Breckenridge Texan

Like most school kids across the state and the country and even around the world, Breckenridge students have been out of the classroom since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Students and teachers alike have had to adjust to the sudden and unexpected disruption of their normal routines.

Kindergarten teacher Latisha Bartley practices sight words and social distancing with Shaeli Arquitte during the recent coronavirus shut-down. (Courtesy photo)

Many teachers are using various methods for keeping in touch with their students, including video chats, Facebook posts, etc. Locally, one teacher making the extra effort to keep in touch with her students is Latisha Kay Bartley.

Bartley is a kindergarten teacher at East Elementary School, and she recently has been out visiting each of her students at their homes. While maintaining proper social distancing, she read each student a story and then worked with them on reading and math lessons.

“(Mrs. Bartley) stopped by to read Jackson Morehart a book and have a reading and math lesson,” Jacyln Morehart, Jackson’s mom, said in an email. “He was blessed with a great home room teacher this year, as well as all the other teachers from East that he loves and misses!”

Barbara Collinsworth, the principal at East Elementary, said many of the school’s teachers have been making drive-by visits with their students and that she loves the fact that Bartley held driveway lessons with the kids.

Several parents took pictures of the visits and shared them on social media. “(Mrs. Bartley) came to our house, read a story to Jimi Grace, and did a small lesson on sight words and math! She didn’t have to do that, but she did,” Nicole Cantrell, Jimi Grace’s mom, wrote. “She has kept in contact with us and has been available for random FaceTime requests from Jimi through all of this chaos! We are so grateful and blessed to have her for our teacher!”

On Tuesday, the students and their parents organized a drive-by parade past Bartley’s house to show their appreciation for her dedication and love. The students held up signs for their teacher as they passed her house.

“To see them come by my house and have a parade for me was the sweetest and most precious thing ever. I’ve been so blessed with such an amazing group of little kindergarteners and their precious families,” Bartley wrote on Facebook. “I hope when they are older they will always remember their kindergarten class and know how special, loved, cherished, and talented they each are. They always say teachers are a huge influence in a child’s life, but they are a huge one in mine…”

Kindergarten teacher Latisha Bartley collects a sign from her student Jackson Morehart during the recent drive-by parade her students had in front of her house. The students and their parents organized the parade after she visited each of them for some driveway lessons during the school shut-down. (Courtesy photo)

East Elementary teacher Latisha Bartley reads to one of her students, Jimi Grace Cantrell, on the front porch recently. The kindergarten teacher visited students at home during the shut-down. (Courtesy photo)

Social distancing didn’t stop kindergarten teacher Latisha Bartley from sharing a good story with Bayler Baugh, one of her students, recently. She visited each of her students at home for some safe lessons. (Courtesy photo)

Jackson Morehart practices sight reading with his kindergarten teacher Latisha Bartley in his driveway recently. She visited each of her students and read them a book, as well as practiced reading and math. (Courtesy photo)

Story by Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Special thanks to Jaclyn Morehart for gathering the photos and for sharing this “feel good” story.

Cutline, top photo: Breckenridge kindergarten teacher Latisha Bartley reads “The Rainbow Fish” to Jackson Morehart in his driveway recently. Bartley visited each of her East Elementary students in order to keep in touch with them while the schools were shut down due to the threat from the new coronavirus. (Photo courtesy of Jaclyn Morehart)