Friend,

So many of us were grateful to teachers before -- but now? Now, we're in awe.

As parents and families have transitioned to being full-time caretakers, we're more thankful than ever for all our teachers do. It has never been easy, and many of us are learning for the first time just how hard the work really is.

Take Marissa Winmill, an English Language Learners teacher at Kent-Meridian High School. She's making distance learning work in less than ideal circumstances by using video chat and securing hotspots for students who can't access the internet.

We've long known the burden of school closures falls harder on marginalized communities like English Language Learners, but with teachers like Marissa, those students won't fail. She provides her students with regular daily schedules and meets online each day with them at the same time in the morning. The key to her success has been flexibility: She has been adjusting to students' new sleep schedules and sends emails and makes phone calls to keep up with them, while also working to provide a variety of forms and options for students who need different access points.

Marissa will tell you it's hard, and she'd rather be in school with her students, but keeps fighting for them because that's what teachers do -- she's an inspiration to me and to so many others.

Analisa McCann is another one of those teachers who is inspiring me and so many across the state and country. She's a first grade teacher who turned her heartbreak over leaving her classroom in March into hope for her 19 students. She's spent every day (including during spring break!) thinking and planning for success for her classroom. Her Instagram posts are filled with positivity, optimism, and ideas for parents and other teachers to make distance learning more successful.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by this new way of educating and learning, but teachers like Analisa are embracing it, giving me hope for the days and weeks to come.

This week, Teacher Appreciation Week, teachers can't get their usual hugs and praise from their students, but I wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for providing world-class education to your students. Thank you for working long after you intended and so much harder than you thought. In a world where we're not sure what we can depend on, we know we can depend on you -- and more importantly, so can our kids.

To the teachers in Washington state and the teachers across the country: Thank you. One million times, thank you.

Very truly yours,

Jay