Following a 40-year career teaching and coaching, Levelland’s Nelda Munoz has decided to step away from the profession and enter retirement.
A Levelland resident, Munoz began teaching in 1984 but the open positions within the district were slim for her area. During her first year of teaching, she found herself as a instructor and coached volleyball, basketball and track at Atkins Junior High in Lubbock.
At the end of her first year, she found her way back to Levelland ISD where she has remained the rest of her career. What was once the Levelland Middle School which is now called the Levelland Intermediate School, Munoz taught physical education.
In 1995, Munoz started coaching again thanks to Coach Dean Weese.
“He asked me to coach again and how could you possibly say no to Coach Weese,” explained Munoz.
Excited to learn and be under Coach Weese, she jumped back into coaching volleyball, basketball and track at the time. By 2008, Munoz began coaching specifically track and cross country when she moved to Levelland High School.
During talks of retirement and counting the total number of years teaching and coaching, Munoz would field questions asking how she lasted so long in the profession.
“I tell people that teaching was not this hard all the time,” said Munoz. “The teaching climate has changed over time and there is a lot more pressure on educators.”
For Munoz, she has enjoyed Levelland and it’s size when it came to the district.
“Levelland gives the small town feel but it is not necessarily as small as our neighbors,” explained Munoz. “You still have the chance to know everybody, build relationships and the support has always been there from faculty, friends and community members.”
Over the span of a 40-year career, Munoz has been a part of countless students journey throughout their education at Levelland ISD. Whether it be through athletics or the classroom.
Munoz attributed her focus and commitment to all students regardless if they were athletes to Dr. Anne Darnell.
“She helped me learn that even though I was a coach, the most important job was in the classroom,” said Darnell. “She stressed that to me and that stuck in my mind. Even Coach Weese emphasized to me that if I was a good teacher, then I would be a good coach.”
Munoz hopes that throughout her career, she was able to teach her students that if they put in the hard work they can be successful in life.
“There may have been times of tough love, but I wanted my students to know that their hard work would put them in a position to succeed and not doing their job would bring consequences similar to how life works,” explained Munoz.
“I am certainly going to miss watching these kids grow and put their absolute all into whatever they do when they are in school,” said Munoz. “I am going to miss the relationships, but on the flips side of it I have three grandchildren that I am eager to be around more.”
Wanting to spend more time with family, she hopes to do a little traveling and enjoy life.
A retirement party is set for Munoz on May 19, going from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Studebaker Events in Levelland. The party is a come and go styled event.