TTU K-12 Gives Student Time for Experiences of a Lifetime (2024)

Time to Make a Difference

By Leslie Cranford, section manager

When the private homeschool co-op Jaxon Dyse was attending planned to close its high school program, the ninth grader and his mom Jennifer began looking for a different option. Transferring to a public school was their first choice; but since his private school was non-accredited, Jaxon had to complete some credit by exams (CBEs) to catch up.

“I went to the public school I thought I'd be attending to ask about credit transfers, and they mentioned TTU K-12,” Jaxon said. “I failed a bunch of the CBEs because the material we went over in the private-school curriculum was different than the public-school curriculum. So, I had to do a full semester of TTU K-12 to make up those credits. During that semester, though, I was able to take on a couple of jobs because I had extra time. It just kind of all worked out to where I just stayed in TTU K-12.”

In fact, Jaxon has a lot of interests that do not fit the mold of what a traditional high school can offer, although, he is one of 23 members of TTU K-12's Student Council. Outside of school he is employed at Paulann Baptist Church as an intern in the production department. He is a kids' coach at Redemption Jiu-jitsu where he also trains and is ranked as a blue belt. In his free time, Jaxon volunteers at Mustard Seed food pantry and the Downtown Lions Club.

“Jaxon's life does not look like other students' in how his time is spread out through the day. The TTU K-12 curriculum affords him the ability to volunteer, work and enjoy flexibility a traditional school could not offer him,” Jennifer said. “Jaxon truly loves to help people of all ages and walks of life. His best quality is being able to join people where they are at in life without discrimination.”

Last year, with the flexibility of his schedule through TTU K-12, Jaxon went from not ever leaving Texas to being able to take a road trip with his great-grandpa to Arizona, California, New Mexico and Nevada, and later, a mission trip to Africa.

“We went up through the U.S., this way to California and then we went up and around and back,” he said, gesturing and tracing the Western U.S. map in the air. “I think it was two weeks, give or take.”

A bonus for the then-15-year-old was getting his required hours of driving before his driver's license exam.

“I think it was ... I had to have 30 hours in like three months, so I got the rest of my hours on that road trip,” Jaxon added with a grin.

Of the Africa mission trip, Jaxon admits that, as a minor, they made an exception for him to go. But they said, since he was so mature for only being 15, they would let him join the mission team.

“If I did regular school, I wouldn't be able to do those things because they take place during school hours,” Jaxon reiterated. “But since it's a self-paced, online school, I'm able to have more opportunities.”

But make no mistake, being a student in Texas Tech High School isn't a walk in the park, and the experience is not the same for all students. Jaxon and his mom agree that the start was rather rocky.

“When we first decided this was the best option for Jax, it was a bit overwhelming, having no idea what to expect, and we didn't know anyone who was doing this schooling platform as an option,” she explained. “Jax was signed up for all his classes, and I handed it all over to him.”

Jaxon said his first semester was chaotic because he didn't realize how much he had to do each day to keep up. After four months, he was only halfway done — students have six months to finish each course — with two months left to finish it. He says he had to buckle down and work extra hard to finish it all. Past that, he's been doing “pretty well,” aiming for three or four months to complete a class.

Now a junior, Jaxon has a good flow to his schedule. He “does school pretty much every day.” To keep up, he does one class a day. Mondays are math. Tuesdays are English, etc. Wednesdays he works all day, so he usually doesn't have time for class, so he finishes out his work the rest of the week, sometime on Saturdays. He says it's just finding a rhythm that works, and he would venture to say, “every single student's probably different with their own rhythm.”

However, the two agree the academic advisers were their saving grace in getting acclimated during those earlier days.

“The beginning was really rough; my adviser was amazing and always there to answer questions,” Jaxon said. “It has gotten better, but it has required a lot of self-growth and accountability.”

Jennifer jumped in to talk about the two Taylors of TTU K-12. Taylor Fierro was his adviser at the start.

“She was such an angel to us; her patience and guidance are what we needed to stay the course,” Jennifer said. “I had so many questions and it was so very rocky, but every time I either emailed or called her, she was there to help guide and make sure we understood the answer or next step.

“Now, we have Taylor Silvas, who is also amazing. It is so comforting to know that anytime I want or need to ask something, or if Jax is lacking somewhere, she is there to make sure he stays on track. I truly hope these two women know how much we appreciate them.”

As Jaxon's academic adviser, Silvas was eager to share her experience with him.

“Jaxon is a very strong and involved student,” Silvas said, with a gleam in her eye teachers get when talking about exceptional students. “He shows great ambition, and he is a pleasure to work with."

That ambition includes college and the military after his graduation from TTU K-12 next year. Jaxon plans to attend Angelo State University, where he will study mechanical engineering. While there, he plans to participate in ROTC so after college he can enlist in the U.S. Air Force; if one enlists with a degree, they can go in as an officer. He will continue with his jiu-jitsu training and competing, and he will always be involved with their church in some capacity.

In the meantime, Jaxon will keep preparing for his future with academic and other important lessons learned through TTU K-12, like the importance of quality time management, accountability, independence and so much more.

Mother and son both have advice for students and families considering enrolling in the fully online program.

“My biggest piece of advice would be to take your work and not look at it as a whole, but to section it off into manageable chunks for each week,” Jaxon said, “because looking at the mountain of work you have for the whole class will get super daunting. But if you separate it into four, five or six things to do each day, then it'll really help you cut through the pile.”

Jennifer's words of wisdom, naturally, were aimed at parents.

“It's funny, I have had friends who know Jax is enrolled in TTU K-12, and they actually give my number out to parents who are considering this as an option for their student,” Jennifer said. “The first thing I say is ‘I know it can seem like a lot, but it will totally be worth it.' And to make sure to ask any and all questions to your student's adviser; they truly care and want to see our students succeed!”