The way you start your day can really affect your mood. Just ask David Jamison, an educator at Hickory Ridge Elementary School in Memphis, TN, who went viral for memorizing his 75 students’ handshakes simply so they could start their day off on the right foot.

You see, each student made up their own version of a handshake for how they’d like to be greeted each day, and Jamison memorized each one so he could welcome them to class in that exact way.

A video of him greeting each student—and not missing a beat with each one’s unique handshake—went viral on Twitter at the beginning of the year. It just went to show just how meaningful this teacher really is.

That’s why Jamison has actually been deemed the “Dope Educator,” as he’s known to thousands of followers for creative ways in motivating students.

Sadly, Jamison recently was one of the people diagnosed with COVID-19 (coronavirus) amid the global pandemic—and while he’s since recovering, it’s been a long, slow go for the once happy-go-lucky teacher. After 27 days in recovery, the anxiety has been one of the worst parts to deal with for him.

“The most difficult part for me dealing with COVID has been the anxiety part,” he says, explaining that not only are there the physical symptoms of coronavirus that you deal with—the cough, fever, and fatigue—but there’s a mental portion the virus can affect as well.

“We often hear about the people that have recovered but they don’t tell you much about the people that go through the mental breakdowns that actually comes from it,” he says.

It makes sense that being sick with a terrible virus for almost an entire month could wreak havoc on your mental stability and sanity. Plus, on top of it all, he really misses his students and hates to be away from them for so long.

“To me, my students are like my family,” he says.

Luckily, he’s been able to remember what he always told his students on how to maintain a positive outlook in life. All the affirmations he’d normally give to his students are his for the taking right now.

To hear more about how Jamison coped with his COVID-19 diagnosis, as well as his philosophies on being an educator and how he’s taken a positive outlook on beating it, check out the video below.

Do you remember the viral video of Jamison greeting all of his students in a special way? We wish him a full recovery soon!