A VIDEO featuring hundreds of Pembrokeshire educators, teachers and support staff is spreading a positive message to their students and around the world.

Western Telegraph:

The video, set to the Madness hit ‘It Must Be Love’, features all staff from the education world in Pembrokeshire, from hub schools to staff in their own homes, writing uplifting and supporting messages to their students.

It has been a difficult time for teachers, staff and students, with schools closed for the vast majority of pupils due to the coronavirus outbreak.

And the video underlines that the education world, including teachers, is thinking of their students and urging them to remain upbeat.

Western Telegraph:

Positive messages include ‘keep moving forward’, ‘keep calm, stay safe, look after each other’, ‘keep smiling’ and ‘we will get through this’.

Western Telegraph:

There are also messages of support for key workers and NHS staff.

And the final video – which went from idea to release in just two days – has been a hit on social media, reaching more than 33,000 people in less than a week.

It has attracted supportive comments from Canada to Australia.

Western Telegraph:

Educators rallied to the call to get involved in the Together Educate project which was the idea of Kelly Monroe, Schools Curriculum Manager with Really Pro who provide innovative alternative education services to secondary schools across the county.

Kelly, along with teachers from HHVC school Kate Hudson-Brown, Mollie Hughes, Rhian Owens, and videographer Dean Harries from We The Dee set about getting all educational staff involved in the project.

As well as filming at hubs which have remained open to cater for children of key workers, such as Milford Haven and Haverfordwest High School, an essential ingredient was to get school staff who are currently are at home to join via video link.

Western Telegraph:

And when the time came, the response from the educational world was incredible.

“We didn’t really know what the response would be,” Kelly explained.

“But when we turned on we were absolutely blown away.

“We had to get extra screens just to try to fit everyone in. We had about 300 people wanting to get involved.

“The whole idea was about bringing people together and what shone through is the way that teachers and school staff are missing their students, missing the buzz and the noise of school life and missing what they are fantastic at – educating and teaching.”

The messages that have flooded in following the video have been full of support.

One from a NHS worker said they had suffered a bad day but the video had greatly lifted their spirits.

Kelly added: “The response has been overwhelming. It was a balancing act to bring some joy without being flippant at the situation.

“It was eerie filming in some of the empty classrooms and corridors.

At times I felt quite tearful and overwhelmed because when you love this profession seeing an empty classroom is actually hard to absorb especially when you know what’s going on outside in the world, and you care about the kids.

“But the video’s aim was not to focus on the situation but be full of positivity and the message is that those classrooms and corridors will be full of life again.

“We may not know exactly when but they will and when they are all the amazing educators, support staff and teachers will be there ready to greet our pupils with energy and gratitude”

Together Educate Facebook page has also re-released a video entitled ‘The Gift of Kindness’ filmed in Milford Haven School with Really Pro and the staff and pupils from the school which was originally shared on social media in December 2019.

The video has taken on extra meaning in the current circumstances.