Is Teaching Really Worth It?

Children can be so kind and also brutally honest. They are learning how to live in this world full of many unknowns and many different sources of information. From a developmental perspective, “children’s brains are like sponges, absorbing everything going on around them.” [1] Throughout my journey of learning to be a teacher, I have seen this quote to be true in the most beautiful and scary ways. In my classrooms, I have seen students mimic the positive language that I have used with them with their peers, and sadly, I have also seen how my lack of patience causes them to feel shame about themselves. Being able to experience so many diverse classrooms, I interact with a range of students, always finding joy in the opportunity to be a part of their education and formation from an early age. However, in the United States, teachers face a system that makes teaching barely sustainable. So I am left wondering: What is the true value of teaching?

Teaching often feels like the most challenging but rewarding career. One teacher, Brandi Russel, says, “Every child needs someone to believe in them and someone to look up to, be that for them.” Yet, even with such intense optimism, Russel also acknowledges that teaching can be “the hardest job you ever love” [2]. Since the pandemic, the teacher drop-out rate has increased, reaching 23 percent for the 2022-2023 school year. [3]. There have also been increased numbers of teacher walkouts and protests for increased wages and more safety [4]. But even with these challenges, the desire to become a teacher is such a personal experience that, for most, giving up is painful. 

Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to be a teacher. I started by teaching my stuffed animals, and eventually, I became old enough to teach on Sunday mornings. Despite my continued passion for teaching, I have always had a little voice in my head that nags me, saying that maybe teaching is not the right career for me. I have even had family members and friends suggest that being a teacher is “beneath me.” I knew teachers struggling with burnout, difficult students, staff, and school districts. But despite these voices and testimonies that I was hearing from real teachers, I still wanted to be one. Most importantly, from many of these teachers, I saw selflessness that remarkably reflects the life of Jesus.  

In the Bible, it says, “’Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” [5]. Then, Romans 12:6–8 talks about how everyone is given a gift from God, and they should use the gifts [7]. So one verse tells me that I am going to be judged more strictly for being a teacher, and another says that I should use the gifts given to me. It would seem that there is no easy answer to the question of whether or not teaching is really worth it. Thankfully, a closer look at the life of Jesus gives hope for answering this burning question. 

The Bible talks about how Jesus uniquely valued children even when others, like His disciples, failed to do so. In Mark 10:13–16, Jesus shows what it looks like to teach selflessly:

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them, and blessed them. 

This passage is a clear reminder of the care Jesus showed to the little children, even when others did not think Jesus would give the children time as a great teacher with better ways to use His time. The sentence, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” is repeated multiple times in the Bible in Matthew 19:14 and Luke 18:16 [10,11]. When ideas are repeated in the Bible, it emphasizes the importance of that idea. Thus, these verses tell Christians that God values children, even when loving them can sometimes seem like a waste of time. The Bible tells Christians to “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it” [7] and “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” [8]. These verses highlight the importance of teaching children and others at any point in time because everyone needs guidance. 

This world needs teachers, but everyone was once a student and a child. The curiosity, optimism, creativity, and adaptability that children have are qualities that adults should strive to keep. The Bible recognizes the value of these qualities, even encouraging its readers to have childlike faith. Child-like faith is when one is open-minded, receptive, and willing to listen to new things, like children when they are learning something new. It is curious eyes full of wonder and love, hanging on to every word. This is the posture that Jesus describes when talking about child-like faith. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In this specific verse, Jesus states that an eagerness to learn and a relationship with God the Father are necessary to the Christian life, as life is all about learning. The more a Christian learns about the Bible, the more questions and curiosities arise. Through this cycle of discovery and questions, Christians depend on their relationship with God to ask Him their questions and trust that He will provide the necessary answers.

As a Christian, I enjoy learning about the Bible and learning from my students. In good pedagogical practice, teachers are always learning alongside their students, as students themselves. Throughout my different teaching experiences, I strive to be a lifelong learner to not only model that posture for my future students, but also because “the field of education evolves so fast that techniques, skills, and technologies become obsolete within five to 10 years. That is why being a lifelong learner plays an important role in the educational process. It helps educators incorporate new tools and strategies into the learning process to boost their students’ learning development” [9]. As a Christian teacher, I am called in both aspects of my identity to be a lifelong learner. I aspire to be continually curious with a childlike faith, eager to learn in all aspects of my life.

Teaching is an incredible mystery. Children are sponges that look to any and every adult that they can to get information from them. Their brains are ready to receive all of the input they can get to continue to make connections with prior knowledge. Teaching and learning alongside children is an incredible way to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who is the greatest teacher to ever live. Teachers are called to lead these children in the right direction, just as Jesus did, and to endure despite the hardships that may be coming their way. God values the knowledge and care that teachers have for children and others. As an aspiring Christian teacher, I hope to embody a Jesus-centered version of teaching as I learn more about self-sacrifice. Just as great educators must be lifelong learners, Christians are called to follow Jesus, as his students in whatever career path they choose.

1. The University of Chicago . (n.d.). The power of words. TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health. https://tmwcenter.uchicago.edu/share/the-power-of-words/ .
2. Burleigh, E. (2024, March 28). Brandi Russell: “Teaching the hardest job you’ll ever love.” American Press. https://www.americanpress.com/2024/01/19/brandi-russell-teaching-the-hardest-job-youll-ever-love/#  .
3. Examining school-level teacher turnover trends from 2021 to 2023: A new angle on a pervasive issue. Education Resource Strategies. (2024, April 8). https://www.erstrategies.org/tap/teacher-turnover-trends-analysis/ .
4. Will, M. (2023, October 31). Teacher strikes, explained: Recent strikes, where they’re illegal, and more. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teacher-strikes-explained-recent-strikes-where-theyre-illegal-and-more/2023/10 .
5. James 3:1 NIV.
6. Romans 12:6-8 NIV.
7. Proverbs 22:6 ESV.
8. 2 Timothy 4:2 ESV.
9. Lsanchez. (2021, April 23). Why good educators are lifelong learners. EWU. https://online.ewu.edu/degrees/education/med/adult-education/good-educators-lifelong-learners/ .
10. Matthew 19:14.
11. Luke 18:16.