COVID-19 impacted students due to the rapid shift to online learning. In response to health and safety concerns, schools faced disruptions to the learning environment and ultimately needed to close in-person learning opportunities. Some students lacked social and emotional skill development when learning online and when returning to in-person learning. The narrative inquiry study aimed at helping educators to be better prepared for future disruptions to the learning environment. The research may allow educators to improve strategies to encourage and incorporate social and emotional skills. The research questions probed into the educators' and parents' stories with student(s) social and emotional skills when learning online during the pandemic, who taught or had children learning online. The population was an estimated 152 K-6 grade educators and 300 potential parents from nine schools within a school district in California. The sample size was six parents and six educators. The data analysis involved interview transcriptions shared with the narrator for the analysis to be constructed collaboratively. Key findings showed the lack of preparation for learning online. Recommendations include preparing students, parents, and educators with 21st century skills of being more familiar with technology. Implications for practitioners and leaders within the field involve opportunities for parents to become more familiar with available workshops and resources provided from the school. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]