After a stressful couple years, tens of thousands of teachers are considering leaving the classroom. But aspiring teachers are still heading into the profession, eyes wide open.
Education Week spoke to four students at NC State University鈥檚 college of education about why they鈥檙e choosing teaching, despite all the challenges and stressors. They say they are well-aware that job satisfaction among teachers has plummeted over the years, and that low teacher salaries are discouraging鈥攂ut they鈥檙e still excited to pursue their dream job.
After all, the students say, teaching is still rewarding and worthwhile. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Kay Sumpter, 22, a graduating senior who majored in elementary education with an add-on licensure in special education
I just wrapped up my student-teaching experience a few weeks ago. I taught in a 5th grade classroom. ... It was such a great experience. Honestly, I miss them so much already. It鈥檚 just really crazy because everyone鈥檚 like, 鈥�5th grade鈥檚 kind of scary,鈥� but I鈥檓 like, 5th grade is great! They鈥檙e very relatable. They鈥檙e learning more about themselves, and they鈥檙e learning more about their interests, and they鈥檙e learning more about things that excite them.
I definitely would say seeing a negative side of [teaching] kind of intimidates me, but it鈥檚 also kind of motivating. I constantly remind myself of why I enter this profession, and why I continue to go every day, and why I continue to push so hard. Even though I see other teachers leaving, I know that I鈥檓 going to do something that I love. I know that I鈥檓 going into a field that I really want to go into, and it鈥檚 gonna be something that I enjoy. A lot of times, if you鈥檙e feeding off of negative energy around you, and you鈥檙e focusing on all of the bad things, it reflects when you鈥檙e teaching.
I feel like entering the education field, I will have a lot of impact on students. It鈥檚 important to remember to have positive impacts on them鈥攅ven if it鈥檚 something as small as greeting them in the morning and letting them you know that you care about them, or something as big as helping them with life experiences that they鈥檙e going through, because kids also have trauma, and that鈥檚 something that we have to support them through.
I鈥檝e always said I don鈥檛 want to go to a job where it鈥檚 just the same thing every single day. With teaching, every day is a new day, and no day is gonna be the same day. You have new experiences, and you have new challenges to overcome. That鈥檚 something I鈥檓 really, really excited for.
Allyson Sarnowski, 22, a graduating senior who majored in middle grades science education
I vividly remember in 2nd grade, we had to do this big project on what we wanted to be when we grew up. And of course, mine was like, 鈥淥h, I wanna be a teacher.鈥� All my friends were like, 鈥淲hat? You don鈥檛 want to be a veterinarian? You don鈥檛 want to be a doctor?鈥� I鈥檝e always wanted to be a teacher. I鈥檝e always enjoyed learning and being in the classroom.
When I said I wanted to go into education when I was in high school, people were like, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not gonna get paid anything.鈥� And of course, I was like, oh, it鈥檚 fine, it doesn鈥檛 matter, I really want to teach. I鈥檝e been really grateful for , because that鈥檚 a forgivable loan program鈥攁s I teach in North Carolina [after graduation], it鈥檚 forgiven. Having that financial burden of college being taken care of really settles nerves when it comes to knowing what your paycheck is going to be after college.
Now, I will say, in the last year, I鈥檝e woken up and been like, oh wow, this is definitely going to be a challenge. But I think that honestly, teachers know what they鈥檙e getting themselves into at this point. It鈥檚 a shame, but you know, teaching comes from the heart. We鈥檙e not in it for the paycheck. The students truly do make it worth it because you build those relationships and bonds with them.
Dre Jordan, 18, a first-year student majoring in technology, engineering, and design education
In elementary school, I was always kind of like the teachers鈥� pet. You know, I always had the little inside scoop. In 5th grade, we were switching curriculum or something, and they were throwing all these math books away, and I was like, 鈥淚鈥檓 gonna take these home and play school with them!鈥� So I was like, you know what, maybe I should be a teacher.
Sitting in classrooms [growing up] where I was probably the only person of color, it was kind of like鈥攐h, OK. I didn鈥檛 really have a lot of teachers of color really until high school. When I was introduced to that, I was like, OK, I can see myself doing this. I did a lot of work with that in my high school teaching classes鈥攋ust learning about the lack of Black 糖心动漫vlog in the classroom, specifically Black male 糖心动漫vlog. I found out that students of color are able to work better with seeing representation in the classroom. I just want to be a source of inspiration and motivation for students of color.
And of course I am a huge advocate for Black male 糖心动漫vlog in the classroom, because in my program, [there鈥檚] just not a lot. I just feel like it鈥檚 my responsibility to show that, you know, Black male 糖心动漫vlog are a thing, and to advocate for that and advocate for resources for students of color in general. Diverse mindsets in the classroom鈥攊t brings extraordinary ideas.
I鈥檝e definitely seen [negativity about the teaching profession] a lot. It can kind of be like, yikes, is that really what I鈥檓 gonna be going through? But then I just think about鈥攜ou know, of course it鈥檚 gonna be hard. Teaching is not an easy job. But I just know for myself, all my work won鈥檛 be going in vain because I want to be able to see the impact that I鈥檓 having on my children. When they come in and tell me, 鈥淥h my God, I got this concept,鈥� I鈥檓 like, yes, I did that for them!
Catherine Dean, 21, a junior majoring in elementary education and minoring in Spanish and Teaching English as a Foreign Language
I鈥檝e always wanted to be a teacher. I just really love working with kids, and I feel like their minds at [elementary] age are so malleable. You can really make a difference. I think all teachers are important鈥攈igh school, middle school鈥攂ut I just feel like my calling is to work with the younger kids and shape their minds while they鈥檙e starting to learn and be in school.
I know that it鈥檚 gonna be a very rewarding job. I just like being in the classroom right now, even as a student. I鈥檓 just looking forward to that part of my job鈥攇etting to see the kids and getting to work with them and getting to teach and everything.
I don鈥檛 think that you鈥檒l really make the kind of difference that you are able to make in the world if you鈥檙e doing something that you don鈥檛 love doing. With teaching, if you love what you鈥檙e doing, and you鈥檙e teaching, I think that it inspires other people.
