A Mesquite teacher saw her virtual students struggling — so she came up with a plan

Every school day, Anna Drake logged onto her online learning platform and worried. Drake, who teaches 6th grade reading and writing at Frasier Middle School in Mesquite, saw few virtual students turning in assignments or even showing up for class. With about 40 percent of her students attending school virtually, she knew it would be disastrous if she could not find a way to reach them. So she hatched a simple plan. After school every day, she brings a favorite drink from Sonic and snack to a student’s home, and the two chat outside, with the parent’s permission. Drake is working her way through her entire virtual roster. The plan is working even better than Drake had imagined. None of her virtual students are behind on assignments, an almost complete turnaround from just a few weeks ago.