How One Mid-Missouri Educator is Becoming a Certified Teacher Without Leaving the Classroom

Haley Chastain is teaching fourth grade while earning her degree through Lincoln University's Para to Pro program, which helps school employees become certified teachers without leaving the classroom. Photo credit: Mexico Public Schools.

For Haley Chastain, teaching was never really a question. The challenge was finding a path to the classroom that would allow her to keep working, support her family and finish her degree.

Growing up in Mexico, Missouri, she watched her mother shape young minds from the front of a classroom and knew she wanted to do the same. She attended Mexico Public Schools' Eugene Field Elementary School as a child. Today, she teaches fourth grade there as a conditional teacher while earning her bachelor's degree and teacher certification through Lincoln University of Missouri's Para to Pro program.

"I always wanted to teach," Chastain says. "My mom was a teacher, so it made me want to be one, too."

After graduating from Mexico High School, Chastain completed two years of college coursework in elementary education while frequently substituting at Mexico Public Schools. Like many aspiring teachers, she soon faced the challenge of balancing work, school and life's other responsibilities.

"If I didn't have this opportunity, I would have been a full-time college student for two more years, and I would not have been able to survive financially," she says about Lincoln University of Missouri's Para to Pro program. "It means the world to me."

With a young child at home and a classroom full of fourth graders counting on her, stepping away from work to finish her degree simply wasn't a good option.

Her first year of teaching brought another challenge. Just a week before school started, she learned she was pregnant, requiring her to balance the demands of a first-year classroom while preparing for maternity leave.

That's when she learned about a pathway that would allow her to keep teaching while finishing her degree. Her sister, a first-grade teacher, encouraged her to explore Lincoln’s Para to Pro program. Chastain also spoke with her principals, who pointed her toward the online certification pathway and its track record of helping school employees become certified teachers while remaining in the classroom.

"Lincoln University works with people so they can teach while still earning their degree," Chastain says. "So now I'm taking my college courses while I teach."

Chastain’s experience reflects exactly what Lincoln University hoped to accomplish when it launched Para to Pro.

"Lincoln University has a long history of preparing teachers for Missouri classrooms, so we're very aware of the educator shortage facing many districts," Lincoln University Para to Pro coordinator Brianna Fankhauser says. "Para to Pro was developed to meet that need by creating a flexible pathway for school employees, who are already invested in their students and communities, to become certified teachers."

Designed for paraprofessionals, teacher assistants and long-term substitutes, Lincoln’s Para to Pro program allows participants to earn a bachelor's degree and teacher certification without leaving their jobs.

The program consists of eight-week online sessions that can be completed within five semesters. Students typically take two to three courses per session and never need to visit campus. Courses are organized into small cohorts of 15 to 25 students, creating opportunities for collaboration among working educators who face many of the same challenges.

One of the program's most practical features is how it handles student teaching. Rather than requiring participants to complete a separate placement, Lincoln University awards experiential credit for students' current classroom roles and observes them in the classrooms where they already work. For Chastain, every day spent teaching at Eugene Field moves her one step closer to graduation.

Balancing teaching, coursework and raising a young child might sound overwhelming, but Chastain says the workload has been manageable.

"Most of the professors are aware that you're currently teaching or have a full-time job," she says. "It's been pretty easygoing."

Even after deciding to pursue Para to Pro, Chastain still had questions about whether an online degree program would meet her expectations.

"Having had both experiences, I've actually taken a lot more away by learning online and, at the same time, being in the field teaching," she says. "I can take things I'm learning from my classes and apply them right then in my classroom instead of forgetting about it."

For districts like Mexico Public Schools, the Para to Pro program serves as a built-in "grow your own" initiative. Rather than competing for candidates in a challenging hiring market, districts can develop certified teachers from employees who already know the students, culture and community.

In Chastain’s case, school leaders recognized her potential early and helped connect her with the program, turning a long-term substitute into a teacher of record without losing her from the building.

MPS Director of Human Resources Amber Henderson says supporting employees who want to advance professionally benefits both staff and students.

"The district's goal is to invest in our staff, like Haley, and help them achieve their professional goals while providing the best possible services to our students," Henderson says. "We allow our employees many opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities, participate in professional development and gain experience to help them hit their goals."

Henderson says the district regularly hires paraprofessionals and support staff who are pursuing teaching degrees, giving them valuable classroom experience while they complete their coursework.

"When administrators are hiring classroom teachers, knowing factors like work ethic, attendance, personality and how they respond to feedback is key to the success of a school's culture," Henderson says. "Discovering all of those aspects of a potential candidate in an interview can be difficult to assess every time, but hiring a current staff member whom you see and interact with daily gives principals more confidence.”

Current employees also benefit from an established support network.

"Paras and other employees in the building have built relationships with the students prior to starting their own classroom, and they often know who to reach out to for help and guidance," Henderson says. "They are each assigned a mentor from within the district, and that person may already know them before they even begin."

"I don't think I could have more supportive leaders," Chastain says. "The biggest struggle is just being nervous to jump in."

Chastain says positive feedback from her principals has helped encourage her as she continues working toward her degree.

"Haley's growth along the way has been solid. She is coachable and eager to learn how to grow her craft," says Eugene Field Principal Scott Daly. "She has great instincts and is also willing to grow and learn more."

Chastain is on track to graduate in December 2026, completing a journey that has taken her from a student walking Eugene Field's hallways to a teacher helping shape the next generation of students who walk them today.

"I really like the age group and the school," she says about where she is and where she might go in the future. "I would probably just further my education, but I don't think I'd change anything."

For others considering the Para to Pro program, her advice is simple: go for it.

"A lot of people assume you aren't really learning anything with online classes," she says, "but I think the complete opposite."

Henderson hopes programs like Para to Pro will continue helping address teacher shortages, improve retention and strengthen the educator pipeline in local communities.

"My hope is that programs like Para to Pro will continue to help create a pipeline of educators who are already invested in our students, school and community," Henderson says. "Many support staff members build relationships with students and families and have a genuine passion for education."

Interested in the Para to Pro program? Email Para to Pro Coordinator Brianna Fankhauser, Ed.D., for more information.

As additional support for those looking to advance into certified teaching positions, some Para to Pro participants may be eligible to obtain a provisional teaching certificate while completing their coursework. Prospective students are encouraged to check with their school districts to learn more.