HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Spend five minutes in Bonnie Bresnyan's classroom, and you'll see exactly why she is the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year.

"You've got to pull into your classroom things that you yourself enjoy doing," Bresnyan said.

So alongside her love for teaching, Bresnyan brings her passion for acting.

For 20 years she has taught in Hillsborough County. She spends each day teaching kindergarten and first-graders at Lewis Elementary School.

Some of the students have cognitive delays. Others are autistic.

But they are all thriving in their own way.

"A lot of the pacing is a little bit slower, more meticulous, and a lot of repetition so that the kids can get the information, and they begin to put it in that long term memory," Bresnyan said.

Using props and tools, "Miss B" teaches her students how to communicate when they don't have the words, from iPads to buttons.

Her students are learning through things they can touch, feel and use and gain experience.

And the experience her students gain from being in her classroom is unforgettable.

"She loves me as her favorite student and she’s always been there for me," said student Sheraldo Russ.

The mystery behind her magic starts with an open mind and never allowing a label to define her students.

"I am blessed every day to see beyond the box, to see out of the box basically," she said. "And I'm hoping that as being Teacher of the Year, I've been able to bring to the experiences that I've made and contacts with people, and don't put anybody in a box — nobody!"