As we settled into a new reality with COVID-19, there were calls for educators to use the crisis as a time to initiate changes desperately needed in education (Zhao & Watterston, 2021). Highlighting an elementary school as a case study (Hungerford-Kresser et al., 2022), we now reflect on what we learned during the early stages of the pandemic, a never-before-seen international crisis, and how it contributes to the discussion on change. While learning loss remains a primary concern post-COVID, an ethic of care (Noddings, 1984) is foundational to any educational reform moving forward. Post-lockdown, and in our current reality, we are concerned the current narratives on pandemic learning loss will cause care to be ignored where it should be central.