KINGSVILLE (June 27, 2025) — The Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) hosted a four-day professional trailer fabrication workshop for 20 high school AG teachers from 16 schools across the state — and one from out of state — this past week.
Teachers built two flatbed trailers from June 24-27 while partnering with university students and preservice teachers.
“What this is for is to help increase their skills in metal fabrication — specifically two flatbed trailers from nothing,” Professor of agricultural education and mechanics Dr. Steven Chumbley said. “It was from just cutting metal to driving down the road in four days. We have a variety of teachers here who vary in levels of experience. We have teachers with experience of 20-plus years and we have some novice teachers, so they get to share their experiences. There are different ways to build a trailer and they get to problem solve together how to figure out some of these things.”
Navigating through varying experiences, preferences and ideas proved difficult for some, but the collaborations allowed for teachers to obtain new knowledge that could be applied in their classrooms down the line.
“You have students who this is their first time welding, you have people in their 25th year teaching,” said Tori Boehme, a teacher at San Antonio’s Agriculture Science and Technology Academy and TAMUK graduate. “It’s been interesting working with peers because most of the time, a lot of us work with students all day. Getting to work with a peer and understanding their frame of mind, experiences and collaborating about what is best is a bit of a struggle at times, but at the end of the day we are learning a bit more of everyone’s line of thinking. We can take that back to our own shop, apply that experience and make better trailers.”
For Richard Hernandez, a Sinton High School teacher and another TAMUK alum, seeing that teachers from differing areas of Texas and one from the West Coast having their own unique location-based styles was his biggest takeaway of the week.
“I have my own set of experiences from our particular part of the State of Texas,” Hernandez said. “Being that there are several ag teachers here from across the state and one from the Northwest Coast, we get to see all these experiences and all these challenges overcome by different means of problem solving.”
Christian Little, a second-year teacher from Junction High School, found the differing styles refreshing.
“It’s awesome to understand that there are a ton of different ways to do something,” Little said. “Knowing that you don’t have to do something a certain way and it’s okay to do something different from someone else while not reinventing the wheel. Somebody has done something and you can piece things together to get to your end goal.”
Aside from the trailer fabrication, industry partners and various speakers were on hand for lunch presentations.
Program sponsors were Bishop Farm Equipment, KNL Services, Matheson Gas Professionals, Airgas, and El Tigre Food Stores. Diamond T Trailers also donated trailer kits for the builds.
“Without the support of our partners, we wouldn’t be able to do this,” Chumbley said. “The trailers have buyers lined up, helping offset the cost of the additional materials. Any money raised with remaining funds are going to help pay for the teaching exams for the program’s current student teachers.”
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