Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi holds workshop for new teacher retention

At a Friday workshop for early career teachers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, attendees said they became teachers as an act of service, to make a difference in students' lives.

Common reasons not to pursue a career in teaching include a lack of support, stress and the difficulty of the job and the salary, longtime educator Linda Villarreal said. Villarreal is the interim dean of the College of Education and Human Performance at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

"I love the fact that Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is addressing new teachers, because right now they are the most vulnerable," Villarreal said. "They're the ones that need the most support because they're just starting out, and we need to retain them. We've got to use every resource that we have to keep them in our profession."

A growing percentage of new teacher hires in Texas are non-certified, with the percentage of non-certified new hires hitting a historic high of 34% across the state in 2024. Over the past couple of years, Texas education preparation programs have reported dropping admissions and completions, according to state data.

When it comes to retaining newly hired teachers in public education, teachers trained in traditional undergraduate programs have the highest retention rates within the first five years on the job. Teachers from alternative certification routes have a slightly lower retention rate, and non-certified teachers have the lowest retention rates.

But still, only 64% of teachers trained in traditional undergraduate programs are retained in the public education workforce after five years.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has held its Beginning Teacher Institute for recent graduates for the past three years, hoping to help boost retention rates for new teachers trained at the university.

"You are truly the future of education in South Texas," said Don Melrose, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Teachers who have graduated from the university since 2019 participated, taking part in sessions about classroom management and intervention, classroom libraries, trauma-informed teaching, promoting student growth and supporting bilingual students.

Villarreal spoke at the beginning of the institute, sharing her own experiences from the start of her career. Shortly after graduating from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, then known as Texas A&I University, Villarreal got a job as a middle school gifted and talented teacher in Kingsville.

At the university, she'd done well in her classes and was confident in her ability as a teacher.

"I just knew in my mind I was going to be Disney's Teacher of the Year," Villarreal said. "I was going to do everything. It was going to be fabulous."

But then she stepped into the classroom.

In her first year, Villarreal struggled with classroom management.

"I just couldn't seem to get it together," Villarreal said. "Every day got worse, the whole year."

At the end of the year, Villarreal was devastated to learn the school didn't want her back the next year.

"I knew it was a bad year, but I didn't think it was that bad," Villarreal said.

But Villarreal was given another chance, teaching in a different classroom in the district. Knowing she couldn't have another year like that again, Villarreal decided to stop in to see the strongest teacher on campus.

The teacher told her that others had known she was struggling, but Villarreal had never asked for help. The teacher also suggested Villarreal get additional training in classroom management.

With the additional training, Villarreal built a career in education, despite her challenging first year.

"You will make a difference," Villarreal told the early career teachers. "Not only in someone's life, but we do change the world."

Villarreal said that new teachers need strong support and mentorship. School districts can help new teachers by offering an induction program.

"I didn't have the support, and I wasn't asking for it," Villarreal said. "But I shouldn't have had to ask for it. People should have been able to see I was drowning."

Villarreal suggests that new teachers identify and learn from the strongest teachers on their campuses, finding inspiration in how they teach.

"Right now, you are the most vulnerable," Villarreal told attendees. "The first through third years are the years that we need you to be the strongest. We need to give you the most support."

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