ABRIL: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.

I SEE A LOT OF THUMBS UP.

HI, LUCIA.

I COME FROM A FAMILY OF TEACHERS, ACTUALLY, SO MY GRANDFATHER WAS A PROFESSOR IN CUBA, AND I HAVE TAUGHT HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, EVERYTHING FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION, ENGLISH TO NOW ELEMENTARY, FIRST GRADE.

HI, KION.

GO AHEAD.

YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?

KION: I MADE THIS SUPER COOL PAPER AIRPLANE... ABRIL: LET'S SEE IT.

VERY COOL.

KION: AND IT HAS LITTLE WINGS AT THE END... ABRIL: I SEE THAT.

KION: SO IT KEEPS IT BALANCED SO IT CAN FLY SUPER HIGH.

ABRIL: THAT'S AWESOME.

COME MARCH, WHEN THINGS WENT THE WAY THAT THEY DID, IT WAS THE UNKNOWN OF "OK. ARE WE'RE GOING TO BE BACK MONDAY?

ARE WE GOING TO BE BACK THE FOLLOWING MONDAY?"

YOU KNOW, THE KIDS WERE ASKING ME.

ANY SNEEZE IN THE CLASSROOM WAS EVERYONE, "OH, HE HAS CORONA!"

"SHE HAS CORONAVIRUS!"

AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO MAKE THAT A TEACHABLE MOMENT WAS IMPORTANT.

OK.

HERE WE GO.

ALL RIGHT, BOYS AND GIRLS.

I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT YOUR SCHEDULE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR TODAY, OK?

DON'T GET OVERWHELMED, ALL RIGHT?

WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOT OF BREAKS.

I THINK THE SCARIEST PART IS JUST NOT KNOWING WHAT MY STUDENTS ARE GOING TO NEED DAY ONE OR DAY 5 AND BEING ABLE TO MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE THIS IS NORMAL FOR NOW AND THEN BEING ABLE TO DO THAT WHILE MY DAUGHTER IS AROUND.

I INCLUDED HER IN MY WELCOME VIDEO SO MY PARENTS AND MY STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE A 3-YEAR-OLD AND THAT SHE MAY POP IN.

I'M GOING TO MUTE MYSELF BECAUSE IT'S LOUD IN HERE.

GO.

CHILD: UM... RILEY: OH, MOMMY, SHE HAS A BOO-BOO.

ABRIL: I GRADUATED WITH MY WOMEN'S STUDIES DEGREE, AND SO I FOUND THE NEW YORK CITY TEACHING FELLOWS, AND THAT REALLY JUST, LIKE, WAS THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL PART OF MY LIFE.

DOING WOMEN'S STUDIES WAS A LOT ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE, A LOT ABOUT MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL HUMANS, AND WHAT BETTER PLACE THAN THE CLASSROOM AND TO START WITH THE YOUNG MINDS?

VOICE: NOW LET'S SHOW THE NUMBER SENTENCE THAT GOES WITH THIS BAR MODEL.

RILEY: A SNACK, PLEASE?

VOICE: THAT NUMBER SENTENCE IS 6 + 3.

ABRIL: ONE MINUTE, OK?

CAN YOU WAIT ONE MINUTE?

RILEY: NO.

I WOULD NEVER WAIT ONE MINUTE.

ABRIL: YOU CAN DO IT, BABY.

COME SIT WITH ME.

VOICE: TO GET THE SUM, ADD THE TWO PARTS, SO WHAT IS THE SUM?

ABRIL: OK, SO IF YOU HAVE THIS WRITTEN OUT, RIGHT-- YOU HAVE THE BIG NUMBER 6 AND A LITTLE NUMBER 3-- YOU COULD DRAW LITTLE CIRCLES.

THE LAST DAY I SAW MY STUDENTS WAS MARCH 13.

ON MARCH 14, THERE WAS A SITUATION IN MY HOME WITH THE FATHER OF MY CHILD, AND I HAD TO LEAVE.

ANY TYPE OF PHYSICAL VIOLENCE THAT MY CHILD IS NEARBY FOR, I JUST COULDN'T.

I COULDN'T DEAL WITH THAT ANYMORE, SO AFTER DEALING WITH A LOT OF VERBAL ABUSE FOR MANY YEARS, I, UM-- UM...

THERE WERE SEVERAL INCIDENTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP WHERE I'VE CALLED THE POLICE OR LEFT AND LIVED WITH MY DAD, AND THIS WAS-- YOU KNOW, AT THAT POINT, I WAS LIKE, "OK. "AT THIS POINT, I'M FILING A REPORT.

I'M FOLLOWING THROUGH," BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN THOSE FIRST STEPS, AND FINALLY, I WAS LIKE, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH."

RILEY: MOM.

ABRIL: MY LOVE, LET ME SEE THAT.

RILEY: WHAT THING?

ABRIL: LET ME SEE THAT.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE THIS, YOU HAVE TO USE IT ON PAPER.

IT'S SHARP, OK?

RILEY: OK. ABRIL: HERE.

PUT IT ON TOP OF YOUR COLORING BOOK, AND YOU COULD DRAW.

BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THAT.

OK. DO WE FEEL ENERGIZED?

[TAPPING] MY LOVE, PLEASE DON'T DO THAT.

IT WAS DIFFICULT NOT TO BE ABLE TO... RILEY, DO YOU HEAR ME?

TO SAY WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH DURING A TIME LIKE THAT, OF COURSE.

COVID IS HAPPENING, AND EVERYONE IS GOING THROUGH THEIR OWN STRUGGLE AT THIS POINT, SO YOU JUST INTERNALIZE OR DEAL WITH IT HOW YOU CAN AND KEEP TRUCKING FORWARD.

ANYBODY WANT TO SHARE THAT HASN'T SHARED YET?

WHAT WERE SOME THINGS WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN NERVOUS ABOUT YESTERDAY?

YOU GOT THE MIC.

CHILD: OK.

I WAS SCARED OF SOME PEOPLE BULLYING ME SOMETIMES BECAUSE, LIKE, MY BROTHER WILL ALWAYS BULLY ME SOMETIMES, SO I WAS KIND OF SCARED OF THAT.

ABRIL: THAT'S A REALLY, REALLY VALID FEELING TO FEEL LIKE YOU MIGHT BE BULLIED ON THE FIRST DAY, ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.

HOW MANY OF YOU FELT THAT WAY?

YEAH.

I SEE MANY HANDS UP.

YOU'RE NOT ALONE IN THAT FEELING, AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.

THIS IS VERY VULNERABLE TO SHARE, RIGHT, WHAT WE'RE FEELING, WHAT OUR NERVES ARE LIKE.

THIS IS OUR SAFE ZONE, RIGHT?

THIS IS OUR CLASS.

THIS IS WHERE WE'RE SAFE.

TO EVEN SAY THAT IN THIS GROUP IS VERY POWERFUL.

I THINK MORE THAN ANYTHING, SELF-CARE.

I WAS ABLE TO COME BACK TO MYSELF EXERCISING A LITTLE BIT EVERY DAY, GETTING RILEY TO SLEEP EARLY ENOUGH SO THAT I HAVE TIME TO BE ABLE TO MEDITATE, TO BE ABLE TO SHOWER, TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, WORK OUT OR PAINT OR SOMETHING THAT IS JUST BEING ABLE TO DISCONNECT FROM THE PRESSURES, THE STRESS.

- EXCUSE ME.

- YES?

CHILD: WHAT'S GO NOODLE?

ABRIL: SO I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU RIGHT NOW, OK?

GO NOODLE HAS A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT LITTLE SONGS TO DANCE TO OR-- CHILD: I DID GO NOODLE BEFORE.

ABRIL: GOOD.

YOU COULD DO SOME MEDITATIONS OR SOME YOGA, SOME STRETCHING.

IT HAS A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS, SO WE'RE GOING TO BE USING THAT A LOT THIS YEAR.

HERE WE GO, SO IF YOU WANT TO GET UP AND DANCE, YOU COULD GET UP AND DANCE.

OOPS.

["I'M STILL STANDING" PLAYING] HERE WE GO.

♪ YOU CAN NEVER KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE ♪ MAN: ♪ YOUR BLOOD LIKE WINTER FREEZES JUST LIKE ICE ♪ ♪ AND THERE'S A COLD, LONELY LIGHT THAT SHINES FROM YOU ♪ ♪ YOU'LL WIND UP LIKE THE WRECK, YOU HIDE... ♪ ABRIL: ♪ BEHIND THAT MASK YOU USE ♪ ♪ AND DID YOU THINK THIS FOOL COULD NEVER WIN?

♪ GO, SOLEIL.

MAN: ♪ I GOT A TASTE OF LOVE IN A SIMPLE WAY ♪ ♪ AND IF YOU NEED TO KNOW WHILE I'M STILL STANDING ♪ ♪ YOU JUST FADE AWAY ♪ ♪ DON'T YOU KNOW... ♪ ABRIL: ♪ I'M STILL STANDING BETTER THAN I EVER DID ♪ MAN: ♪ LOOKING LIKE A TRUE SURVIVOR ♪