If you ever have the opportunity to view or participate in one of the teacher-student parades that seem to pop up once a week, you’ll find that looks can be a little deceiving. Beyond all the smiles and laughs and blasted car horns are some fairly intense, rather raw emotions.

On Friday, the teacher, students and parents of Webster Elementary held a parade of their own and there was smiling and laughing and blasting, but there was also teachers speaking in shaky voices beforehand about how much they’ve missed their students.

“It’s like a part of you is missing,” said one.

And there were kids and parents staring longingly into the passing cars, waving as if to ask the teachers they only see on computer screens these days, to stay.

Someday, of course, they’ll all be reunited, in person. For now, parades will have to do. And, from Friday’s smiles and laughs and blasts, it looked like Webster’s did. As one teacher put it: “My soul will be filled going into the weekend.”