In March of 2020, my year-long student teaching internship within the Kentwood Public School district came to an abrupt end when the nation was shut down due to the Coronavirus.  By the end of August 2020, I had signed a contract with Kentwood Public Schools as a 5th grade teacher at the same school I interned at.  A few days later, I learned that I would be the only designated virtual teacher for my 5th grade team.

There were many unknowns at the time of signing this contract and beginning the school year.  What would the profession of teaching be like amongst a pandemic?  How would I build relationships with my students and create a classroom family through a computer screen? As time progressed I learned that, although my first year teaching would be unlike anything I could have imagined, I would grow as an educator more than I ever thought would be possible. 

From my 5th grade team, I learned the importance of collaboration and sharing the load.  From my students, I learned to be resilient, open-minded, and the power of positivity.  From my school, I learned the importance of building a community, despite the inability to meet face-to-face.  There were times I felt lonely sitting in an empty classroom, staring at a computer screen all day.  There were times when I questioned if I was truly reaching my students and supporting their individual academic and emotional needs.  There were times that I wondered if I had the strength required to carry on.

Despite this, there were many times that we celebrated successes within our classroom that were different from the successes found in a typical in-person classroom.  We celebrated growth, we celebrated learning, and we celebrated the classroom family that we had created through our computer screens. 

At the end of the year, I carried my computer through the halls of my school so that my virtual students could celebrate "alongside" of their in-person 5th grade peers during our annual 5th Grade Last Walk.  As I walked through those a halls, with masks on the faces of our students and staff, I cried happy tears, and I cried sad tears.  I mourned for the many losses that my students had experienced throughout their virtual learning school year and I celebrated the many ways that my students grew unlike they ever had before.

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Fast forward a few years, I am currently teaching in the same building as my first year in 5th grade.  I carry with me the many lessons that I learned throughout my first year teaching and I am sure to emphasize the importance of establishing a classroom family, no matter what challenges we may face.  I continue to seek out opportunities to grow and learn in my professional life and my personal life.