Commencements are often a family affair as parents and extended family
celebrate the graduates’ accomplishments. But it is a bit unusual when
generations graduate together. On Aug. 15, four members of one
family made the trip to the Lamar University campus and joined in
accepting their hard-won diplomas.
Rhonda and Eddie Livingston of Hilltop Lakes and their daughter Jessica
and her husband, Chris Jahn, of Houston crossed the Montagne Center stage, each
receiving master’s degrees in education through Lamar University’s partnership with
Higher Ed Holdings. Joining in the celebration were Rhonda and Eddie’s grown
sons, Jeremy and Joel, their families, and daughter Janell, a student at Texas A&M.
Eddie and Chris both became interested in the 18-month online program
when it was introduced in their school districts. Chris learned of the program in
an informational meeting held by the Cypress-Fairbanks school district. Eddie saw a
poster announcing the program in the teacher’s lounge at his school in the Aldine
school district and called the toll-free number.
“I just compared (Lamar’s M.Ed. program and one offered by another university),
and the price was right. It fit my schedule. It was online. So I decided to go with
Lamar,” Chris said.
It wasn’t long before Jessica, who teaches fourth-grade math and science at
Horne Elementary in the Cy-Fair district, got excited about joining the program with
her husband Chris, who also teaches fourth-grade math and science and will be the
campus math at-risk specialist this year.
Although the program wasn’t yet offered by her district, Rhonda signed up
after Eddie completed the first class. She became the first teacher in the Houston
school district to do so. Now, several other teachers in her school are pursing the
M.Ed. in the program. “It’s been really nice,” Rhonda said. “We have had some
interesting discussions. It has been very enlightening.” Although getting a little
later start, Rhonda was able to double up so she would graduate with her husband,
daughter and son-in-law.
The four found the schedule and convenience of online learning suited them
well throughout the year. The flexibility of online learning especially suited their
summer plans.
“We like to travel during the summer with our trailer,” Rhonda said. “We would
go to different campgrounds all over Texas, and, as long as we had wireless Internet
access, we could do our coursework. We were even in Washington, D.C., at one
point and did our work there. It’s been very convenient.”
Not only did they find that the program worked great for them, but they also
found its content challenging both for the young teacher and the veteran alike.
“My husband, parents and I have talked so much through this program about
how it gives you a systematic view and a more global view about what’s going on,”
said Jessica, who just completed her third year of teaching. “You are able to look
beyond decisions that affect your grade level and see why things are done the way
they are. I’ve certainly learned a lot through this program.”
“I’ve been teaching for 22 years,” Eddie said, “and, in retrospect, I wish I had
done the educational master’s in administration a lot earlier in my career. It has given
me a lot of insight. The knowledge I’ve gained is going to make me a better teacher.”
“It was a lot of hard work, that’s for sure,” Chris said. “But it was exciting.”
What was it like, sharing the experience as family?
“We spent a lot of time talking and working together, discussing the reading
and arguing the different points that were presented in the coursework,” Eddie said.
“It really gave us a lot to do in common for the 18 months.”
“When I was younger, my siblings and I were always held accountable for doing
our homework with both our parents being teachers,” Jessica said. “So this was a
fun turn for me to get to tell my parents to do their homework.”
