Opportunities ‘Like Hotcakes’ with a Teaching License: Zee Ngwenya’s Global Education Journey
| by Alex Skov
Zibusiso “Zee” Ngwenya’s journey in education spans three continents, multiple languages, and countless student lives transformed. But her story began with sincere roots, as her great grandmother, her grandfather, and several other family members worked as teachers while Ngwenya was growing up in Zimbabwe.
“I remember one day telling my grandfather that I also want to be a teacher and he’s like, ‘No, I don’t want any of my grandkids to teach, and I told him, ‘No, grandpa, I’m going to be like those international teachers. I’m going to teach in big schools, maybe somewhere out of our country,’” Ngwenya remembered, “and [he’s] like, ‘If that’s what you want, then yes, go for it.’”
From that moment, Ngwenya’s passion for teaching grew even more, eventually taking her to China to earn a master’s degree in education based in the local language. Initially, her plan was to complete the degree and move back to Zimbabwe, but speaking with a friend opened Ngwenya’s eyes to the possibilities in front of her.
“I realized, ‘Oh, there is more to do than just being a Chinese teacher,’ you know?” Ngwenya said.
Ultimately, she spent 9 years in China exploring international education opportunities as her vision for the future evolved into something larger.
Discovering Moreland University and Building Global Teaching Skills
While in China, Zee reached a professional plateau.
“I’m so passionate about teaching, but at the time, I’m not feeling it,” she reflected, “like I feel there is more I can do, but at the same time I don’t know how to do it. I’m not equipped to do that.”
Hearing her frustrations, Ngwenya’s friend mentioned Moreland University and began sending her links and information about the TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program. Seeing the chance to deepen and diversify her existing knowledge and skills, Ngwenya submitted her application.
“Everything was amazing, from enrollment, the flexibility of the cohorts, and you could choose time that’s suitable for you,” Ngwenya said about the program’s 100% online format designed for working adults.
Beyond the logistics of getting onto class rosters, though, TEACH-NOW’s practical content helped transform her teaching approach.
“The Moreland program prepares you. It equips you [on] how to unpack the curriculum, how to meet the diversity in the classroom with classroom management…and also integrating technology in teaching, which is something that we are moving to as far as technology or AI is concerned,” Ngwenya said. “So, it’s a fully packed program.”
The special education component of the curriculum proved particularly valuable.
“Trust me: in every school, we meet these those students. They might not be aware, or even the parents might not be aware that their child is a special child, or [they are] not even willing to accept that the child is a special student,” Ngwenya explained, “but if you are equipped on how to talk [about] the matter and how to bring the parents into it and show them that [education] is doable, that their kids can learn like and other kids but using special or different data-driven methods, it’s really possible [to be inclusive].”
From Theory to Practice: Real Classroom Impact
During her clinical learning experience, Ngwenya applied skills and practices she’d learned in TEACH-NOW with impressive results — especially for her young students.
“My students were very excited, like, ‘Wow, teacher, we can play games at the same time as learning?” she recalled.
Ngwenya’s school gave her complete autonomy to implement what she learned through Moreland, so she leaned into the lessons about gamification, technology, and collaboration to connect her classes in the evenings so that parents and students could work together to complete homework assignments while Ngwenya was available for questions.
Everyone involved embraced the approach, which empowered students to be more engaged and encouraged parents to be partners in education.
It’s a method the Ngwenya is keeping in mind even now that she isn’t leading a classroom every day. Her new position as a school social care worker in Ireland allows her to serve students in a different capacity while continuing to focus on families as an important part of the education ecosystem. It’s a role that Ngwenya landed thanks in part to her work with special education students and the differentiated instruction strategies that she learned and honed as a Moreland candidate.
“As much as that can be challenging, each and every parent wants to know or hear that their child is doing well or their child is perfect in this, so once you notice that you have got a special child, now everything changes,” Ngwenya shared.
The Importance of a U.S. Teaching License for International Educators
As she explored work opportunities in Ireland, Ngwenya discovered the respect that a U.S. teaching license carries in the global education market. The difference in demand for unlicensed teachers versus licensed teachers is shocking, she said, describing the situation as, “If you have the US license, it’s like hotcakes” as far as the amount of interest educators receive from schools and prospective employers.
Just because she has secured a new job in a new country, though, doesn’t mean Ngwenya is becoming complacent. She’s still looking for ways to grow her career, recently completing one of Moreland’s online professional development courses regarding how teachers can effectively and responsibly use AI.
“I learned a lot of things, especially when it comes to legal practices, that I wasn’t even aware [of],” she said. “[AI] is there to enhance a lot in the classroom, not just and not only about giving information.”
Given all she’s learned through the university, Ngwenya is an active advocate for Moreland.
“I would tell [aspiring teachers] Moreland is a bridge to international schools because it prepares you to be a global teacher,” she said. “It prepares you to meet the global village’s needs, so you not only become an international teacher but to move away from the Victorian system.”
Moving away from a one-size-fits-all model in the classroom is one of Ngwenya’s professional passions, so it makes sense that she would encourage other teachers to equip themselves with the tools and skills necessary to do just that. Spreading knowledge goes back generations in her family, after all.
“I used to visit my grandma. She used to teach in the village as one of the missionary teachers back then. I saw the way she was respected by the community and a lot of students looking up to her, the way she transitioned everything in there,” Ngwenya said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is something that I would like to do, like changing lives like this [for] everyone in the community… This is something that I really want to do to be in the community, serving the community.’”
Wondering where an international teaching career could take you? Moreland is here to support your education journey and your professional goals with 100% online options like our 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Certificate Preparation Program or one of our 12-month master’s degree programs. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete your free application today.
