I keep thinking about how this is May 1–and how my friend Shasta Looper said in a Facebook post that this is the “sweetest part of the year.” No truer words. If you’ve ever taught a class of kids for an entire school year, you know what I mean. Shasta has allowed me to share a portion of her Facebook post that she shared the day that our governor announced schools would not reopen in South Carolina.

I turned my phone on Do Not Disturb, laced up my shoes, and hit the pavement. As soon as I blocked the world out, the tears began to flow. I cried for the loss of the sweetest part of the year. This is the time where teachers and students know o e [sic] another so well that each can anticipate the next move. It’s a time where lots of laughter and joy ensues. It’s the time where the entire class is celebrating the wins of one another. As a teacher, I can often take a step back during a lesson and watch my students lean in and run with class discussions or push one another further in their thinking. This is the part of the year teachers still remember in August.

Here we are: May 1. Sweet Nothing.