Downey teacher surprised on Zoom during 3rd grade class
A third-grade teacher from Imperial Elementary in Downey got a big surprise from Helpful Honda.
DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- For nearly two months, Krista Ylauan's third grade class at Imperial Elementary in Downey has met on Zoom to learn and connect with each other. Ylauan has turned her home garage into a classroom that resembles her actual classroom and has purchased materials out of her own pocket so her 25 students can continue learning. They meet three hours a day, five days a week.
"My money goes to my classroom because my kids and their families become my family during the school year, and I will have a special bond with this group of kids and their parents. We've all made it happen," said Ylauan.
On Tuesday, Ylauan's virtual class had a special guest: Helpful Honda.
"In honor of teacher appreciation week, we at Helpful Honda are going to donate hundreds and hundreds of books to your classroom library so everyone can continue learning there, we'll have notebooks for everyone to laugh for the future."
"I'm really happy for her and hundreds of books," said student Kaylin Armijo.
Helpful Honda also reimbursed Ylauan for an online teaching tool she uses and gifted her with a massive amount of coffee.
"I've almost literally never seen her without a cup of coffee in her hand," said Armijo.
"I am extremely proud of them and all the hard work they have done. They log in to Zoom, and they participate on a daily basis, but I need to thank the parents also because without them, that wouldn't happening," said Ylauan.
She is not just a teacher, but a leader who has helped her students adapt to changes brought on by the pandemic so they can succeed wherever learning takes place.
"It's been pretty normal. I've seen change, but I haven't really felt change," said Armijo.
What's made remote learning possible is support from the Downey Unified School District, who provided 4,200 iPads to all elementary school students.
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