Woke up this morning with a heavy heart. Friends in public schools, it's ok to grieve the fact that we're not returning to buildings. This period of the school year is the *most* magical time of the year. It's the time when the whole class (and building really) operates like...

...a fully functioning community. Everyone is humming along, shining in their strengths and feeling loved and safe enough to be vulnerable and honest with their areas of need.

It's a time when we're feeling most proud of what has already been accomplished and a little but of panicky urgency about what still needs to be accomplished.

And in spite of the extra nights spent at spring carnivals, performances, & sporting events, we find the energy to find creative ways to build in celebrations of learning & our favorite learning experiences between state mandated, standardized assessment prep & administration...

...because we know that those experiences are the ones that give students memories for decades to come. They won't remember if they made a mistake on an assignment, but they will remember the joy of problem-solving with classmates...

...and eating surprise picnic lunches outside or the fun team-building field days and spirit weeks bring. They always remember getting their yearbooks and having them signed by friends and teachers or the special traditions that are unique to their school family.

All of those things deserve the grief we're feeling. Our students and their families are grieving too. And that's ok. It's healthy and it's normal. And we will respond in healthy and normal ways for them too. We'll dig deep and find new inspiration for...

...new ways to celebrate learning, new ways to build memories, new ways to bring closure at the end of the year. We've got everything we need to do this already swimming in our thoughts, and we don't have to figure it all out alone.

We're doing one of the hardest jobs in the world during the hardest time in our living history. And y'all, public schools is what's going to get us through this. I'm really hopeful for all the ways we can really win the #SchoolsOurStudentsDeserve in this moment...

...Investing in our public schools is an investment in job creation. It's an investment in our communities & the skills that we need to sustain our state. It's an investment in NC families & it's an investment in a strong future for all of us. #inthistogether #StrongPublicSchools