An alternate route to success
How online schooling turned one student’s GPA — and future — around
By WP BrandStudio
On the kitchen table at the Murray household in Renton, Washington, three pieces of paper are laid out in a row: Two report cards, boasting straight A’s, and an accompanying honor roll certificate. They all belong to Tim Murray, an 18-year-old who’s set to graduate high school next year. When praised for the high marks on the two report cards, Tim is humble; he merely shrugs and mentions that he’s on track to repeat this success at the end of this trimester, too.
This kind of effortless success wasn’t always part of Tim’s academic life, who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome while in elementary school. Prior to enrolling in his current school, an online public institution called Insight School of Washington (ISWA), Tim was at a typical brick-and-mortar junior high school in Carmel, Indiana. The report cards he got while he was there told a very different story. The set structure and social climate he faced weren’t a good match for him; he struggled to learn on his own terms and, as a result, wasn’t able to live up to his full potential.
“He was coming home very upset,” said Tom, Tim’s father. “He wasn’t doing work. He was avoiding things.”
Then, three years ago, the Murrays moved to Washington for Tom’s work. Rather than immediately enrolling Tim at the nearest physical public school, Tom searched for an educational setting that would better meet his son’s needs — and that’s how the Murrays found ISWA, an online school that specializes in helping students overcome obstacles to success in education, per their website. After enrolling there, Tim turned a corner; the fresh start placed him in a flexible, welcoming environment that accommodates his needs. And it was only a matter of time before it was evident the new school suited Tim. His confidence and appetite for learning increased, and as a result of his hard work, over time his GPA skyrocketed from just below a 2.0 to 3.95.
Tom said online school “has probably been the single major factor in helping Tim find his place over the past few years.”
Balancing structure and flexibility
Tim has a specific learning style. Like many students, he craves structure — schedules, assignments, tests and teachers guide his learning and help him stay on track. But he also needs latitude to adjust the structure in a way that works for him. If he feels hemmed in by a timeline, is tackling too many assignments at once or feels like he’s “bouncing around” between subjects, it’s harder for him to succeed.
He says he also needs to engage with teachers who are responsive and helpful when he’s struggling with work. Usually, this kind of one-on-one interaction happens naturally at brick-and-mortar schools, but those schools also come with challenging social environments, which Tim experienced; he was bullied at his school in Indiana, which made it hard for him to fully engage with his work.
By enrolling in an online school, Tim was able to get the elements of public school education that were good for him, without having to face the parts that made it a difficult fit. Bullying, for instance, is no longer an issue — probably because “the opportunity to be bullied is dramatically reduced in the virtual school setting,” said Jenny Kendall, senior director of special programs at K12, Inc., the online education company that powers ISWA, as well as more than 70 other public schools serving over 100,000 students across the U.S.
But he can still talk to teachers in real time. K12’s courses are taught by certified teachers on an interactive instructional platform, and include live sessions called Class Connects; instructors are online and available in chatrooms while classes are in session, and they promptly respond to emails, Tim said. Plus, classes are recorded and can be replayed, which is helpful if he needs to review material on his own time.
The close connection between teachers and students is “the heart of the learning experience” at K12-powered schools, said K12’s chief academic officer Margaret Jorgensen, Ph.D.
“The flexibility of the online schooling experience really allows teachers to spend more time with students who need it,” she said. “Students can connect almost any time with their teachers. Teachers are there for the students and families. What these teachers do goes way beyond.”
This close attention may be particularly beneficial for students who, like Tim, need extra academic and social support, added Kendall.
Students with additional or specialized needs receive the same services from licensed, certified instructors and support staff as they would in a traditional brick-and-mortar setting, but these services may be provided either virtually or in person. “It truly depends on what best meets the students’ needs,” Kendall said.
A day in the life of an online learner
Tim’s school day, with classes that currently range from algebra to sociology, begins at a set time — some days as early as 8 a.m. This kind of structure has not only been helpful in Tim’s success, but has also been a boon for his relationship with his father; prior to enrolling at ISWA, Tom found that he sometimes had to create timelines and structure for Tim’s at-home schoolwork, which caused a lot of friction between them. Since ISWA sets those guardrails ahead of time, Tim is aware and comfortable with the routine of getting his schoolwork done each day, and he and Tom aren’t at odds about it.
Still, if Tim misses a class, that doesn’t mean he’s missed it for good. And the fact that recorded courses can be reviewed and repeated is especially helpful for Tim, who sometimes has difficulty falling asleep at night and may need to catch up on rest before starting his classroom work. He can also take up to two weeks to complete his assignments, so he has time to think them through and approach them in the way that suits his learning style — and still get them done on time.
“It’s nice being in online learning because I can go in and decide what I want to do for today,” he said. “If it’s an assignment that I don’t understand, I don’t have to immediately do it and then get a bad grade on it. I can go and ask my teacher or clear out some time and study for it and then do the assignment.”
Once school wraps up in the afternoon, Tim might spend the rest of the day helping his dad with his boat, which is moored at a slip in Lake Washington, right near their house. Or he’ll bike to the movies, play online games with his friends, or hop in the family jeep and enjoy the freedom of his new driver’s license — just like any teenager.
Looking back on Tim’s transformation
It’s hard to overstate how far Tim has come far in his time at ISWA. His stellar grades are only one marker of his tremendous success, evidence of the potential that was in him all along, but was only unlocked when he found a way to learn that made the most sense for him.
He has excelled in his coursework and gained self-esteem, social skills and confidence, as well as insight into his strengths and struggles. Though he has Asperger’s, Tim has a wide social network in the online gaming community and, Tom said, is deeply motivated to work hard to overcome challenges and achieve his goals.
Tim has also learned to advocate for himself. For example, he recently persuaded his school counselor to let him study a foreign language, arguing that it would make him more appealing to four-year colleges, if he chooses to go that route. He is still weighing his post-graduation options, but college, technical training or a job are now all within his grasp.
Tom, whose home office adjoins Tim’s bedroom-slash-classroom, may still officially be Tim’s learning coach, but he muses today that the knocks on the door and questions have slowed to a trickle.
“At this point,” Tom said of his bright, curious son, “he’s controlling his own destiny.”
