In pursuit of justice: GHS’ Ryan Payne shows students roads worth taking

Students in new teacher Ryan Payne’s law enforcement classes at Granbury High School can expect their classroom experiences to go well beyond dry lectures.

They will be grilled by attorneys in mock trials presided over by actual judges, talk with real detectives and forensic psychologists, and learn to scour simulated crime scenes for clues that could crack a case.

Their classroom will move outside to the school parking lot as Payne instructs them on how to keep themselves safe when approaching a vehicle whose driver they have pulled over in a traffic stop.

Those are just some of Payne’s plans to make sure that Granbury students who pursue careers in law enforcement and public service become top notch in their fields.

After years of working with juveniles and adults in the criminal justice system, Payne, who had no previous teaching experience, was recently hired to teach three courses in GHS’ Career and Technical Education program: Law Enforcement 1; Principles of Law and Public Safety, Corrections and Security; and Forensic Psychology.

CTE Law and Public Safety career pathways include law enforcement, investigator, military, attorney, firefighter, probation officer, forensic scientist, and game warden.

The Corsicana native and new reserve deputy for the Hood County Sheriff’s Office came to the attention of Granbury school officials when he applied this summer for the vacated security director position.

Wade Clark was hired for that job, but district officials didn’t want Payne to get away. They felt he would be a great fit for the law enforcement teaching position and asked if he would consider it.

Payne has tackled his new career with as much energy as when he played fiddle and lead guitar for 22 West, a band that toured the state opening for such country music stars as Willie Nelson, David Allan Coe and Pat Green.

Locals and tourists can expect to soon see him playing at local live music venues, but teaching is now officially his day job, and he intends to do it well.

Less than two weeks into the school year, the number of students enrolled in Payne’s classes was 160-plus, and still growing.

“There are new students that are trying to get in this class, which is, I think, a huge win because they’re energized,” the new teacher said about his entry level law enforcement course. “They look forward to coming to this class.”

Payne hopes to help students decide while they are still in high school whether law enforcement/public service careers are what they want to pursue so that they won’t waste time and end up switching college majors.

“I’m going to make them get as immersed as possible,” he said of the related fields.

Senior Sommer Wilson, who is new to GHS after moving to Granbury from Sherman, was thrilled when she found out that her new school offers a Forensic Psychology class. The 17-year-old TV crime show fan wants to pursue a career in forensic psychology.

Just days into the fall semester, Wilson gave a classroom presentation on the infamous and still-unsolved JonBenet Ramsey murder case.

“Since the first day, Mr. Payne is my absolute favorite teacher,” she said. “He’s just such a nice teacher and the environment in the classroom is, we can ask questions if we’re confused. He will have a conversation with us instead of, like, brushing it off. He’s a really kind teacher.”

Payne’s Forensic Psychology class doesn’t have as many students as his other classes because there are prerequisites for that coveted course. In Wilson’s case, she came to GHS having already taken courses in psychology and sociology.

While infamous murders and unsolved mysteries might be fascinating to most students, Payne hopes to make other, more mundane learning experiences both valuable and fun.

For instance, he is instructing students on how to write resumes and on how to conduct themselves in job interviews.

He intends as well to emphasize the importance of writing skills as it pertains to police reports. The reports must be written accurately and thoroughly enough for the would-be police officer or detective to not wilt on the witness stand.

At the back of Payne’s large classroom is a faux courtroom for those mock trials.

There is also a screen for realistic simulations, and fake weapons that actually recoil when “fired” at a target.

If school administration approves, part of Payne’s training for students considering careers in law enforcement will be the issuance of duty belts.

The belts will include a weapon, magazines, a radio, handcuffs, and a flashlight but they will be blue and clearly fake, posing no danger to the student, he said. The purpose of issuing the equipment is to teach students responsibility.

“They’re all blue. They don’t look real,” he emphasized.

Payne stated that the school district has the best equipment he has seen at any of his previous workplaces or academies.

The new teacher intends to enlist his students in assisting Clark, the district’s security director, and others involved in campus safety. He said that they can help by doing such things as checking doors and reporting anything suspicious or that violates safety protocols.

“I love being a new teacher this year because I get to be creative with a lot of the ways we’re going to teach,” he said.

LAW MAN

Payne attended Sam Houston State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice with a minor in political science in June 2006.

The following month, he went to work for Ellis County Juvenile Services as deputy director of Court and Detention Services.

He held that job until August 2014, when he accepted an adult probation position with Kaufman County Community Supervision and Corrections. He served as a community supervision officer for the Court and Intake Department.

From July 2015 to July 2021, Payne was program director for Rite of Passage: Lake Granbury Youth Services.

He then became a patrol officer for the Grandview Police Department, holding that job until he was hired by the GISD in July.

In November 2021, Payne obtained a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement peace officer license from Tarrant County College Law Enforcement Academy. He holds multiple certifications.

ROADS TAKEN

While growing up on a 2,000-acre cattle ranch in Navarro County, Payne was taught to play fiddle and guitar by his dad.

The band 22 West, composed of Payne and some of his childhood friends, was named after State Highway 22, which runs near the Payne family ranch.

Payne’s dad managed the group. It disbanded when the friends entered early adulthood and their paths diverged, Payne said.

It was a great ride while it lasted, though. Payne said that the band’s gigs opening up for some of the biggest names in Texas music had more to do with good connections than with anything else.

While working for Ellis County juvenile probation in Waxahachie and playing fiddle on the side, Payne met Angie, the woman who would become his wife. They met through mutual friends.

“She couldn’t get rid of me after that,” Payne said, referring to their immediate bonding.

Angie Payne is assistant principal at Acton Elementary School.

The couple have two sons, Ryder, 10, and Rhett, 5, both of whom attend the school where their mother works.

In his off hours, Payne enjoys golfing, hunting on his family’s ranch, and, of course, playing music.

He said that he doesn’t talk about his sideline interests much to his students, but he does talk about them some.

“All these fields are so stressful,” he said of the career pathways his students are considering. “You have to have an appropriate and proper way to relieve your stress and (hobbies are) a healthy way of doing so. That’s like an example I give them, that how I relieve my stress is outdoor activities, hunting, fishing, whatever it may be, and music is a huge part of my life and always has been.”

Just as State Highway 22 led to 22 West and exciting adventures, Payne knows that his students have so many roads they can take in life.

His job is to help them choose the one that will get them to where they want to go.