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Coweta County teacher dons daily costumes for virtual classes

"I had to figure out a way to get my students interested in logging on, staying on."

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Whether it be virtual, in-person, or a hybrid of both - teachers certainly have a lot on their plates right now, regardless of how class is in session. But one Coweta County teacher has taken the job one step further to make her students smile.

LaTasha Washington-Williams has been teaching Family & Consumer Science for 17 years at East Coweta High School. But when the school district decided to approach hybrid learning this year, she knew she had to get creative.

"I had to figure out a way to get my students interested in logging on, staying on," Washington-Williams said.

She opted for a "subtle" virtual entrance.

Every day, she dons a different costume for her kids and enters the online classroom with an upbeat song. 

"They say that it takes 2.7 seconds to catch someone's attention," Washington-Williams said. "I have 30 kids, four blocks, 120 students. It's that 2.7 seconds that I have to get them to log on and be interested, and be as excited about class as I am."

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Of course, she's got her favorite looks.

"The marshmallow man," Washington-Williams said. "And then I also love the Frozen one, because I just love that song. 'Love is an Open Door' -- it is!"

Washington-Williams said it's a simple and silly task, but it's important for her students. 

"They are having to adjust to this new normal of not everyone being at school," she explained. "And if I can just do something for them for just 90 minutes to make them laugh, while they're learning, I feel like I've done my job."

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"I tell them all the time this is new for you, this is new for me," she added. "But we're gonna get through this together and we're gonna be fine."

Credit: Provided
Coweta County teacher dons daily costumes for virtual classes

And she doesn't plan on stopping the trend anytime soon.

"As long as I have the costumes, I will do it every single day," Washington-Williams promised. "Just to see them smile and have them log on, its enough for me." 

"I would just like to say to my students, thank you for allowing me to be excited every day," she said. "It's crazy times, but we're making the best out of it."

Washington-Williams  is now even getting some help getting her hands in new costumes - both from the high school's drama department, and from the Newnan Theatre Company

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