Teacher’s hallway song and dance reminds students to stay 6 feet apart

Social studies teacher Yvonne Drew is known for making up songs to entertain and motivate her students, but this particular tune had an important message.

“You gotta be six feet, six feet apart,” she sang Thursday at Envision Science Academy in Wake Forest, North Carolina in a video posted to social media.

The teacher of 15 years wore gloves and carried a bottle of disinfecting wipes under her arm as she soulfully danced in the hallway warning students with her social distancing jingle.

“My fellow teachers kept repeating “Stay six feet apart! That’s not six feet,” Drew said. So, she turned the safety guidelines into a melody.

The students laughed at the performance and followed the social distancing protocols, according to Drew.

“I love bringing smiles to my students and co-workers’ faces even if I can’t see them behind their mask,” Drew said.

For Drew, teaching during the ongoing pandemic has had its challenges. Students are learning how to adjust to the new norm, she said.

But the students who opted to return to school on October 22 for in-person learning really want to be there and want to follow the guidelines, Drew said.

“I think this time has been challenging for everyone and we got to find the rays of sunshine even in this unprecedented time,” she said.

“So, showing kids some love and having some fun, even though we can’t see smiles — we can just do whatever we can do to make this day better than yesterday.”