May 4 through May 8 is Teacher Appreciation Week -- a time to thank the people who oftentimes don’t get the credit they deserve.
There are so many teachers going above and beyond, especially now as students are having to learn from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“When schools closed and I realized we were going to have to go to online learning, my first thought was how this was going to affect the kids, not just academically, but emotionally,” Kayla Speed, a second-grade teacher at Pearson Elementary in the Garland ISD said.
Speed is trying to change the experience from one of stress and fear for her students to one of excitement. She started her own YouTube channel, Quarantined with Mrs. Speed. The lessons include science experiments, innovative lesson plans and humor.
“Our class has always been like one big family and our classroom is like our home away from home and I knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy adjustment,” Speed said. “My husband actually lost his job due to the pandemic and since we both ended up with a lot of free time and he can do [video] tricks. We thought why not make fun educational videos that we hope would bring joy to kids during this difficult time."
She said she was dedicated to showing her students virtual learning could be fun and even magical at times as her husband’s special effects have taken her virtual classroom to the next level.
