Daynne Baldwin, a sixth grader in Texas Tech’s online school, excels in reading as well as writing books and is a seasoned theater veteran.

When Daynne Baldwin was 2 years old, her mother Jennea (pronounced Dane and Jeh-NEE-ah, respectively) was already researching alternatives to traditional school. Jennea owns a music studio with business hours from 3-8 p.m. If her daughter was in school from roughly 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the successful business owner knew she wouldn’t be seeing much of the youngster. That’s when Texas Tech K-12 hit Jennea’s radar. But it wasn’t to be until much later.

By the time Daynne was in kindergarten, Jennea had the opportunity to start her own private school, which ended up with about 20 students. That plan worked through Daynne’s second grade year, but that was 2019. When COVID hit the next spring, the school became unfeasible and too stressful for Jennea to continue. Jennea also knew typical homeschooling was not her best option as the thought of piecing things together herself without a set curriculum was something she didn’t feel confident about. 

“In the back of my mind, Texas Tech’s K-12 program was always there, and I thought, ‘This is the perfect time to just give it a try and see what happens,’” Jennea recalled. “I’m very structured, and education has always been important to me. I didn’t want there to be any gaps in Daynne’s education.” 

There was another reason Texas Tech’s fully online K-12 program appealed to Jennea. She explained what she saw in her private music lesson students: kids would be 5 years old, full of questions and creative. But as they started school, year by year, she would see that spark diminish. She said the older her students got, the more tired they were. They weren’t inquisitive or particularly creative – they just wanted to be told what to do to get the score they needed to win a competition or to pass a theory test. 

That’s not what Jennea wanted for her daughter. She mused that the world changes so fast, with more and different technology and other challenges, it needed more creativity and problem-solvers, not fewer.  

“By the time they graduate, we’ve spent all those years taking that (creativity) out of them, and then it’s like, 'OK, now go back to what you had when you were 5 years old.”

Now, as Daynne is a flourishing sixth grader, Jennea says there are certainly no education gaps – as the newly minted 12-year-old is a voracious reader, an accomplished writer and has been in five musical productions in the past two years. She’s anticipating two more roles this fall.   

One concern – that dissolved rather quickly – was the socialization aspect, or lack thereof, of an online school. With the extra time Daynne has by finishing her lessons around noon each day (they only work on lessons Monday through Thursday), she has become more involved in theater, which, her mom says, is her social outlet. But also, the duo has visited Texas Tech’s new DFW site a couple of times for Texas Tech K-12 special events. That has allowed them to meet other Red Raider students and families.  

Evolving into Reading and Writing

Both mom and daughter were quick to give their own explanations of how a young elementary school student who didn’t really like reading has blossomed into an exceptionally talented, smart and knowledgeable middle schooler.  

“I just wanted her to read,” Jennea said. “One thing that was helpful for Daynne was, instead of me trying to work with lists of books, I would leave things out, like kids’ magazines and comic books and anything that had words on it but wasn’t technically a book.” 

“I really liked comic books when I was little and graphic novels,” Daynne interrupts.  

“She’ll say I’m a book nerd,” Jennea continues, darting a glance at her daughter. “I love reading. She wasn’t really interested in reading, and then when she was about 7, she picked up a book and said, ‘I think I want to read this.’”  

Jennea decided to get out of the way, stand back and watch. In no time, Daynne was reading a book every few days – sometimes 300 pages or more. 

Jennea credits Texas Tech K-12’s focus on English language arts (ELA) for much of the change in Daynne.  

“I can see that it’s instilled such a love for writing and reading. She already kind of enjoyed those, but I love the focus on ELA in the program,” Jeannea said. “I think it’s helped nurture those skills in a way that she loves, not in a way that felt forced. I think, too, it’s the flexibility it gives us. She has more time to read. I’ve seen dramatic improvement in her reading.” 

“I read too much,” Daynne again interjects dryly, with a slight eyeroll and a grin.  

Jennea said Daynne has always been gifted in coming up with stories and ideas, and once she started figuring out how she could put those thoughts on paper, in writing, it just grew. Because Daynne finishes coursework in a few hours, with all that extra time, Jennea says she can explore all her interests and passions.  

“She told me she was going to start writing a novel,” Jennea said. “She’s been reading Harry Potter. She said she was going to take the Harry Potter characters and make them into her own story.” 

Daynne interjects again, making a face of disgust. “It was a TERRIBLE book! I should just burn that thing!” 

Taking the Stage 

Daynne attributes her love of theater to a summer camp that sparked her interest. She enjoyed it so much, she started doing full productions, her first one in 2023 at a theater in Irving, Texas, that unfortunately, has closed.  

“Now I’m on my fifth one; I’m hoping to be in two more this fall,” she said, enthusiastically. “I was 10 when I did my first one last year.”  

At the time of this interview, Daynne was about to be in “Clue The Musical,” where there are several different endings. The cast has cards that an audience member comes up and pulls from to choose which ending will be played out. Daynne was working to learn them all. The young thespian also is what is known as the triple threat: actor, dancer, singer.  

According to Mom, Daynne has done many types of dancing – ballet for a little bit, but it was too strict and structured – Daynne nods her head. She also has participated in Ballet Folklorico and Irish dancing, moving her attention to different countries. Now her focus is on musical theater.  

A Day in the Life 

As is typical for online students, each finds their own rhythm for getting coursework completed. Daynne usually does one subject per day, whichever one she feels like, but she doesn’t do schoolwork on Fridays. There might be a little bit of “homework” in the afternoons. 

“If there’s anything she needs help with, I’m available then,” Jennea says. 

“I usually don’t need any help,” Daynne cuts in, with a bit of snark and a side glance at her mom. 

Jennea explains they take Fridays to go to a museum or some other creative outing.  

Also, they do six-week spurts, get as much finished as they can, and then they take off a week – a vacation week – or if they need time off if one of them is sick, or if something comes up with a show, that flexibility is built in. 

“Then we start over again with our six-week spurt,” Jennea said. “You can motivate yourself to dig a little deeper when you know there’s that light not too far down the road.” 

Educational Advantages 

Jennea is quick to point out Texas Tech K-12’s advantages over traditional school. The curriculum sparks many conversations for them, because she sees exactly what Daynne is working on, and they can use that to have conversations about whatever they want to talk about over breakfast or lunch. 

“If you want to make sure creativity and freedom of expression are nurtured, most definitely this program gives you that,” she said. “Sometimes there are topics she may not agree with. Or if we’re talking about history, it gives us the opportunity to have those discussions and look at it from many different perspectives – I like that, I feel like that’s what keeps her mind open.  

“I feel like it gives me the opportunity to play a more active role in her education, making sure everything is covered and she’s getting a good education,” Jennea added. 

Jennea also points out the necessity for students in the school to learn time management and independence. She said Daynne laughs at her mom’s big spreadsheet, their goals for the week, but then her daughter just gets to it. Daynne opens the online school platform, Blackboard, and looks at what she needs. She starts working on it and plans out how that’s going to happen for the day.  

“I know that being able to do that is a skill a lot of my private students don’t have,” Jennea noted. “I also know it’s through no fault of their own. It’s just that everything has been scheduled and planned for them.” 

Jennea believes, in addition to creative problem-solving, being able to think in an organized way is going to benefit Daynne. She says being able to move back and forth from independent learning or working to being with others is the way of the world now. We’re not always in an office – there are times we have to work on our own. 

Highly Recommend 

Jennea highly recommends the program for families needing flexibility – that’s the main perk and being able to approach topics from different perspectives. Also, Daynne’s ability to function well in different situations shows the maturity she’s gained from independent study.  

“She helps me in the studio a lot in the afternoons – she’ll greet parents and visit with them in the waiting room,” Jennea relates, glancing admiringly at her daughter. “She’ll take younger kids who aren’t where they’re supposed to be and make sure they get where they need to be. There are times when parents will ask me, ‘How old is she?’ I’ll say 11, and they’ll say, ‘I can’t believe how she can speak on these different topics, and she’s well-spoken.’ That’s where the real testament comes, when other people can notice and comment on it.”  

For now, Daynne’s aspiration is to become either an actress or an English and theater teacher. Even with her studies, her shows, their four dogs and a rabbit, and only being in sixth grade, she has time to ponder the possibilities. But she also is quick to recommend Texas Tech K-12 and brag on her proficiency with the program. 

“It’s been a wonderful experience. I enjoy all the courses very much, and my teachers have been very helpful,” the young student exclaimed. “I am able to focus on my writing and theater, which is nice. The flexibility is most definitely the biggest advantage and being able to spend time with my mom. This school is definitely not for everyone, but it is for some people, and one of those people could be you.”