LEESBURG, Fla. — With an infectious chuckle and a loving heart, a Lake County A+ Teacher is meeting her students where they are.

Frances McEachern encourages her students each day to set their goals high. She equips her students with the tools they need to pave their future at Beverly Shores Elementary School in Lake County.

McEachern beams with pride when she speaks of the success of one of her former students, "He's in college now and he's a straight A student."

She explains what she has her students say often in the classroom to keep them motivated and encouraged to aim high, "They say, ‘I got the power to be knowledgeable. I got the power to go out there and be somebody.’"

When roadblocks pop up, McEachern provides a way around the challenges.

"I have a couple of students that are homeless or live in a car or live with different people and sometimes they come with no underwear. No socks. So I have underwear in my room. I have socks in my room. I have uniforms in my room," she reveals.

McEachern teaches Exceptional Student Education or ESE. She does not dwell on her students’ disabilities but instead focuses on their abilities.

McEachern says, "So I tell my kids they're going to college. I have college flags on my window and so they always say, 'I'm going to college.’ Now they have something to hold onto. What a great gift. If you know that you don't have a place to go at home but when you come here somebody's telling you — you're going to go to a college and that you're smart, you're handsome, that you look good today."

As passionate as McEachern is now about teaching, it wasn't her first career choice.

“I went into law enforcement, worked in law enforcement for many, many years," she shares.

She has been teaching for 16 years now and her connection and bond with her students are strong. She chuckles when she says, "My kids don't miss a day. So they come every day looking forward to being a part of that family."