COOPER CITY, FLA. (WSVN) - A Cooper City preschool teacher is going the extra mile, literally, to ensure her students are OK during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cellphone videos captured Elizabeth Oliva, who teaches at Temple Beth Emet, greeting students outside their homes from the passenger seat of a car while she holds an orange sign that reads, “I miss you,” with a heart dotting the “i” in “miss.”
One by one, families came out of their home to listen to the teacher’s encouraging words.
Sara DePass, the mother of one of Oliva’s students, said she’s grateful for the teacher’s selfless gesture.
“She’s such a special person, and we’re so fortunate and lucky to have her as part of our lives,” said DePass. “She’s part of our family, and she just goes above and beyond for all of her kids.”
Oliva said, since she can’t look after her 2- and 3-year-old students at school, she decided to visit them at home.
Speaking to 7News via video conference on Monday, Oliva explained the reasoning behind her decision.
“They need consistency, and I was feeling down, and I was feeling sad, because my everyday life was turned upside down,” she said, “so if I was feeling that, I was worried that my babies were feeling that also.”
Driving Oliva is her husband, who is a first responder. Also in her car are her six kids, all learning from their mother what it means to be selfless.
“I started at 10 a.m. in the morning, and we finished at 4 p.m.,” she said. “Every house that I went to, it was such a great feeling watching the children run out.”
They ran out to greet a familiar face in unfamiliar times.
DePass said Oliva’s visits are a gift to every child and their parents.
“Her all — hoping and reaching for light at the end of the tunnel, and for that moment, she froze time, and it felt like a normal day,” she said.
But Oliva said the face-to-face visits are a gift to her as well because they give her hope to push forward.
“I wanted to see them. I wanted to see their face. I wanted to bring a smile to their face,” she said, “and in return, they made me even happier than I probably made them.”
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