would like to keep this anonymous, because although we are especially grateful for our children’s teachers, we know that this could be written about the myriad of teachers in all of our schools. We see you and we thank you all!