Class Act: Pike County Elementary Schools’ virtual teacher uses props and puppets to keep kids engaged

BRUNDIDGE, Ala. (WSFA) - Tonya Lacy has a classroom inside of Pike County Elementary School, but she reaches students virtually all across the county.

“I’ve become very technologically savvy this past year,” Lacy said, “but, I’m still just learning as I go”.

During the pandemic, Lacy started teaching her students virtually and she excelled. From there, she was tapped to serve as the virtual homeschool consortium for Pike County Schools. She currently teaches grades kindergarten through second grade virtually.

“I have my pom, pom, and my fairy wand, and a lot of silly things down here,” she said, “I like to keep things fun and keep them engaged.

She’s been teaching now for 25 years and says this new assignment offers new challenges to connect with students via a computer screen.

“It’s such a blessing whenever I’m able to make such a close connection with these kids and they know I love them,” Lacy said, “I tell them that I love them all the time”.