SAN ANTONIO — Rhonda Aguirre’s first experience at Collins Garden Elementary School is something she remembers well. 

“The minute I walked in and walked around the courtyard and I just said this is where I’m supposed to be,” Aguirre said. “It just felt right.” 

For 37 years, the school has been like a second home to her, where she’s held many roles, and now teaches fifth grade. 

“It’s fulfilling, it’s satisfying to me, it fills me knowing that I’ve been in this for so long with the same community,” Aguirre said. “I think it makes an even deeper impact and connection.” 

Facing closure in 2023 as San Antonio ISD consolidated, Aguirre fought to keep this school open.

“I don’t want to choose another school. This is my home,” Aguirre told SAISD officials. 

The list was eventually revised to exclude Collins Garden. She says there are ups and downs to teaching for 37 years. A survey conducted by the Texas State Teachers Association earlier in the school year showed 65% of Texas teachers were considering leaving their jobs. 

While Aguirre notes high turnover, she remains for various reasons. 

“I love coming here, it’s the students, it’s my colleagues, who are not just my colleagues, they are my friends,” Aguirre said. 

Abel Garza says work-life balance is necessary. It’s helped him stay fresh teaching for 31 years.

“We take our work home a lot. We do dedicate our lives to this, but you do have to take care of yourself because if not, you will get burnt out,” Garza said. 

At Northside ISD’s O’Connor High School, Garza is an English teacher and golf coach.

Younger teachers, he says, find it difficult to assess their impact on students’ lives. 

“I would say as you gain more experience and more years, then it feels more fulfilling than at the beginning,” Garza said. “It feels amazing. It’s just rewarding.” 

Garza and Aguirre claim that their ex-students embody the lessons they learned inside and outside the classroom. 

“So it’s not just teaching them things academically, but lessons in life, preparing them and helping them to find their voice,” Aguirre said. 

According to Aguirre, this explains the difficulty of leaving it behind. 

“I can’t even start fathom to think how I’m going to say goodbye,” Aguirre said. “I don’t think I can say goodbye to the community.”