How a Para Can Become a Teacher Without Leaving Their Role (or Breaking the Bank)

with Paul Rivera of Gracelyn University

Earning a teaching degree and certification shouldn’t require leaving a supportive school community or facing heavy financial stress. In this session, explore accessible, affordable routes to a degree and certification that are designed for paraprofessionals—and gain actionable strategies to guide yourself or a colleague into a classroom of their own.

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Resources & Links

Visit Gracelyn's Website
Apply to Gracelyn
Take the FREE Online Quiz: Pathway to Teach

Session
Discussion!

Session Discussion!

What’s one way you could better recognize or encourage the potential of the paraprofessionals in your school?

Share your thoughts inside the 2026 Rise Up Facebook Group when it opens Thursday, October 29th. In the meantime share in the comments.

Join the Conversation*→

*No Facebook? Add your thoughts in comments below!

About the Speaker

Paul spent almost 10 years as a student pastor, and that experience gave him a heart for investing in the next generation.

Today, Paul works with Gracelyn University, where he helps school staff find affordable ways to earn their degrees and grow as educators. He loves knowing that the work Gracelyn does helps prepare people to lead the next generation well. One of his favorite parts of the job is seeing the excitement when someone realizes they can actually afford a degree when they never thought it was possible.

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Thanks to This Session's Sponsor...

Gracelyn University

Gracelyn University prepares educators to lead with purpose. Most educators who want to go further never do, and it is almost never for lack of ability. It is cost, time, and a system that assumes you can stop working.

Gracelyn University was built the other way around. We are a fully online, DEAC-accredited university offering associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees for educators, taught from a biblical worldview and delivered in eight-week sessions you can carry alongside a full teaching load. Scholarship pricing is $44 per credit hour. No entrance exam. No application fee. Books included.

Ninety-seven percent of our students say they would choose Gracelyn again.

Every student works with a Success Coach, an experienced educator whose job is to help you find the right next step, even if that step is not with us.

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Exclusive Resource

from Gracelyn University

Free!

Pathway to Teach Quiz

You have a vision for your future, and we want to help you get there. This quiz will help us understand your goals of becoming a teacher, where you are in your education, and what support you need along the way. Your answers will help Gracelyn create a path that fits your goals and help you take the next step toward the classroom and the career you’ve been working toward.

Get Started

Join the Conversation!

Share your thoughts on this session's discussion question over in the Rise Up Facebook Group.

*Not on Facebook? You can still leave a comment below if you'd like.

EXHIBITION SESSION

Avoiding Teacher Burnout