LYFORD — Math instruction from the best of the best can be found right here.
Alejandro De La Garza is a Lyford algebra teacher. And he was among seven teachers from the Rio Grande Valley to receive a master’s degree in mathematics for teaching from Harvard at the college’s recent commencement ceremony in Cambridge, Mass.
“This is a great honor for the school district,” Lyford Superintendent Eduardo Infante said. “We have a teacher who will be able to share math knowledge from the best of the best.”
Infante said he is proud of De La Garza for his diligence and commitment to growing professionally. He will have an impact on students in Lyford for years or generations, Infante said.
“The Harvard master’s degree program for math teachers fills a critical need for local school districts seeking to increase the number of teachers who can teach advanced placement and dual enrollment courses,” said Dr. Roland Arriola, founder of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation and the Texas Graduate Center.
De La Garza and the other graduating teachers are full-time math teachers at Valley public schools who attended Harvard classes at the Texas Graduate Center in Mercedes.
In the summers, they all attended classes at Harvard together as a requirement for graduation.
“The professors were amazing. I got to experience different teaching styles and had great interactions with world-class educators,” De La Garza said.
“I have gotten to know six other math teachers from the Valley. Being in a cohort helped us motivate each other and having that type of support was important for our success.”
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