After 16 years as a classroom teacher, Isabel Becerra needed a change.
“I felt stuck,” she said. “I wanted to be able to do something more challenging and be an advocate for our students.”
To facilitate the transition, Becerra went back to school and graduated from the online Master of Education in Administration program at Lamar University in 2017. Having the degree helped her land a position as sheltered instruction facilitator at Garland Independent School District. In sheltered instruction, English language learners receive grade-level content in a manner they can comprehend.
“I love my job,” said Becerra. “It has opened so many doors for me. I get to work with teachers, administrators and curriculum instructors.”
The Bolivia native completed the program in 18 months while teaching in Prosper ISD. After graduating from Lamar University, Becerra was eager to parlay her education into a new role. She became an early childhood instructional coach at McKinney ISD.
“I gained a lot of knowledge that year,” she said. “I was on the leadership team and learned about so many areas of special education.”
When the instructional coach position was eliminated, McKinney ISD offered Becerra a spot in an early childhood classroom. But she decided to hold out for a job that better suited her career goals now that she had a master’s.
South America, North America
Becerra lived with her family in Mozambique, Africa, for five years while her father worked as a contract geologist for the United Nations. Her grandmother and mother were both career educators.
“Teaching runs in the family,” she said. “My mom was working at a private school in Bolivia that was the crème de la crème. Her condition to work there was that I could work with her. I started teaching while I was in college. My mom pushed me. It was my calling.”
Two years after Becerra graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Universidad Mayor de San Simon in 1999, she moved to the United States. She and three of her four siblings are educators.
“My two oldest sisters went to the University of Houston,” she said. “One of them stayed in the United States and still lives here. I got a job at Dallas ISD, where I worked for 13 years.”
The long-term plan was to become a principal to facilitate the move away from the classroom when Becerra initially enrolled at Lamar University.
“I figured doing a master’s in education would get me out,” she said. “But when I looked at the options, it was going to be more useful for me to look into more areas than becoming a principal.”
The flexibility of the online format helped Becerra maintain a full-time job while she earned a master’s degree. She and her husband, Jose Luis, have one son, Juan Ignacio (21).
“My husband pushed me to go back to school,” she said. “Online was the only way I could possibly imagine doing the program. I loved it.”
Becerra said the curriculum in the online M.Ed. in Administration program prepared her well to move into leadership roles by giving her an idea of how schools are run.
“Toward the end, we turned in our research project,” she said. “To be able to do the project and research, compile the results and get a 100 on it was amazing. I had to survey the teachers at my school. Being able to see the data and create charts was a great way to assess the school’s culture and identify areas with the highest needs.”
Mapping Out Success
Becerra completed the experience at Lamar University by participating in the commencement ceremony on campus. She is the first person in her immediate family to earn a master’s degree.
“One of the best memories my family and I have is when we went to Beaumont for my graduation,” she said. “We think about it and always get goosebumps. I get emotional.
“It was nice to have my husband and my son there to see me graduate. I would recommend that experience.”
Now that Becerra has found a job doing what she loves outside of the classroom, she is excited about what the future holds.
“I don’t have any regrets about taking this position,” she said. “It’s where I want to stay. I want to finish my career in a district position, and I no longer have an interest in pursuing a career as a principal. The master’s program is worth it.”
Having an M.Ed. in Administration opened the door to opportunities that Becerra didn’t know existed, so her advice for teachers considering the program at Lamar University is to keep their options open.
“I would recommend exploring the administration field and looking for your calling,” she said. “Don’t necessarily stick to becoming a principal — there’s more to administration than that.”
Becerra is also thrilled to carry on a family tradition as an educator. Although her path had some peaks and valleys, she is now loving the view with a master’s degree on her wall.
“Lamar University has an amazing program,” she said. “It prepared me well to pass the certification test, to go into interviews and it taught me so much about leadership and administration.”
Learn more about the Lamar University online M.Ed. in Administration program.
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