What Makes Teaching Worth It? Voices from Around the World

Teaching is one of the most important professions in the world. Educators help shape futures and inspire dreams, and despite the challenges they face, teachers across the globe find joy in their work every single day. 

From the thrill of a student’s “a-ha!” moment to the lasting bonds formed in the classroom, this is what educators from around the world are saying about what motivates them and makes their teaching careers meaningful and fulfilling.

The Joy of Connecting with Students 

Many teachers will tell you that the relationships they form with students are the heart of their careers. Creating a safe, respectful, and trusting environment allows students to thrive, and is rewarding for the educators who see them grow and blossom. But there are also many other important connections in a teacher’s professional life. 

“The relationships with kids, the relationships with their parents, the relationships with my coworkers, with my admin — that truly is the thing that keeps me coming back,” Leigh Harris, a third-grade teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, emphasized during an appearance on the Front of the Class podcast. “I still talk to kids and their parents that I taught 5 and 6 years ago. I still support them at their sporting events or by going to recitals.” 

This sentiment is shared by educators worldwide. 

After beginning her education career in Lebanon, Miya Hourani was so motivated by the opportunity to continue connecting with students that she left a job in a university provost’s office and moved across multiple borders to accept a teaching role at the Universal American School of Kuwait. 

“I wanted to take on the challenge,” Hourani recalled on Front of the Class. “Would I fail? Would I succeed? Would I be able to connect with kids that are not part of my culture, that come from different areas in the world, and that are part of an American school and international school? I was hungry for that. I was hungry for more.” 

Seeing Students Grow and Succeed 

One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is witnessing a student’s growth. Whether it’s a breakthrough in a difficult subject or a newfound sense of confidence, these moments inspire many educators to continue teaching. 

Moreland University alum Ayoko Vias teaches kindergarten in Togo (West Africa), saying recently that she loves working with students at such a young age because “they are old enough that they can articulate their thoughts and express themselves [but] at the same time, they are sponges and they are so eager to learn and so eager to please their teachers, their parents, that I find this particular stage [is] where…I can have the most impact on them.” 

Another Moreland alum, Kathy Schmidt, teaches middle school English at an international school in Morocco, where it’s not uncommon for her to hear 7 different languages spoken in her classroom throughout the day. One student in particular inspired her passion for multilingual differentiation. 

“He spoke almost no English and couldn’t write it,” she recalled when interviewed. “By our last exam, he wrote the exam completely in English.” 

When students begin to work, speak, express, and believe in their skills and themselves, that’s when a teacher’s influence really shines through, and it’s growth that teachers can take pride in having helped become a reality.

Making a Difference Beyond Letter Grades 

A teacher’s impact often extends far outside the four walls of the classroom. By organizing clubs, fundraisers, and community events, educators create spaces where students can connect and grow. 

Dr. Dana Specker Watts — an educator with extensive experience teaching around the world and the current director of learning, research, and outreach for International Schools Services (ISS) — started a gaming club to help students connect with one another while working in Delhi, India. This initiative not only gave students a place to belong but also gave teachers an opportunity to positively engage with students who may be quiet in class. 

“I had a teacher who was totally against gaming walk into my club, and it was the loudest group of students you could imagine. They’re all talking to each other. The energy in the room was off the charts,” Watts remembered on Front of the Class. “He looked at me and he’s like, ‘These are the kids who don’t talk in my classroom, the kids who I can’t get to speak, [but] this is their language. This is where they show their true selves,’ so he literally started coming every week and gaming with the kids so he could get to know the students he wasn’t connecting with.” 

In Chicago, Jason Piechowiak received the Buddy Helpers PepsiCo Teacher of the Year Award for integrating acts of service into his curriculum and showing students the importance of giving back. 

Piechowiak lost his father to cancer in 2016, and a few years later when he learned that one of his students had leukemia, Piechowiak knew what to do. 

“I dedicated this ride that I do every year [to them] — this charity 100-mile bike ride,” Piechowiak shared on a podcast. 

By making this selfless dedication and by creating a club to help students feel comfortable and confident, respectively, Piechowiak and Watts modeled behavior that their students could see firsthand and gave them a learning experience outside of essays and exams.

Finding Support and Building Relationships 

No teaching journey is without obstacles, but a strong support system can make all the difference. Many teachers lean on their colleagues, mentors, and administrators for guidance and encouragement, creating a network of friendships and personal relationships that matter both inside and outside of school hours. 

“When it’s really hard, the best thing that you can do is work together as a team,” Kansas fourth-grade teacher Amanda Heilman said. “My actual grade-level team are just the closest people to me in my life. We have worked together for a long time and are so close…and when we have a really tough kid or it’s a really tough year, we just stick together.” 

Jenny Mitchell serves as the director for teaching and learning at the Kaohsiung American School in Taiwan, supporting over 130 educators and 800 students ranging from ages 4-18. When asked what she thinks are the best things about working in education, she didn’t hesitate to answer: “I think what we’re doing is important, and I think the best things are the relationships you build with each other and the impact you see on being able to not necessarily change lives, but have an impact on someone’s life. And it goes both directions.” 

It seems that students can change lives, too. 

The Value of Teaching 

From Kansas to Kuwait, these educators’ message is clear: teaching is a profoundly rewarding profession. It’s a career filled with opportunities to connect with students, witness their growth, and make a lasting difference in the surrounding communities. While the challenges are real, the moments of joy and inspiration make it worthwhile. 

Teaching offers the unique opportunity to shape the future, one student at a time, and Moreland is here to support your journey toward making a lasting impact anywhere in the world. Complete your free application to our 100% online 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Certificate Preparation Program or one of our 12-month master’s degree programs today. It takes less than 15 minutes!