GREENSBORO, N.C. — Teachers are being celebrated the first week of May for all their hard work and dedication even with a pandemic at hand.
Gov. Roy Cooper proclaimed May 4 to May 8 Teacher Appreciation week.
“Teachers have always been my heroes, and it’s important to pause to recognize our educators for everything they do,” Gov. Cooper said. “Teachers go the extra mile for their students under normal circumstances, and now during this pandemic, they are running a marathon to educate and support their students in these unprecedented times.”
Tanya Curry is a pre-k teacher at Kirkman Park Elementary School in Guilford County.
She's just one of many teachers going above and beyond to make sure her students get what they need to learn, even when they're far from the classroom.
"Last Friday I was able to go by all of my student's houses and I was able to give them magnetic chalk and dry erase boards. Each of my students received this as well as a learning bag for them with hands-on activities to do when they’re at home," said Curry, "Chalk, bubbles, counting materials and just different things for them to do while they’re at home."
Curry said being away from her students during this pandemic has been difficult.
"I miss that one-on-one connection with them," she said, "I miss seeing their smiling faces. Just the hugs that they give me, as well as just the daily interaction with them."
Curry said she teaches 18 students. Making sure everyone gets the academic attention they need is important to her.
"It’s very stressful. Just making sure that I reach all of my students in my class. I have 18 students and as we all know students learn differently, they have different learning styles so just making sure that I’m able to reach each of them," she said.
She also has three boys of her own that she helps teach while keeping her pre-k students on track.
"Just having a balance between making videos and the lessons for my pre-K students as well as teaching my own three sons at home," said Curry.
Curry said she's glad she has been able to maintain classes for her students online this year, but what the next school year holds is uncertain.
"Going into the fall, the unknown I’m very nervous about," she said.