Originally from a small town, AVID teacher Hannah Bowman Hrasky had her mind made up on college and what every student’s goal would be. However, after she moved to Harrisonburg, she was quick to realize not everyone had the same goal she grew up with. 

“Moving from FarmVille town to Harrisonburg let me have the opportunity to meet many different people. I learned about all these unique cultures and traditions and getting the chance to be involved in programs and organizations that are not available everywhere,” Hrasky said.          

Everybody has different experiences and goals that they want to reach. For Hrasky, she was shocked to hear how different her students’ goals and dreams were. 

“When I first started to teach AVID, I really thought that everybody had the same college going dream that I did and the same expectations of that experience that I did. But early on teaching AVID, I discovered that a lot of people didn’t feel that way; that many of my students, their dream was to live at home with their family. They wanted to stay local. They wanted to stay at home with their siblings, and that just totally changed my perspective and was something different from what I had experienced,” Hrasky said.

Quarantine for Hrasky has been difficult; however, it has given her the opportunity to spend more time with her son than she would have if we were in school.

“[Quarantine] really makes you value time and every moment you’re not with your child, and it makes you really want to make the most of that moment. It changed my relationship with time and made sure that I value the time I have away from him and with him,” Hrasky said. 

Hrasky tends to have a close relationship with her students and she cherishes every moment she has with them in and out of class, but teaching virtually has made it harder for her to have a bond with her students. 

“It has been very hard to teach virtually. My favorite part of my job is getting to be with students, and those one on one moments that we get to have before and after class to interact more with my students, but that has disappeared, ” Hrasky said. 

Although this past academic year has been difficult due to COVID-19 and the virtual format, it still opened Hrasky’s eyes for appreciation.

“It has made us cherish every moment we have and value the moments with our loved ones,” Hrasky said.