Teaching and Coaching: Changing Lives as an Educator
| by Hannah Sparling
Terry Kendrick decided a long time ago he did not want to be a teacher.
He was studying education in college, but he quickly learned that teachers don’t make much money. So he switched his major to business, earned his bachelor’s degree, and forgot about his teaching dreams.
After graduation, Kendrick found a job as a football coach. He ended up at Central Georgia Technical College, where he coached his team to a national championship. Once he accomplished that, though, he wasn’t sure what to do next.
“I still didn’t seem complete,” he said.
He considered going back to the business world — his brother owns a car dealership, and Kendrick could run one of the branches — but then he got a call about coaching high school football in Georgia.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. As a college coach, Kendrick always felt like he was too late. His players needed help, but they needed help before they reached that level. If he were a high school coach, he could intervene earlier and make more of a difference.
The only problem? He’d need his teaching license.
Fast Path to Professional Certification
Kendrick started the 2024-25 school year as an English Language Arts teacher and assistant football coach for Bibb County School District in Macon, Georgia.
He enrolled in a Georgia university to earn his professional teaching certification, but after he heard about Moreland University during his new-teacher orientation at Bibb, he withdrew from that school and enrolled instead with Moreland.
He wants to earn his teaching license quickly, and Moreland’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program is 9 months — half the length of the other program.
He also likes that Moreland is online, flexible (important for a full-time teacher and football coach), and has a monthly payment plan option. That meant he didn’t need to take out any loans.
Plus, because of Moreland’s partnership with Bibb County, Kendrick got a small discount on his tuition.
“If you want to get a certification, if you want to get a good, quality education, my experience so far has been beneficial,” he said. “You learn a lot, especially being a first-year [teacher].”
Terry Kendrick in his first year as a football coach for Bibb County Schools
Building a Meaningful Career
Twenty years ago, when Kendrick decided he definitely did not want to be a teacher, it was all about money. Now, money is a secondary pursuit. Yes, he’s excited about the pay bump he’ll get when he graduates from TEACH-NOW and earns his professional certification, but more than that, he’s excited about the chance to positively impact students and potentially change their lives.
At the beginning of the school year, kids called him mean, he said. Now, they’re coming up to him in the hallways and seeking him out for conversations. They’re confiding in him, saying, “Can I go talk to coach? Something’s going on with me.”
Some students get labeled as troubled or “bad,” but Kendrick tries to get to know them, to understand what’s going on in their lives and how it might be impacting their day at school.
“Teaching and coaching go hand-in-hand,” he said. “If you’re a great coach, you’re going to be an excellent teacher, just because you know how to adapt. Every kid learns differently.”
Kendrick is on track to graduate from TEACH-NOW in April, but he thinks he’ll probably go on to earn his master’s degree from Moreland as well. It’s only three additional months, and it will help him advance his career even more, he said. His ultimate goal is to move into administration, maybe as a school counselor, an athletic director, or a principal.
“The biggest thing is still being a part of kids’ lives,” he said.
He may have taken a roundabout route to finding his career, but he knows he’s exactly where he belongs. And it was definitely worth the wait.
Earn your professional teaching certification in as little as 9 months with Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program.
TEACH-NOW is fully accredited and 100% online, with rolling admissions and monthly start dates. We also offer monthly payment plans or financing via Sallie Mae.
Our no-cost application only takes about 15 minutes to complete, and you typically hear back within 2 business days.
