For the past year, EdSurge has profiled students enrolled in teacher preparation programs to understand who today is aspiring to become a teacher and why.
In each profile, we give the microphone to an aspiring educator to explain, in their own words, why they chose the profession and why they’re committed to it.
The series, titled “America’s Future Teachers,” comes at a time of turmoil in the education industry. Many current teachers report Some teachers are entering the job with high levels of stress and dissatisfaction. Some have even left the field. School districts often Can’t be filled We cannot fill all vacant positions with qualified candidates. And the percentage of individuals enrolled in teacher preparation programs is It fell sharply In the past few decades, there have been fewer new teachers available to match the number of students, so the U.S. Department of Education has begun airing television ads encouraging people to become teachers.
This complex situation makes the perspective of those who decide to pursue a teaching career anyway even more interesting.
The 10 future teachers we interviewed come from a variety of regions, backgrounds, teaching experiences, and motivations. Each story – each person – is unique. Some followed the traditional path from high school to college to teaching, while others came to teaching as a second career after trying their hand at baking, corporate America, and mental health. Many knew this was their calling for a long time, but others just needed more time and perspective to realize it.
Still, several themes emerged: Many of these points, outlined below, are consistent with what was found in a recent study about what it takes to attract Gen Z to the teaching profession. This is true because the majority (though not all) of the people interviewed for this series are Gen Z.
1. Relationships are key
Aspiring teachers tell us time and time again that the relationships they get to build and maintain with their students are what draw them to the profession. They see the student-teacher connection as core to the job and essential to helping students succeed.
AJ Jacobs of Rock Hill, South Carolina, said the quote “meaningful learning can’t happen without meaningful relationships” drives him.
Sarah Cardoza of Eagle River, Alaska, said results are much more important to her than the income.
“The most important thing in all of this is making connections,” said Joshua Davenport of Knoxville, Tennessee.
2. Many people start out as teachers early on
When we asked aspiring educators to pinpoint the moment they knew they wanted to be a teacher, most shared memories from childhood or adolescence that solidified that desire. Even those who didn’t immediately become teachers, or those who began their careers in other fields for various reasons, knew early on that teaching was their desired career path.
Priscilla Cano Padron of Dallas, Texas, remembers a “wake-up moment” when she tutored math and reading to her English classmates in middle school (she is bilingual). Janae Montgomery of Brussley, Louisiana, said she can’t remember a specific moment, but she always remembered knowing she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. Jacobs decided to become a teacher in elementary school after seeing her mother, also a teacher, have passion for her students.
In fact, many of the teacher candidates we interviewed had close relatives in the field, and that experience seemed to impress them.
3. Expanding access through alternative routes
Around half of those we interviewed were taking advantage of one of the growing number of flexible alternative education pathways.
Some have taken up teaching as a second career. Davenport has worked in the mental health field for more than 10 years. Grow it yourself He enrolled in a program that allowed him to earn his teaching credential while working in a school. Annie Talley Ochoa of Cupertino, California, served several years in the Marines and then worked in retail before working as a substitute teacher while earning her degree. Cardoza worked as a pastry chef and an orthodontic assistant before taking online classes to earn her undergraduate teaching credential. Montgomery was able to continue in her paraprofessional role at the school while earning her degree.
The expansion of earn-while-you-learn options for entering the teaching profession has made it possible for many people who would not otherwise have the time or money to pursue a teaching career.
4. Lifelong learners become teachers
Most of the aspiring teachers we spoke to love school and consider themselves lifelong learners—and they want to impart that same passion for learning to their students.
“We want to reignite, or for some, ignite the fire in education,” said Riley Campbell of Washington, D.C. “If students find joy in learning at a young age, they’ll find joy in learning as adults, and we can continue the cycle of learning.”
Caleb Brown of Clemson, South Carolina, believes that seeing himself as a “forever student” helps him serve the children in his class better: “The learning process never ends, even as an educator. I learn from my students as much as they learn from me.”
5. Their concerns are manifold
We asked prospective teachers what they were worried about or hesitant about their chosen profession, and the answers to this question varied more than any other.
Some said they were concerned about low pay and noted they had seen teachers around them get burned out during their training and want to quit. They questioned whether the profession was sustainable in the long term.
Several teacher candidates, including Brown, cited the politicization of education and book bans as concerns. Cardoza worried that school funding was unpredictable and that budget cuts would affect not only teachers’ jobs, but the quality of students’ educational experiences.
Some teacher candidates are concerned about technology, not so much its application to teaching and learning, but rather its impact on children’s learning and development, particularly with regard to too much screen time and social media use.
“It may even get to the point where you’re competing with your kids’ iPads to see who can get the biggest dopamine hit,” said Zachary Farley of Corona, Calif. “I think about it a lot.”
Cano Padrón said she worries about her students’ safety because of rampant gun violence. Several teachers, including Viridiana Martinez of Berkeley, California, said they’ve seen students struggling to recover from the pandemic during their teaching practice.
But those concerns pale in comparison to the hope students have for them — and it’s that hope that keeps them going.
“At the end of the day, kids are kids and they need teachers and guidance and people who put in the time and effort for kids,” Cardoza said. “And it’s worth it. To see breakthroughs in the classroom. It’s worth it.”
