Education leaders are showing their support for the city's diverse student population.
The United Federation of Teachers hosted an "English-language Learners" conference at its headquarters in Lower Manhattan Saturday.
More than 400 educators came out on their day off to participate in workshops.
They got a chance to improve their lesson-planning and teaching strategy for students whose first language is not English.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña says the workshops help more than just the students.
"English-language learner programs are not just about language, they're about culture as well," Fariña said. "And also it's about how can you reach parents so they're a part of the education process."
"You can have 12 to 13 languages in one classroom," said Evelyn DeJesus, vice president for education with the UFT. "So as a teacher how do you differentiate, how do I teach and catch every moment for every child."
The union says there are around 140,000 English-language learner students in the city's public schools.