AUSTIN (KXAN) – The white board reads 3/13/20. The smell, the desks, chairs, her students’ work proudly displayed – it’s exactly how Tara Bradley said she left her classroom.
“We had March Madness going so my kids were like ‘don’t erase the scoreboard like we’re not finished it has to be there when we come back,’” Bradley explained. “So, the scoreboard is still there, the games are ready to go, everything’s prepped for after spring break.”
But students didn’t get to return to River Ridge Elementary school. Leander Independent School District closed campuses after spring break due to coronavirus concerns.
It’s only the second time since the pandemic that Bradley is back on campus. This time with a mask as she packs up her classroom including her students’ books, pencil bags and work throughout the year.
Bradley said normally her students would be helping and packing up their own things while she focused on getting the class cleaned up.
“It’s an emptiness without them,” describes Bradley who admits it’s overwhelming and emotional. “This job is not the same without them, the room… everything is different without them.”
Bradley teaches third grade reading and writing. She explained that though they’ve tried to stay connected with the students through technology, it’s not the same as the classroom.
“Just the in between times when it seems like total chaos and you’re like let’s just sit, let’s keep going, let’s go to the next thing, and now I’m like I would give anything for like a little snippet of the chaos back again,” Bradley said.
Coming up tonight on KXAN News at 6 p.m. Bradley’s emotional message to all students as they head into summer.
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