Education feature: Wayland Baptist University graduate students increase

Graduate students are flocking to Wayland Baptist University in Clovis because of its location and professors.

This year, 100 more students have come to Wayland to obtain their master’s degrees than last year, according to Wayland officials.

Currently, graduate classes average 15-25 students. Last year, the same classes averaged 8-12 students.

Richard Hendershot, one of two full-time professors in Wayland’s graduate education program, said requiring a master’s degree is a growing trend in the education field.

In Clovis, teachers with less than 11 years experience are required to obtain a master’s degree within five years.

In New Mexico, a teacher cannot achieve level three pay without a master’s.  Texico requires all teachers to have a master’s degree.

But it’s more than district mandates that are bringing teachers from Clovis, Friona, Bovina, Lazbuddie, Muleshoe, Hereford, and Plainview to Wayland. Josey Paquette, who is pursuing a master’s in elementary education at Wayland, said she chose the school because of the professors and its location.

“The professors are the main thing. If Dr. Hendershot and Dr. (Judy) Brandon taught at Eastern, I’d probably go to Eastern. They care about your family, they care about your opinion. They’re very open-minded to the concerns of their students,” she said.

Paquette, a second grade teacher at Sandia Elementary School, said   professors at Wayland are accommodating, making juggling a full-time job, marriage, family and school easier.

“They work with your schedule and tie our workload in with our job. A lot of the activities and things they have us doing is real work with our current teaching position,” Paquette said. “It’s very practical.”

Being in Clovis helps, too.

“It’s here in town. Portales isn’t far, but 18 miles at the end of a school day and 18 miles back adds up,” she said.

Darlene Marez, a Wayland student pursuing a masters in education administration, is also a special education teacher in Clovis. She said she chose Wayland because of the close-knit atmosphere.

“They’re very conscientious that we already have a full-time job and have families and we’re going there,” she said. “It’s small. And even though they’re growing, they’re small enough where they can help you one-on-one.”