During the COVID-19 emergency pivot to virtual learning environments, the researchers sought to understand mentors' and teacher candidates' experiences in K-12 schools so that they could offer improved training and support. We surveyed 60 mentor teachers' and 92 teacher candidates' perceptions of preparedness for a virtual learning environment (VLE), confidence in creating an effective VLE, obstacles involved in a VLE, and strategies for building community in an online environment. The survey was administered in November 2020. Both teacher candidates and mentor teachers were fully immersed in the virtual learning environment. In the fall, participants felt they were much more confident and equipped to handle the VLE technology than when they had been abruptly forced to transition in the spring quarter of the prior school year. However, despite the various strategies used to build community, the participants noted student engagement as the biggest challenge in a VLE.