If our teachers ever showed up to our door, it's a safe bet many of us would probably try to distract our parents.
But as part of this Bright Side 16 segment, Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey shows how one third grade teacher in Columbia County did just that, surprising her students, all by taking her talents to a whole new "Toy Story level."
Mandy Yaple is a third grade Millville Elementary School teacher who you might just say has the heart of a cowboy, a cartoon cowboy that is, named "Woody" from the movie Toy Story.
Like so many other area educators right now, Mandy misses her students.
Parents quickly shared the videos of Mandy on Facebook as she inspired her third graders when she showed up outside their homes in the Bloomsburg area. She's serenaded them with the same tune she carried at school, "You've Got A Friend In Me," featured in the movie Toy Story.
" I sang the song in the classroom before for my kids. The more I listened to it, the more I thought the words were perfect for this time, just the message of 'I'm here for you, and I love you," Yaple said.
Mandy's getup, even at a safe distance, really lassoed her students' attention.
"A lot of them were really, really surprised. Some of them, their jaws just dropped. They were really excited to see me. Some of them just laughed because their teacher was rolling up to their house dressed like a cowboy," Yaple said.
It's another sign and maybe even the silver lining that so many of us and our pets have shown us during this Coronavirus pandemic. It's a sign that we all need each other more than we know.
It's something that the third-grade teacher from Columbia County certainly reminded her students of while teaching them online.
"I explained to them that Miss Yaple isn't married. I don't have kids either. I don't even have a cat. My students are my people," Yaple said.
It's one teacher's idea that all started with a simple costume purchase online and a mission of bringing smiles to her students.
" And the rest is history," Yaple said.
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