Donnetta Norris 01/23/2021

Donnetta Norris is a 2nd grade teacher who lives in Mansfield, Texas, while teaching in a Title I school in Arlington, Texas. Being part of a military family gave her the opportunity to teach in Georgia and Hawaii. Although there was chaos at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mrs. Norris shares that communication among administration and teachers was very effective during the pandemic. In April, poetry started to come easily when she could express all her feelings and emotions from that time in the monthly open write. Some of her feelings were expressed in the uncertainty of how the families and students were dealing with the pandemic, regarding nutrition and financial stability. Mrs. Norris explains how she prioritized keeping the sense of belonging to the classroom by meeting once a week to talk about anything, her students' well being and mental health, by giving them a space to express thoughts and share their experiences. Overall, Mrs. Norris emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between face-to-face and virtual learning. She looks forward to using both methods in her classroom and hopes education does not only focus on one of them.