His classroom in the schoolhouse built in 1896 is so crammed with both students and the “stuff” of every Civics classes that the single, empty chair in the back seems out of place.

During his 53 years as an educator, he taught social studies to many students — using an empty chair in the classroom as a visual aid when he would teach about the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

During the coronavirus pandemic, many teachers are teaching to an empty classroom. Katherine Smart, a third-grade teacher at Franklinton Elementary School in Franklin County, found a creative way ...