In the days before remote instruction began, Chauntae Brown, a second-grade teacher at P.S. 80 in Jamaica, Queens, scrambled to teach parents without Wi-Fi how to use cellphone hot spots. She rummaged in her garage to find materials — a world map, a “Welcome” sign, an apple-shaped chalkboard — to transform her living room wall into a classroom. She grabbed a plastic tiara because, she said, “I’m the queen of this castle.”

At 8:45 a.m. on Monday, as her students logged on for their first day of remote learning, one after another, she was thrilled to see them blurt hello for the first time in a week. But all did not go smoothly. A third of the students were not present. There were technical issues. And the class had the feel of a slumber party, since so many children were in their pajamas or in their beds, with parents in the same live shot.

By the second day, though, attendance was up to 88 percent, and most students were dressed for school. There were fewer technical problems, fewer parents to be seen. Students were so excited about Ms. Brown reading “Mercy Watson to the Rescue” aloud that several had already clicked through future assignments.