CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. – Virtual learning has not been an easy transition for some students in North Carolina.
Emily Francis, an English as a second language teacher at Concord High School, says many ESL students have struggled to make the transition to virtual.
According to her, it's not because a lack of motivation but because they've had to take care of siblings, struggled to get virtual access, or had to work.
She says, in Cabarrus County, students were given a computer and Internet if they need them. Virtual learning doesn't negatively affect their grades if they were already passing.
"I'm afraid that they're going to start liking going to work instead of schooling and having that education is so important," Francis continues. "With us not having schools open right now, the challenge is whether they are going to really want to come back and continue with us."
Francis says the good news is many of the students who have started jobs are getting experience learning English and are gaining independence as they balance jobs and school work.