She has had her class pet, Daphne Phyllis, a red-eared slider turtle for almost 20 years. “She is a little staple,” Guehl said of the roughly 25- to 30-year-old turtle named by her students after studying mythology. “The kids know her and … are excited to befriend her. They may not remember my math lesson at the end of the day, but they’ll remember feeding the turtle.” When COVID-19 shuttered schools in March 2020, Daphne Phyllis went between the houses of two students during the spring and summer months. Guehl, who is still teaching students remotely because of parent requests, brought Daphne Phyllis back to the classroom this past fall and starts every school day by wheeling her laptop on a cart right up to the tank.