My kids are wrapping up their last weeks of school, and as we shift toward the summer and a promise of a better tomorrow, I reflect on the year we had and all the incredible people who have helped all our kids -- not just mine -- navigate this unique and uncertain time.

Thank you to the teachers for rising to the challenge of educating our kids in ways previously unimagined. Thank you for your kindness and patience during online learning, and for your ability to adapt and adjust to new classroom protocols.

Thank you to the school administrators for taking what local and state governments threw at them and doing their best to make a plan that worked for families.

Thank you to the custodial, maintenance and other staff who helped keep our schools safe and running efficiently.

Thank you to the volunteers, aids and assistants who stepped up to make school better.

Thank you to the counselors, social workers, psychologists and more who guided our children with patience and understanding through these scary times.

Thank you to the grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, nannies, babysitters and everyone else who rose up to help our kids with distance learning while we had to work and tend to other responsibilities.

Thank you to everyone who ensured Internet service was up to speed and available, so our kids could learn from home.

Thank you to the bosses, managers, co-workers and colleagues who understood that sometimes kids are loud and that meetings may need to be missed and that there are more important things than work.

Thank you to our partners for letting us lean on them a bit harder this year.

Thank you to our friends -- with kids and without -- who offered support and love when we needed to vent our frustrations about our kids' education.

Thank you to anyone I may have missed who helped us get through this school year.

We have survived something extraordinary, and for that, I am grateful.

Here's to a brighter tomorrow, together.