The coronavirus pandemic has forced students and educators to adapt, essentially overnight, to the new reality of distance learning and instruction from afar. Teachers are facing the Herculean challenge of creating engaging, interactive online lesson plans, motivating kids to stay focused, and ensuring every student receives the help they need.

That’s why Brainly, the world’s largest online learning community of students and parents, has launched the Online Educator of the Year Award to recognize educators who have enacted inclusive solutions for students to finish out the school year at home. The scholarship is in partnership with DonorsChoose, Codecademy, and ClassTag.

“In this challenging time, we’ve seen many go above and beyond in their new virtual settings through meaningful, accessible learning. Even before the pandemic, the job of a teacher has never called for a typical 9-5 workday, and now we’re seeing teachers put in even more hours than ever before to ensure their students don’t fall behind while learning from home,” says Eric Oldfield, Chief Business Officer of Brainly.

Now through May 8, current U.S. middle-school and high-school students (ages 13 and up) can nominate and vote for their favorite educators three categories: Academic Teachers, Administrators, and Extracurricular Instructors.

The winning educators will each receive $1,000 towards classroom resources through their partners at DonorsChoose, as well as a featured post on Brainly.com and a one-year Brainly Plus subscription– not to mention major bragging rights.

All students have to do to nominate a teacher is write a 4-5 sentence response to the question: “How has an educator been exceptional in your transition to remote learning?” As an added incentive, the students who nominate the winning educators will also receive a Samsung Galaxy Tablet, a Codecademy Pro student scholarship, and a one-year Brainly Plus subscription.

“We’re calling on everyone impacted by school closures and the transition to online education to help us celebrate the teachers, instructors, administrators, coaches, and mentors that have made a difference in the lives of the students who need them. These exceptional educators are finding new creative ways to connect with their students– leaving sidewalk chalk math problems outside students’ homes for them to solve, teleconferencing poetry readings, dropping off packets to students without reliable internet access. It’s truly heartwarming, and these amazing educators deserve to be recognized,” says Oldfield.

For more information about Brainly’s ‘Online Educator of the Year Award’ and details on how to nominate and vote for your favorite educator, visit https://brainly.com/educator.

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About Brainly
Brainly is the world’s largest online learning community, where students and parents get homework and study help from peers and experts. Students from anywhere can ask questions and get step-by-step explanations from others to go from frustration to understanding. The unique opportunity for students to freely ask questions, as well as gain the confidence that comes from helping others, inspires students to learn in a collaborative community that now receives more than 200 million visitors each month. Based in Krakow, Poland, with its US headquarters in New York City, Brainly is currently available in 35 countries. More information about Brainly is available on www.brainly.com.