As North East ISD teachers clean out their classrooms and wrap up the 2019-2020 school year, they’re more focused than ever on what called them to this profession in the first place: the relationships they forge with their students.
So we are taking a moment to let them reflect on what they found during this lost time.
Nora Defee is a fifth-grade teacher at Regency Place Elementary School. She stood outside campus with her fellow teachers last week, holding signs and passing out candy as they cheered their students on into middle school.
“We just wanted to surprise them with something nice, throw them some candy and just let them know they are special,” said Defee.
The end of this school year has been incredibly challenging. What hurts the most is no one has had the chance to say goodbye the way they want.
“It’s difficult. We have Zoom meetings with the kids, and they all want to see their classroom and school,” said Defee. “They want to see their desks, so I’ll walk around with the camera and show them. They miss everything, we miss the students, I mean the classrooms are totally empty, and sometimes I feel very emotional with all of this.”
But there is some comfort that came during this year’s classroom clean out: these students are resilient, and the memories that were made before COVID-19 will live on.
“I’ll remember how our Regency kids always love each other, how they help each other, said Defee. "Memories made outside of the academics."
This 2019-2020 school year will be one every NEISD teacher remembers for the rest of their life. Because this year more than ever, the relationships made this year were ultimately forged through adversity and determination. Nora Defee is just one of the teachers showing how #NEISDcares.
