Teachers check on everyone. Who checks on them?

Two teachers chat in blue Adirondack chairs beneath trees on Lake Austin during a retreat at The Holdsworth Center.

October 26, 2026

This fall, 138 teachers from 92 districts traveled to The Holdsworth Center’s Campus on Lake Austin for a weekend built on one idea: Teachers deserve care.

When Karla Velarde saw she had been nominated for a Holdsworth Teacher Retreat, her first thought was, “Do they have the right person?”

A fifth grade science teacher in Laredo ISD, Karla’s uncle nominated her for the weekend retreat at Holdsworth’s Campus on Lake Austin.

“In so many different ways, it was a wonderful experience,” Velarde said. “It was really like becoming part of a family.”

On Oct. 16-18, Velarde was among 138 teachers who traveled from every corner of Texas to focus on their well-being, commune with their peers and take advantage of relaxation opportunities like meditation, sound baths, nature walks, live music and baby goats.

It was Holdsworth’s first time welcoming teachers not just from one rotating region, but from across the state. Teachers came all the way from Amarillo in the North, Harlingen in the South and Nacogdoches in the East. The longest trip was 568 miles from Fabens ISD outside El Paso.

Together, the group brought 1,861 years of classroom experience, from first-year teachers to 45-year veterans.

Photo Gallery

Teachers wave and cheer for a group photo in a courtyard during The Holdsworth Center's Teacher Retreat at The Campus on Lake Austin.

Two teachers relax and talk in woven outdoor chairs on a sunny path at The Campus on Lake Austin during the Teacher Retreat.

A teacher in a green sweatshirt smiles while listening to a speaker during a Teacher Retreat session at The Holdsworth Center.

Psychologist Adam Saenz presents “How to Escape Survival Mode” to teachers at The Holdsworth Center's Teacher Retreat.

A teacher laughs while holding a baby goat being bottle-fed during an outdoor activity at The Holdsworth Center's Teacher Retreat.

A teacher reads a book in an Adirondack chair along a shaded trail at The Campus on Lake Austin during the Teacher Retreat.

A teacher paints a bright sunset on canvas during an evening painting session at The Holdsworth Center's Teacher Retreat.

A teacher relaxes in an Adirondack chair beneath a cypress tree overlooking Lake Austin during The Holdsworth Center's Teacher Retreat.

Like many teachers, they were used to putting the 10,988 students they serve first. The retreat offered a rare opportunity to focus on themselves.

“We’re so used to checking in with everybody,” Velarde said. By the end of the retreat she realized that teachers can’t put students first “if we don’t prioritize ourselves first.”

Velarde is now nominating a few colleagues of her own. Anyone can nominate a deserving Texas public school teacher, any time of year.

Nominate a Teacher

The Holdsworth Teacher Retreat is offered at no cost to teachers aside from travel to the Campus thanks to the generosity of Holdsworth Annual Sponsors:

H-E-B, Memorial Hermann,  Clean Scapes,  MFI Foundation, Tokyo Gardens Company,  Allied Universal, David and Jan Anderson, Bill and Barbara Easter, Bob and Annie Graham, Regina Rogers, Central Market,  Peterson Family Foundation, John and Maria Zerr,  Frost Bank, Good Reason Houston, O’Connell Robertson, and  A+ Federal Credit Union. 