Insights from EdQ's Listening Sessions with New Teachers

Highlights from 2024-2025 Sessions

Prepared to Teach? First-Year CSU Teachers Speak Out

How Well Do We Support Teacher Candidates to

Complete Their Credential Programs and Stay in the Profession?

A Study by Paul Tuss, Leenie Hem, Allegra Brown, Ginger Simon and Kemi Suleiman

August 27, 2025

Executive Summary

Listening sessions with first-year teachers from CSU Northridge, CSU San Marcos, and San José State revealed that while participants entered the profession with passion, community commitment, and inspiration from past educators, they often felt underprepared for classroom management, social-emotional learning, and supporting student populations from different learning, linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Teachers stressed that administrative and programmatic support is critical to sustaining their commitment and preventing burnout. Despite these challenges, most affirmed their dedication to teaching and their desire to remain in the profession, underscoring the need for stronger preparation and support systems to help new educators thrive.

Overview

The CSU Educator Quality (EdQ) Center works to support the evolving needs of California State University (CSU) campuses by strengthening Colleges of Education through surveys and listening sessions. These efforts foster continuous improvement in teacher preparation programs, with the goal of advancing excellence and equity in the teacher workforce. In this project, EdQ focused on the experiences of first-year teachers trained at three CSU campuses—CSU Northridge, CSU San Marcos, and San José State—examining how well their credential programs prepared them for the classroom, supported their timely completion, and influenced their commitment to remain in the profession.

To explore these questions, EdQ held three online listening sessions in December 2024 with CSU-prepared teachers who completed their first year of teaching in 2023–2024. Out of 732 invited, 89 registered and 51 participated across the three campuses. The sessions, conducted via Zoom, were recorded and transcribed for analysis using Charmaz’s Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2014). Participants shared their motivations for entering teaching, their sense of preparedness, and the challenges they faced in their first year. Participants were asked to describe their current classroom setting and invited to share their racial, ethnic or personal identities. In the quotes offered below, you will see identities for those who chose to share them. Through this process, EdQ gathered valuable insights to help credential programs better support and retain new teachers.

“I had such loving teachers that inspired me”

Why Teachers are Drawn to the Profession

In response to the first question, “What inspired you to go into teaching?” two themes emerged consistently across all three campuses: (1) a love and connection to community and (2) inspiration from past teachers. Many first-year teachers described a deep sense of commitment to their communities and a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of children. An Armenian American middle school teacher shared:

What inspires me to have this career in education is to really be somebody’s hero. If I can touch the hearts of all of them, that’s my ultimate goal. I just want to make a difference in these kids’ lives.

Others reflected on the lasting influence of teachers from their own schooling. Many described overcoming personal struggles with the support of caring educators who provided safe and nurturing environments. Their gratitude toward these role models inspired them to follow a similar path. A Latina Pre-K teacher explained,

I struggled a lot, mainly in elementary school, but I had such loving teachers that inspired me to become a teacher. Being able to create an environment where you feel loved, supported, and safe was my main inspiration to become a teacher.

“My mentor was extremely supportive”

The Preparation Program Experience

When asked to reflect on their teacher preparation programs, participants shared both strengths and areas of concern. Across all three campuses, first-year teachers consistently reported that they did not feel adequately prepared for classroom management. Their responses centered on three main themes: (1) limited preparation for adjusting to schools with different socioeconomic contexts, (2) a need for more training in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and (3) insufficient guidance on supporting diverse learners.

For the first theme, many teachers described the shock of transitioning from student teaching in high-socioeconomic schools to working in Title I schools. They recounted challenges such as addressing students’ basic needs, communicating with parents from different backgrounds, and managing classrooms with fewer resources. A middle school teacher explained,

I did all my student teaching in really high socioeconomic, very White schools. My first teaching job was a Title I in San Diego, where a lot of the kids have a lot of socioeconomic-based trauma that I never learned to address... It really shocked me when I first started teaching.

Others, like this American Indian 1^st grade teacher, described the stark contrast between teaching in affluent districts and Title I schools:

I did a long-term substitute teaching at a high SES district where I covered for a teacher who went on a 5-month maternity leave. I had a very difficult time there because many of these parents were working at a Stanford hospital as neurosurgeons with their own private lawyers. It was crazy! It was so stressful. But now, working at a title one school, it is totally opposite. It’s a big gap that I’m experiencing.

The second theme focused on Social-Emotional Learning. Many participants felt unprepared for the extent to which SEL and behavior management dominated their daily responsibilities. Several teachers described encountering trauma-impacted students and behavior challenges that went far beyond what their coursework addressed. A middle school teacher told us,

We had a class with 40% IEP students, many with ADHD or trauma responses. My special education course did not prepare me for how much counseling would be involved. I think I needed a class specifically on how to teach middle school students social and emotional learning.

A 3^rd grade teacher shared a similar experience,

Honestly, I felt very unprepared to deal with the behavior of students who were high. I wish we had learned about behavior flow charts—what strategies to use when a student escalates. Instead, we were thrown into teaching without that knowledge, which was really tough and harmful for students.

The third theme highlighted a lack of preparation to support linguistically and culturally diverse students, especially English Language Learners (ELLs). Teachers reported relying heavily on colleagues for strategies and felt their programs did not equip them with practical tools when supporting students from a variety of language backgrounds beyond Spanish. A Guatamalan middle school teacher shared,

In terms of diversity and teaching ELL students, that’s where it fell short for me. I would just give students a Spanish copy of the lesson, because I had zero idea of how to best support students who were not Spanish speaking. Luckily, I now know the strategies, but without my colleagues, I wouldn’t.

A 5^th grade teacher described a similar experience,

I have a high population of students who speak Farsi, and I absolutely have to lean on my colleagues to find ways to teach them. I had zero idea of how to best support students who were not Spanish speaking. Luckily, I now know the strategies, but without my colleagues, I wouldn’t.

While participants appreciated the strong instruction they received in lesson planning and technology integration, many still expressed disappointment about the gaps in classroom management and supporting diverse learners. Teachers admitted feeling guilty about not being able to provide meaningful support to all students, though they also shared encouraging stories of creating safe and caring spaces.

An Asian American 4th grade teacher explained,

There was this one kid, he had really high anxiety. He would always have a hoodie on and a mask, and he would never talk in class. I tried talking to him, and it turns out, he’s one of the highest readers in the class! I did a lot of small groups and one-on-ones with him, really trying to connect and ask about his interests. The year after, he became my student, and he was so chatty, I actually had to split him up! Teaching at lower socioeconomic areas, you know, students come from very difficult backgrounds. My supervisor and I discussed how school can be a safe space for students.

An Asian American middle school teacher also emphasized the importance of creating a safe classroom environment,

One of my professors talked to me about creating that safe space for students. And so, teaching middle school, where they don’t want anything to do with adults, I’m the adult they always go to when they need a break from their normal classroom instruction. They’ll stop by when they see me in the hallways or pop in my room. Making sure that my space is somewhere they could always go to when they need something is really important.

“We need to be healthy so we can better serve our students”

Choosing to Stay or Leave the Profession

In the final portion of the listening sessions, participants reflected on the factors that would encourage them to remain in teaching—or push them to leave the profession entirely. The most salient theme across all campuses was the need for support. Teachers described the challenges of working with limited administrative backing, the pressures of managing multiple responsibilities, and the toll these factors took on their mental health. They also suggested that preparation programs could better prepare future educators by including honest discussions about the realities of teaching, as well as courses on burnout prevention and self-care.

A Guatemalan high school teacher described the intense exhaustion she experiences,

During my first year, I thought something was wrong with me because I’d get home, I’d sleep 5 hours, and I’d wake up and say, ‘What is this? I’m still so tired.’ I didn’t know how to deal with that. My mental health is also facing difficulties with disruptive students. I don’t know how to cope with certain comments you receive, behaviors, or just the negativity that comes with teaching. I think having a segment in the program on how to cope with that would have been great.

An Indian American 1^st grade teacher expressed similar feelings, but revealed that her stress is compounded by high expectations from multiple audiences,

It’s a lot of work. You are basically like a second mom to these kids, and not only that, but there’s more going on. We lesson plan, we manage the classroom, and there are different legal aspects to it. You even need to make sure you’re keeping your admin happy, your colleague teachers happy, your students happy, their parents, and basically the whole community. You are always being observed, it just feels like there’s a constant third eye who is checking in. I think it’s just too much stress.

A Latina 1st grade teacher described the lack of administrative support she receives,

I’m struggling with support from admin right now. Having disruptive behavior in your classroom, you know, my student throws things, starts checking for things around the classroom, hitting other students, and when you ask for support from admin, they’re like, ‘Well, it’s your classroom. You have to deal with it.’ It’s like I’m not getting support from anyone...It makes me think if this is what I want to continue doing because if I’m not getting any support, how do I expect to be a successful teacher?

Despite these concerns, participants emphasized their passion for teaching and their commitment to their students and communities. Many expressed a genuine desire to remain in the profession long-term, provided they receive the support and preparation needed to manage its demands.

An Armenian middle school teacher spoke warmly of her decision to become a teacher.

“I definitely want to be in this career long term. I have a passion for it, and hopefully, I can retire in this career.

Ultimately, these beginning teachers balanced stories of struggle with moments of joy. While acknowledging the stressors of the profession, many still voiced their hope to stay in education until retirement. Their reflections highlight the urgency of strengthening support systems for teachers, both within preparation programs and in the field, to ensure their passion can translate into lasting, meaningful careers.

Summary

Across the listening sessions, first-year CSU-trained teachers described entering the profession with a deep commitment to their communities and a desire to make a difference in children’s lives. Many were also inspired by past teachers who provided safe, supportive learning environments and wanted to do the same for their own students.

When reflecting on their preparation programs, participants acknowledged strengths in lesson planning and technology but noted significant gaps in areas that mattered most once they entered the classroom. They reported feeling underprepared for managing classrooms, supporting students from different socioeconomic contexts, addressing social-emotional needs, and teaching linguistically and culturally diverse learners. Many relied on colleagues to fill these gaps and described feelings of guilt or frustration about not being fully equipped to meet student needs.

In considering what would make them stay or leave the profession, teachers consistently emphasized the importance of support. Lack of administrative backing, burnout, and the pressures of wearing “too many hats” made some question their long-term commitment. Still, many affirmed their passion for teaching and their desire to remain in the profession, highlighting the joy they found in relationships with students and the safe spaces they created in their classrooms. Their reflections suggest that strengthening preparation in classroom management, cultural responsiveness, and teacher well-being is key to supporting and retaining new educators.