IRENE NORMA HERNANDEZ, M.Ed.

My Story

I have had a wonderful and blessed journey for  my 48 years of life. I am working toward my ultimate goal of being a part of an organization that is focused on helping advance our country's future, both academically and socially. This was due to a solid beginning.

I was born two to Mexican immigrant parents in Roswell, New Mexico in 1973. Both of my parents valued hard work and education because neither of them graduated from school. In fact, my mother only completed sixth grade, while my father only completed third grade. Yet, some how, they taught themselves how to write and speak in English, while raising two children who eventually both graduated from college. My father even owned his own business for over 30 years!

In 1979, our family moved to West Texas where I remained until 1991, when I graduated from Andrews High School, tenth in my class of 388 students. After receiving two scholarships for my academic performance in high school, I attended Angelo State University, and majored in Early Childhood Education with a minor in English. I graduated from Angelo State in the summer of 1996 with my Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education.

For my student teaching internship, I was placed at Glenmore Elementary in San Angelo, Texas. My placement was in a half day kindergarten classroom for a semester, and a regular second grade classroom for the remainder of the internship.  During my internship, I was responsible for the  planning and execution of lessons in all curricular areas, communication with parents and staff, monitoring social and behavioral development, as well as running parent/teacher conferences. 

After graduation, I moved to San Antonio, Texas with my military now ex-husband, where I worked for a nonprofit agency that assisted children in need of transplants. This was a cause that was near and dear to my heart because my daughter is a liver transplant recipient. I was Program Director for five years, until I was hired for my second-grade teaching position at P.F. Stewart Elementary in San Antonio, Texas.

In the fall of 2006, I relocated to Mesquite, Texas. Here I was hired to teach fifth grade bilingual at Sue Ann Mackey Elementary. Due to my class’ outstanding performance on all the fifth grade TAKS exams, I was placed in third grade. After five years, I elected to move to second grade, during which time I completed my Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at the University of North Texas.

During my time at Mackey Elementary, I had several notable experiences. I was selected as a member of the K-2 Literacy Initiative in Mesquite Independent School District, which was an honor because only the "best of the best" were selected. During this time, I also was the founder and director of  the Cafeteria Committee. I was also a member of the Campus Leadership Committee. I was also nominated by the director of the bilingual department, to be a part of a committee in Austin, Texas that compiled questions for an upcoming 5th Grade Bilingual STAAR exam. This was another great honor and experience as well.

My final year at Mackey, I was a Mentor Teacher for a student teacher from the University of North Texas in Dallas program.  This particular experience opened the door to one of my former positions as a Clinical Teaching Supervisor at UNT Dallas! I owe this to a former supervisor, Dr. Glenda Moss. She was insistent that I could not only do her job, but do it better, and for this honor, I am truly grateful.

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When I completed supervising student teachers for UNTD, I began working with US PREP as a Clinical Coach. In addition to this, I worked for Mesquite ISD. I was a Student Success Teacher, also known as an At-Risk Coordinator for Ruby Shaw Elementary. During my time at this campus, worked on several important projects beyond the scope of my assigned duties, including Shaw's Accreditation Portfolio and implement of our Special's Professional Learning Committee (PLC) which focus on social emotional well-being of both staff and students. 

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In July 2021, I was given an opportunity to work for Texas A&M Commerce as a Site Coordinator. I jumped at such a great opportunity, and continued working for US PREP. Then to add to the mix, I was asked to work as a field supervisor for the University of Texas in Arlington in January 2022. Needless to say that all these areas are extremely rewarding and keep be very busy. Somehow, I still manage to care for my two fur babies and stay in touch with my two grown children. My 25 year old daughter is on the verge of graduating college and my 21 year old son, is currently living in College Station. I also recently joined First Baptist Dallas, and I am active volunteer within the church.

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Even with all this, I continue to take on personal projects and hobbies. I am working with several authors to create their book release websites. I also have created apps for several of my positions to help myself and others track data based on integration of strategies that I have taught them. I help coach educators, create presentations, videos, and posters for campus and colleagues. While at Mesquite ISD, I was a mentor liaison for new educators recently hired in Mesquite ISD. During the summer, I spent time working with the Migrant Program at Region 10. 

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Following the example that my hardworking parents, I continue to aspire to achieve more. I have recently increased my presentations for educators, increased my channels for communicating with other educators, and have begun researching doctoral programs. I also try to support future educators whenever possible. To sum it all up, I see my life and career path much like John Dewey described education--"Education is not an affair of 'telling' and being told, but an active and constructive process."

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Irene Norma Hernandez, M.Ed.

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