A significant issue during the COVID-19 pandemic was the increased social emotional needs of students and families and how teachers would incorporate social emotional development into teaching practices. The review of current literature surrounding SEL also identified an interconnected relationship between academic standards and social emotional development (Spratt, 2016; Johnson and Wiener, 2017; CASEL, 2018, Sanchez et al., 2018). A case study, qualitative research design was implemented to explore the research questions regarding the complex and increased social emotional needs of three students in a remote learning pod in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study also examined how the teacher-researcher addressed the students’ needs using SEL strategies. Data was collected through group interviews with the three students, daily observational notes, and artifacts collected before and during the learning pod. The findings suggested four major themes in the case: a perceived need for schools to address SEL; the social aspects of education; improvement of student behaviors; and teachers’ SEL skills and competencies related to effective teaching. Given the lasting impact of the pandemic on students’ academic performance and social emotional needs, the teacher-researcher suggests that stakeholders utilize this unprecedented time to improve the educational landscape rather than working to return back to “normal.”