Teaching Can ‘Prepare You for Anything’
| by Hannah Sparling
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James Hessler was reading the classifieds when he saw an opening for a long-term French sub.
He was working for a nonprofit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and had never even considered becoming a teacher. But for whatever reason, when he saw that ad, it clicked. He could make better money as a teacher, but he’d still get to work with kids and have a positive impact on his community.
He applied. He got the job. And then COVID hit, and everything shut down.
It was a chaotic time to transition into teaching, but in some ways, Hessler felt lucky. He was used to online learning, and in that sense, his transition was smoother than for some of the more veteran teachers. And even though it was all through screens, he treasured his interactions with his students and the chance to work with them and help them grow.
“I started to think, ‘OK, this could actually be a career path for me,’” he said.
Soccer, Language, and Education
Hessler grew up in the Boston area and then moved to Wyoming with his family. He was always big into soccer, and especially after moving to Jackson Hole, the soccer community there gave him a glimpse into the U.S. immigration system. He started learning Spanish from his soccer friends. Then he studied abroad during college and learned French and Portuguese (and met his wife).
Hessler and a college classmate started a soccer camp in Jackson Hole that grew from about five kids the first summer to a couple hundred the next year. Eventually, that classmate was removed from the U.S. back to Mexico.
“That was heartbreaking,” Hessler said. “And it was another glimpse into the immigration world.”
Hessler graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and French. He knew he wanted to work with children and was particularly interested in helping immigrant families. That led him to the nonprofit world. And from there, thanks to his habit of reading the classifieds, he found teaching.
Hessler and a college classmate started a soccer camp for children.
Earning His Professional Teaching License
Hessler researched multiple programs but ended up enrolling in Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program. He liked the timeline — as little as 9 months for a teaching license — and the price was reasonable, he said.
He earned his Wyoming teaching certification through Moreland along with his M.Ed., with a focus on globalization in education.
“It was the perfect thing for me at that time,” he said. “I learned a lot from Moreland. I was able to deepen my knowledge, especially through the globalization aspect. It allowed me to have a more general perspective about, ‘What is education worldwide?’ And that was extremely helpful.”
After his long-term French sub position, Hessler got a job teaching middle-school Spanish for the same school system. Then he and his wife moved back to Massachusetts, and he found a job teaching Spanish at a charter school in Boston, working with a lot of first- and second-generation Ethiopian and Haitian immigrants.
Prepared for Anything
These days, Hessler is working for an immigration law firm and taking evening classes for his law degree. His ultimate goal is to become an immigration attorney, but he knows his time as a teacher will continue to benefit him throughout his career.
Being a teacher taught him how to better connect with people: students, parents, fellow teachers, administrators, and more. He learned patience and to give everyone grace, because you never know what someone is going through.
Legal work can be stressful, but Hessler thinks his teaching background — managing 20 to 30 students at a time — prepared him well.
“I think teaching the middle/high-school age group can kind of prepare you for anything,” he said.
He’s happy with his career pivot, but he does miss the classroom. And he could see himself returning one day, perhaps at the university level. Maybe even teaching at a law school.
“I think all the experience I have will set me up pretty well if that’s something I want to explore,” he said.
Earn your professional teaching certification in as little as 9 months with Moreland University. From there, you have the option to add on a master’s degree in just 3 additional months.
