Falling behind in school does not mean you cannot catch up or even graduate early. Jacob Turner is a student just as similar to anyone else. He once attended Wylie East High School. He fell behind his freshman year and had to come up with a way to manage his school work.

He started taking Apex classes online here at school to catch up to move on with the rest of his class to become a sophomore. As Jacob was taking these online classes, he learned that this was the best way for him to learn.

“I started hearing about Texas Connections Academy through the radio and wanted to see if it was something I could get into,” Jacob said.

As he did more research he found out that he would have to turn in all his school records, pass a background check and had to have stayed out of trouble the last few years of school.

“I didn’t expect all of this to be proven but I’ve never been the type of kid to get in major trouble in school which would turn out to be beneficial and awarding,” Jacob said.

Once Turner was accepted into Texas Connections Academy his grades improved.

“I was struggling in public school but as soon as I got moved to in home schooling I could focus a whole lot better,” Jacob said.

The lessons are taught by a recorded video of the teacher teaching the same ways any high school teacher would do. The students of Texas Connections Academy still have quizzes to check their progress and major grade tests.

“Some people have this misconception that it would be easy to cheat on tests at home but the tests are timed so it doesn’t allow time for cheating,” Jacob said.

If a student falls behind in classes or needs extra help, they may Facetime with teachers to get more one on one help.

“I have witnessed Jacob overcome his struggles by switching to at home schooling” Jacob’s dad, Larry Turner, said.  “It has had a huge increase on his grades and a relief on his stress level.”

Texas Connections Academy allows for students to move at their own pace. They are able to move faster and get ahead but it’s also possible to fall behind. The school leaves it all up to the students.

“To manage my time and make sure I stay on track I get up in the mornings and do school work for the first three hours of my day before heading to work,” Jacob said. “It is also easy to fall behind though because there are no check points to guarantee you stay on track.”

Jacob still has to spend time studying just like any other student, he watches the teachers recorded videos more than once and reads over his notes.

“As a teacher myself, I support Jacob doing Texas Connections Academy because I want him to be successful and have an education,” Jacob’s mom, Kristy Jenkins, said.

Jacob now plans to graduate a year early in 2014.