Why TEACH-NOW was “an Asset” in Lawrence Edmonds’ Global Teaching Journey
| by Alex Skov
In 2017, just a few weeks into working as a teacher at an international kindergarten in China, Lawrence Edmonds found himself in an unusual meeting with three of his Chinese colleagues.
“There was [another] man sitting over to the side and they didn’t tell me who he was, and I didn’t know their positions. They’re talking to me in Chinese and they asked me, ‘What do you want us to do?’” Edmonds recalled. “There was a problem with the school, and we were going to have a test lesson on a Saturday. I responded in Chinese…[and] said, ‘I’m a little indifferent, but I care about satisfying you.’ I [was] saying, ‘You’re the boss. I’m not the boss.’”
What he didn’t know at the time was the silent man sitting to the side was, in fact, the boss of everyone in the room — and he was impressed by the humility in Edmonds’ answer.
“I found out thereafter that there was a Western woman who, within a year before me, came into the same job and started saying, ‘You’re doing this [wrong], you’re doing that [wrong]. We’re going to do this. Listen to me,’” Edmonds learned. “[The boss] kicked her out.”
Edmonds was about one year into his teaching career at this point, and that day’s lesson that has stuck with him ever since: listen first and respect the local culture.
Nearly a decade later, it has served Edmonds well as he has built a thriving career as an international educator by pairing this cultural sensitivity with his natural curiosity and drive to grow, leading to his current role teaching math and science to students in grades 1-11 at an international school in Thailand.
Igniting an Interest in International Education
While Edmonds began teaching full-time in 2016, his interest in the profession goes back much further.
When he was a teenager, Edmonds — a native of Toronto, Canada — had a friend who went abroad to teach in South Korea. They told him about the excellent professional experience and cultural immersion that an international teaching job can provide. Hearing this encouraged Edmonds to enter an exchange program and visit Shanghai in 2011.
“I knew right away that I like the pace of life in China and the way Asia moves fast,” Edmonds said.
Even though he hadn’t finished his bachelor’s degree yet, Edmonds signed up for a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certification course as soon as he returned home, knowing it would eventually help facilitate a permanent move across the globe. Since then, he’s taught in China, South Korea, and Vietnam, in addition to leading online classes filled with students from other countries.
“I’ve taught different age levels, and I also completed a master’s degree of TESOL because I wanted more teaching qualifications,” Edmonds said, “and then I kind of realized I hit a ceiling, and I realized I needed a teaching license.”
Leveling Up with Moreland University
While an advanced TESOL certification provided Edmonds with a degree of career mobility, many top-tier international schools require a country- or state-issued teaching license for their best roles. Edmonds began searching for a program that would allow him to earn this credential remotely without leaving his job in Asia. He asked if anyone in his network knew of a program that would be a fit, and he looked at Canadian universities’ course offerings, but nothing offered the flexibility he needed.
That’s when he discovered Moreland University.
“One day I was looking up teaching positions in the Middle East and on this website Teaching Nomad, they said [if you] don’t have a license that they recommended [Moreland] and I was like, ‘Wow!’”
It was a lucky coincidence at the perfect time.
For Edmonds, Moreland was the bridge between his experience and his future goals, as the fully online TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program allowed him to continue working full-time while earning the U.S. teaching license that would be key to advancing his career.
Beyond being a new bullet point on his resume, the TEACH-NOW curriculum offered immediate practical value. Edmonds specifically noted that the program’s focus on InTASC standards — core teaching standards that outline what teachers should know and be able to do — helped him refine his lesson planning and instructional strategies.
Edmonds and his wife were also raising his young daughter during his time in TEACH-NOW and, as he studied modules about interacting with young learners, he was able to see some pivotal childhood stages in real-time in his own home.
“It was so interesting to learn about the developmental stages of children while I’m watching it happen, so that was really a joy,” Edmonds said.
Embracing Technology and the Future
Edmonds is a firm believer that educators must stay ahead of the curve, especially regarding technology. As he plans to earn a doctorate in education, he credits his Moreland instructors for introducing him to new educational tools and platforms that have modernized his classroom approach.
Looking back at his TEACH-NOW experience, Edmonds called it an “asset” to building his expertise as a teacher and urged aspiring and current educators to energize their careers by pursuing a U.S. teaching license, as well.
“If you’re hesitant, don’t be hesitant. Just do it,” he said.
“Around grade 11, I had someone tell me a quote: ‘Your greatest competitors are those willing to work harder than you are,’” Edmonds continued. “Other people will eat your lunch and, if you want to be able to compete in the world today, you have to have more education and more qualifications. It’s just an undeniable fact, especially with the emergence of AI and the possibility that professions are going to be depleting the number of employees. Everybody who’s even thinking about doing [TEACH-NOW], you should do it. And don’t wait, because it might be a difference between being able to have a work soon [or] not.”
Are you ready to take your teaching career to the next level? Learn more about how Moreland University can support you with our 100% online 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Certificate Preparation Program and 12-month master’s degree programs today. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete your free application.
