SUMMERFIELD, N.C. -- An elementary school teacher surprised her students with a heart-warming message.

Jaymie Walton teaches third grade at Summerfield Elementary School. She hasn't seen her students since mid-March when Gov. Cooper closed all public schools in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Walton's students missed her, and she missed them too. She decided to surprise them with a small act of kindness.

Walton left signs in her students' front yards that read, "Your teacher misses you!"

She says, "They have been working really hard adjusting to their new normal for right now. I just wanted them to know that I was proud of them, and that I was thinking about them and try to keep that connection with them."

The signs brought smiles to her students' faces. Parents even caught their reactions on camera. 

Student Nikolas Pratt says, "I was like 'Where did that come from?' and then my mom told me Miss Walton put it down." ​

Parents appreciated the surprise as well. 

Nikolas' dad, Ryan Pratt explains, "A lot of teachers miss their kids and it's a really neat gesture to remind the kids that they do have that connection out there and hopefully, we'll be able to get them back together before the end of the school year."​

Walton still communicates with her students and their families daily as they navigate the new world of e-learning.