Class Makes Desks for Students Learning Virtually

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San Antonio – Mike Byrnes is an architectural technology teacher at Harran High School in San Antonio. While teaching his virtual learning students, he noticed something-many people don't have their own desks.

They sit on the bed or in the living room. What caught my attention is that many of these students do not have tables or places to put computers," Burns said. 

He decided to change this. 

Burns said: "I figured out a way to build four tables out of a piece of plywood." 

He asked Lowe's to donate supplies and agreed.

Burns and the students in his class did not hesitate to build 50 desks. 

Burns said: "I want to give them to them, not sell them to the unfortunate, tableless families." 

In San Antonio, 26.1% of children under the age of 18 live in poverty. The state average rate was 19.2%. 

Darnell Ford, a student of Byrnes, followed the leadership of his teacher and said it helped shape his career goals.

Ford said: "I may be more involved in construction management."

It also taught him life lessons. 

Ford said: "When we first started these jobs, it was to give back to those who had no place to do homework or similar jobs."

The local police department and the head of the elementary school helped find the families most in need. The first 50 desks are running so fast that this class is already very busy. 

Burns said that he just wanted to pay it off and make the pandemic fight less pressure on families in need. 

"It's hard at home. Without a place, a corner where you can work privately is hard," he said.

Now those students have a table where they can make phone calls.