Tiffany Lowder poses for a photo in the classroom in which she teaches a high school credit recovery program for adults on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at Bowling Green High School. (Austin Anthony / photo@bgdailynews.com)

Out of all her responsibilities as a teacher in the Bowling Green Independent School District, Tiffany Lowder considers coordinating a high school credit recovery program among the most rewarding.

“It’s exciting to be able to see people achieve a dream or goal they might’ve had for a really long time,” she said. “I’m glad I get to be a part of that.”

Lowder was on hand at Bowling Green High School to help register prospective students for the district’s Second Opportunity High School program, which kicked off its spring semester Tuesday. The program takes place at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the high school, and it allows students to make up high school credits and earn a diploma through computer-based learning for a $50 fee.

Although Lowder doesn’t spend a lot of time teaching directly, that doesn’t mean she’s not there for her students. She’s there for questions, grading, checking attendance and generally managing the class.

“It’s so self-directed that I might have 10 students in the class, and they’re working on literally 10 different classes,” she said.

She’s often there to help students work through misunderstandings.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as talking out what the question is asking,” she said. “It’s not really even content-based, but it’s more about figuring out what the assignment is asking you to do.”

Students work to meet their goals throughout the program, Lowder said. A guidance counselor working with the program analyzes a student’s high school transcript to help them fill in the blanks and make up credits. Once students have completed the program, they earn their high school diploma.

It’s an alternative that many students find appealing because their future doesn’t come down to a GED exam, Lowder said.

“One of the things that I think works with this program is that you have multiple chances to prove yourself,” she said. “If you do poorly on one section, that does not mean that you automatically have failed it and then have to retake it. It’s more like a traditional classroom where you might do really well on one chapter and then there might be another chapter that is difficult for you.”

Lowder said students out of school for longer periods struggle with getting their GED diplomas because necessary test-taking skills have diminished. A credit recovery program allows students to start fresh, she said. Lowder said there is no typical student and that she’s had students as young as 18 and others in their 60s.

“I think the driving force for all of them is that they felt like they left something unfinished, and it matters to them to finish this,” she said.

That was the case for Faye Wilson, a 54-year-old graduate of the program who felt like she couldn’t complete her GED diploma. Wilson said she walked the aisle at Bowling Green High School in 1979 but later found out she was missing two credits and that her high school transcript had been lost.

Later in life, she decided the program was her best option, and despite the shame she felt for being the oldest student in her class, Wilson said her classmates supported her. She also had help from Lowder, who worked with her during Christmas break. “You had to do a lot of reading, and you had to do a lot of essays,” said Wilson, who worked on English assignments.

Although it was a challenge, Wilson completed the program in January. Now she dreams of going to college and studying child development to become a preschool teacher.

“There’s something special about having that piece of paper to hang on the wall,” Lowder said.

— Follow education and general assignment reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter at twitter.com/aaron_muddbgdn or visit bgdailynews.com.