To school teachers, administrators, and staff during this Coronavirus crisis, you are some of the unsung heroes in this war, fighting on the front lines of a battle none of us could have ever anticipated. The 100 little sacrifices you make on a daily basis for your students are nothing compared to the sacrifices you are making now.

Nothing could have prepared you for this. But you have risen to the occasion. You have innovated and problem solved and strategized and tele-conferenced. You have supported and guided and directed, even while you are struggling to find some support of your own.

We know you’re tired. We know you’re heartbroken. We’ve talked to some of you. We’ve read your posts. We hear it in your voice and see it in your eyes. This wasn’t how the second semester was supposed to be. This wasn’t how the kindergarteners first year was supposed to be. This wasn’t how the seniors last year was supposed to be. Preschool all the way through college, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be for your students, for your families, for you.

You still have concepts to teach, minds to shape, ideas to form. Some of you have students with hungry bellies to feed, emotional wounds to mend, needs to meet. And now it’s all come to a grinding halt.

But you haven’t let that stop you. In the last week, you have proven that this enemy will not overtake you. In a matter of days, you have risen to the task at hand

It’s an unprecedented, overwhelming task for our schools, but we have no doubt that we will emerge victorious because of you. And in the end, our students and our families will be stronger, more adaptable, more resilient because you were willing to go the extra mile and make the hard sacrifices.

So teachers, administrators, staff ... during this time where so much feels unknown, please KNOW THIS: we see you, we appreciate you, and we are so very thankful for you! Take heart, because one day, when history looks back and remembers the heroes in this fight, you will be among them.