Jonathan Hooper, an itinerant teacher of students with visual impairments in New York City and the Braille Institute Teacher of the Year for 2020, works one on one with students at all grade levels in all five boroughs. “With some accommodations, students with visual impairments can thrive,” he says.

When teaching remotely, there is so much educators can't control, says one AP English teacher at Brooklyn Tech HS. It's a challenge to engage students and to gauge their interest.

A kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn says technology was the smallest part of her day before COVID-19, but now it's the biggest part, and she has been as willing to try and as adaptable as her students.

A pre-K teacher at PS/IS 127 in Queens who teaches remotely from both school and home, misses having students in the classroom, but she uses her creativity to keep them engaged and laughing.

Because singing and playing instruments carry a higher risk of coronavirus transmission, an in-person music teacher at PS 129 in Manhattan has had to reinvent how to teach musical concepts and skills.

A paraprofessional at PS 204 in Brooklyn has become a jack of all trades in the face of staff shortages, working one-on-one with in-person students; helping those struggling with remote learning; doing temperature checks, screenings and lunch duty; plus serving as a hall monitor.