NEW BRAUNFELS — Hundreds of thousands of families across the United States have turned to online schooling for their child’s education. We’ve learned of local families who have enrolled in such programs due to their child’s medical concerns, learning disabilities or if they want more flexibility in their schedules. A New Braunfels family is planning a 7-week road trip. The adventure is possible because the teens take their classroom with them on the road.
Grace, Emily and Will Rodriguez are ready to hit the road. In a few months, the Rodriguez siblings will start an 8,000 mile round-trip journey from New Braunfels to Alaska.
“I think I’m going to learn a lot about the different cultures up there, the different foods, the different ways of living,” said 9th grader Will Rodriguez.
The family can be gone for almost two months because they don’t attend a brick-and-mortar school. Their classroom is online.
“It’s been a good fit for me because it allows me to learn Japanese, it allows me to take it at my own pace,” said Emily Rodriguez. “There’s some subjects like math that I just don’t get easily, it takes me a very long time to do them.” The 7th grader helped plan the road trip but recently found out she’s flying to Japan instead.
The Rodriguez family is enrolled in an online private school course called Keystone. They pay tuition and the program is available to students across the United States and even in some places overseas. The parent company K12 also offers tuition-free public school options.
“It’s been very flexible. Keystone has been really helpful,” said the Rodriguez teens’ aunt Dalia Hunter. “Each of them learn in different ways and have different needs, it’s been so helpful for that.”
The online programs available through K12 are all accredited with paths to earning a high school diploma. Many offer Advanced Placement courses as well.
“Online school allows me to take it at my own pace and if I have a bigger assignment that takes me longer I can do that and then switch over to one of my easier assignments to give my mind a break,” said Grace Rodriguez, Emily’s twin sister.
The family is excited for their big break when they head to the “The Last Frontier.”
“The first time we planned a trip was to California and what we did was because of the online school it gave us the advantage to take 3 months off,” said Dude Hunter, the teens’ Uncle who has been in charge of their schooling. “We stopped online school for three months and planned a trip to California where they planned every detail of every day, every stop, every location we saw.”
The trip kicks off in June. While the summer is traditionally a break period for some families, Keystone offers a year-round course option. The format allows for more breaks throughout the year.
The Rodriguez family also got a lesson in financial planning. The teens found local businesses that are helping cover the cost of the trip. Those sponsors include Freebirds, Camping World, Camera Exchange, HiBoost and Wineguard.
They’ve also hired a videographer to help document their adventures. The teens will be part of creating informative and fun videos showcasing each stage of their journey.
“It’s going to be something worth watching, something interesting, full of insights and knowledge,” said videographer Michael Vybiral.