Every day this week, News 12 is announcing a winner for the Teacher Appreciation Week contest, and today's winner is Ken Rogers from the Sussex Avenue School in Newark.

Rogers has been a teacher for 29 years, and is currently teaching fifth grade. He says the real-life challenges his students and their families faced this year were sometimes difficult, but education was the one constant.

"Education doesn't stop, and even if there were some students and the parents would say I have something I have to do or some would go so far to say have to take the child to get tested because we were in contact with someone I would say, you know what? Don't worry about this,” says Rogers. “What's important is important. Do what you have to do and we can make up the work. Education doesn't stop. Life is life but we're always learning.”

He is getting a $500 gift card courtesy of Teachers’ Insurance Plan of NJ.

Click here to see all of the nominated teachers.