Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres surprised a Concord teacher on her showMonday. Emily Francis, who teaches English as a Second Language at Irvin Elementary, received a check for $100,000 to go toward her school’s backpack program. That program sends food home with needy students.
Irvin Elementary is a Title I school, with many students receiving free breakfast and lunch. Francis came to the U.S. from Guatemala at age 15. She taught herself English by watching the Ellen DeGeneres show.
It’s the second time in less than a month that a Charlotte-area teacher has been featured on the show. In January, Jordan Siragusa, a first-grade teacher at Charlotte’s Montclaire Elementary, was highlighted because of her kindness in the classroom.